English Literary Terms

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Allegory

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narrative in which characters, events, & settings represent abstract qualities, & writer intends 2nd meaning to be read beneath the surface

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Allusion

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indirect reference to historical or fictional characters, places or events, or to other works writer assumes reader will recognize

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Ambiguity

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double or multiple meanings

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Character

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figure acting in literary work

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Antagonist

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character in conflict with hero

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Protagonist

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also called hero, main character, at center of plot

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Archetype

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character type that recurs consistently enough to be considered universal (rebellious youth, madman who wants to rule world, sweet damsel in distress)

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Flat character

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character with single dominant trait, two-dimensional

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Round character

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character who is fully developed as complex, 3-dimensional person, more “real”

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Stock character

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character who represents a stereotype, or universally recognizable type, like hard-boiled private eye

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Dynamic character

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character who is changed by actions in which s/he is involved

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Static character

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character who changes little in course of narrative

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Characterization

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method used by author to create appearance & personalities of characters, to “bring them to life”

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Conflict

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struggle between opposing forces that determines action of narrative

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External conflict

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occurs outside character (character vs. another character, character vs. society, character vs. nature or supernatural)

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Internal conflict

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occurs within character

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Dialogue

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conversation between 2 or more characters (as opposed to monologue: speech of one character, usually used to reveal thoughts)

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Flashback

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method of presenting scenes or incidents that took place before opening scene

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Foreshadowing

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technique of giving hints or clues that suggest or prepare for events that occur later in a work; creates suspense, prepares reader for what is to come, makes final outcomes seem inevitable

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Image

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something that can be perceived by one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, sense of motion, temperature, etc.), often used in literature to create atmosphere or figurative meaning

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Irony

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recognition of the incongruity, or difference, between reality (what is) & appearance (what seems to be); indirect presentation of contradiction between action or expression & context – sometimes expressed as opposite of what is expected or meant (ex. Calling a very tall person “Shorty” or having a tree-hugging environmental activist