Final Exam Literary Terms

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Allusion

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Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

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Catharsis

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A Catharsis is an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. Catharsis is a Greek word and it means cleansing. In literature it is used for the cleansing of emotions of the characters. It can also be any other radical change that leads to emotional rejuvenation of a person.

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Character

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A person in a novel, play, and movie.

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Round Character

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A round character in a novel, play or story is a complex personality. Like real people, he/she has depth in his feelings and passions. For instance, in the movie “Shrek,” the main character says “‘Ogres are like onions” which means that what appears to them is not the only truth they see; rather, there is something more inside them. Similarly, a round character has many layers like onions. Writers define a round character fully, both physically and mentally. It is the character with whom the audience can sympathize, associate or relate to, as he seems a character they might have seen in their real lives. Round characters are major characters in a story; they encounter contradictory situations and undergo transformation during this phase. Therefore, these characters do not remain the same throughout the narrative, making their traits difficult to identify from beginning until the end.These characters are more realistic, while their personalities are also inconsistent.They are fully developed and show complex traits, like real people.Round characters are also known as main characters or major characters, because they are suitable to surprise the readers in a very convincing manner.Major characters must be round characters to be believable.

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Flat Character

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A flat character is a type of character in fiction that does not change too much from the start of the narrative to its end. Flat characters are often said not to have any emotional depths. The role of flat characters is to support the main character.They do not go through a substantial growth or transformation in the course of the narrative.They have recognizable characteristics that make them appear stereotypical.They are often referred to as one or two-dimensional characters, usually having one perspective or point of view about life, things or events.

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Static Character

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A static character is one that does not undergo inner changes or undergoes a little change. It is a character that does not develop or grow such as Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. In fact, this character does not develop the inner understanding to know his environment, which is affecting him, or he does not understand that his actions have positive or negative impacts on others. The personality of this character remains the same at the end of the story as it appears in the beginning. All his actions stay true and unchanged to his personality in-between the scenes.

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Dynamic Character

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Like a round character, a dynamic character also undergoes changes throughout the narrative due to several conflicts he encounters on his journey. A dynamic character faces trials and tribulations and takes time to learn from encounters, other characters, experiences, and mistakes he/she commits. Sometime a character learns a lesson and gains maturity such as Prince Hal in Henry IV. Some characters discover mistakes in their point of view, and some others discover an important aspect of their personalities, such as Neville Longbottom did in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” These all changes make a character dynamic, but they are implied ones, and not stated outright.

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Protagonist

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A protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes called a “hero” by the audience or readers. The word originally came from the Greek language and in Greek drama which refers to the person who led the chorus. Later on, the word started being used as a term for the first actor in order of performance.

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Antagonist

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In literature, an antagonist is a character or a group of characters which stand in opposition to the protagonist or the main character. The term antagonist comes from Greek word “antagonistēs” that means opponent, competitor or rival.

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Archetype

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In literature, an antagonist is a character or a group of characters which stand in opposition to the protagonist or the main character. The term antagonist comes from Greek word “antagonistēs” that means opponent, competitor or rival. It is common to refer to an antagonist as a villain (the bad guy) against whom a hero (the good guy) fights in order to relieve himself or others. In some cases, an antagonist may exist within the protagonist that causes an inner conflict or a moral conflict inside his mind. This inner conflict is a major theme of many literary works e.g. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce etc. Generally, an antagonist appears as a foil to the main character embodying qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of the main character.

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Motif

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Motif is an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work.

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Foil

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In literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other character. The term foil, though generally being applied for a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things. What we observe in literature very often is that a foil is a secondary character who contrasts with the major character to enhance the importance of the major character. The etymology of the term foil testifies the aforementioned assertion as the word “foil” is taken from the practice of backing gems with foil (tool) so that they shine more brightly.

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Conflict

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In literature, a conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist.

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Man vs. Man

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Characters are pitted against one another.The antagonist (or other character) tries to keep the protagonist from reaching his goal.The protagonist must overcome the efforts of the antagonist to reach his goal.

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Man vs. Nature

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The hero must overcome a force of nature to meet his goal.Nature can be a force of nature (like a storm, earthquake, or difficult climate) OR an animal from nature.In literature, the hero sometimes meets his goal, but sometimes is defeated.

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Man vs. Self

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The protagonist must overcome her own nature to reach her goal.The protagonist struggles within her own mind.The protagonist needs to overcome her struggle to reach the goal. She may, or may not, succeed.

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Man vs. Higher Power

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A conflict between a person and God or another authority figure

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Man vs. Society

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A protagonist sees something in a unique way.People in his town or culture don't like his way of thinking. His bold ideas diverge from tradition or the rules. They ridicule and threaten him. He is compelled to act.Our hero may convince the others he is right, but he might be forced to flee town. He may even lose his life.

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Diction

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Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. Diction or choice of words separates good writing from bad writing. It depends on a number of factors. Firstly, the word has to be right and accurate. Secondly, words should be appropriate to the context in which they are used. Lastly, the choice of words should be such that the listener or readers understand easily. Besides, proper diction or proper choice of words is important to get the message across. On the contrary, the wrong choice of words can easily divert listeners or readers which results in misinterpretation of the message intended to be conveyed.

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Flashback

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Merriam Webster defines flashback as “an interruption of the chronological sequence (as of a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence.” Flashbacks are interruptions that writers do to insert past events in order to provide background or context to the current events of a narrative. By using flashbacks, writers allow their readers to gain insight into a character’s motivation and provide a background to a current conflict. Dream sequences and memories are methods used to present flashbacks.

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Foreshadowing

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a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story or a chapter and helps the reader develop expectations about the coming events in a story. There are various ways of creating a foreshadowing. A writer may use dialogues of characters to hint at what may occur in future. In addition, any event or action in the story may throw a hint to the readers about future events or action. Even a title of a work or a chapter title can act as a clue that suggests what is going to happen. Foreshadowing in fiction creates an atmosphere of suspense in a story so that the readers are interested to know more.

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Genre

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the type of art, literature or music characterized by a specific form, content and style. For example, literature has four main genres; poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. All of these genres have particular features and functions that distinguish them from one another. Hence, it is necessary on the part of readers to know which category of genre they are reading in order to understand the message it conveys, as they may have certain expectations prior to the reading concerned.

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Fiction

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Etymologically, the word fiction has been derived from Latin word “fictus” that means, “to form”. However, in literature, Merriam Webster defines it as, “literature in the form of prose, especially novels, that describes imaginary events and people.”

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Non- Fiction

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writing about facts. Although non-fiction is supposed to be truthful, sometimes it may not be. People normally assume that authors mean to be truthful, but they might make mistakes. Writing is normally split into two parts: non-fiction and fiction. As well as non-fiction books, there are also pictures and films.

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Myth

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a legendary or a traditional story that usually concerns an event, or a hero, with or without using factual or real explanations, particularly one concerning with demigods or deities, and describes some rites, practices and natural phenomenon. Typically, a myth involves historical events and supernatural beings. There are many types of myths such as classic myths, religious myths, and modern myths etc.

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Irony

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a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality.

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Juxtaposition

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a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.

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Monologue

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comes from Greek word monos means alone and logos means speech. It is a literary device, which is the speech or verbal presentation that a single character presents in order to express his/her collection of thoughts and ideas aloud. Often this character addresses directly to audience or another character. Monologues are found in the dramatic medium like films, plays and also in non-dramatic medium such poetry.

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Narrator

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a person who narrates something, especially a character who recounts the events of a novel or narrative poem.

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Paradox

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is from the Greek word “paradox on” that means contrary to expectations, existing belief or perceived opinion. It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. A paradox is often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative way.

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Plot

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Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

There are five main elements in a plot. The first is the exposition or the introduction. This is known as the beginning of the story where characters and setting are established. The conflict or main problem is introduced as well. The second element of a plot is known as the rising action which occurs when a series of events build up to the conflict. The main characters are established by the time the rising action of a plot occurs and at the same time, events begin to get complicated. It is during this part of a story that excitement, tension or crisis is encountered. The third element of a plot is known as the climax or the main point of the plot. This is the turning point of the story and is meant to be the moment of highest interest and emotion. The reader wonders what is going to happen next. The fourth element of a plot is known as falling action or the winding up of the story. Events and complications begin to resolve and the result of actions of the main characters are put forward. The last element of a plot is the resolution or the conclusion. It is the end of a story and ends with either a happy or a tragic ending.

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Point of View

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the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story, poem, essay etc.

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First Person

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First person point of view involves the use of either of the two pronouns “I” and “we”.Example:“I felt like I was getting drowned with shame and disgrace.”

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Second Person

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Second person point of view employs the pronoun “you”.“Sometimes you cannot clearly discern between anger and frustration.”

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Third Person Limited

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In this type of perspective, a narrator reports and interprets the facts and events from a single character’s perspective such as Katherine Mansfield has used the same perspective in her short story Miss Brill.

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Third Person Omniscient

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In third person omniscient, a narrator reports the facts as well as interprets and relates the thoughts of a character. It is a very popular technique of storytelling, such as George Eliot’s Middle March and E.B White’s Charlotte’s Web are good examples of third person

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Satire

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a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption.

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Simile

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a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”. Therefore, it is a direct comparison.

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Theme

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defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

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Drama

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a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of a play written for theaters, televisions, radios and films. In simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a story in pantomime or dialogue, containing conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in front of audience on the stage. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as a dramatist or playwright.

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Aside

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Normally playwrights use dialogues to express their characters, but often it becomes difficult for them to express the thinking of their characters. Hence, they use a typical dramatic device, aside, that solves this problem. It is a short comment or speech that a character delivers directly to the audience or to himself, while other actors on the stage cannot listen. Only the audience can realize that an actor has expressed speech for them. In essence, through aside, a character comments on what happens in the play. Simply, we can define aside as a short commentary that reveals private opinions and reactions of the character. However, it refers to the major conflict in a play though it may not involve his personal conflict.

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Soliloquy

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A soliloquy is a popular literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character. It is a great technique used to convey the progress of action of the play by means of expressing a character’s thoughts about a certain character or past, present or upcoming event while talking to himself without acknowledging the presence of any other person.

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Hubris

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extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings about his downfall.

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Epiphany

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Derived from the Greek word “epiphaneia”, epiphany means “appearance” or “manifestation. In literary terms, an epiphany is that moment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story.

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Alliteration

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Alliteration is a commonly used style of figurative language that most people don’t even realize they are using! The word “Alliteration” comes from the Latin word “Latira” which means “letters of the alphabet.” This may be because alliteration deals directly with the letters that comprise a phrase and the sounds the words make instead of the words themselves. It is characterized by a number of words, typically three or more, that have the same first consonant sound fall within the same sentence or phrase.

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Caesura

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Everyone speaks, and everyone breathes too. While speaking, everyone breathes. For instance, when you say, “Maria has taken breaks,” you take breath before further saying that, “But Adam did not,” then again you take a little breath and say, “He fell on his ankle.” Such pauses come from natural rhythm of your speech. Poetry also uses pauses in the lines. One of such pauses is known as caesura, which is a rhythmical pause in a poetic line or a sentence. It often occurs in the middle of a line, or sometimes at the beginning and the end. At times, it occurs with punctuation; however, at other times it does not. Poets indicate it with a parallel symbol thus: ||. Caesura can be medial (occurring in the middle of line), initial (occurring at the beginning of poetic line), or terminal (occurring at the end of a poetic line).

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Internal Rhyme

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Internal rhyme is a poetic device which can be defined as metrical lines in which its middle words and its end words rhymes with each other. It is also called middle rhyme, since it comes in the middle of lines.

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End Rhyme

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If you have ever sung a song or read a poem aloud, you must have encountered end rhymes, because these are common type of rhyming patterns used in a poetic structure. End rhyme occurs when last syllables or words in two or more lines rhyme with each other. It is also known as tail rhyme that occurs at the end of the lines. The lines ending in similar sounds are pleasant to hear and give musical effect to the poem or song. This is called the end rhyme.

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Enjambment

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derived from a French word enjambment, means to step over or put legs across. In poetry it means moving over from one line to another without a terminating punctuation mark. It can be defined as a thought or sense, phrase or clause in a line of poetry that does not come to an end at the line break but moves over to the next line. In simple words, it is the running on of a sense from one couplet or line to the next without a major pause or syntactical break.

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Assonance

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Assonance takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.

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Consonance

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repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession such as in pitter, patter.

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Connotation

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refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.

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Denotation

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generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.

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Couplet

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a literary device which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought. It is marked by a usual rhythm, rhyme scheme and incorporation of specific utterances.

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Sonnet

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derived from the Italian word “sonetto”. It means a small or little song or lyric. In poetry, a sonnet has 14 fourteen lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme and a “volta” or a specific turn.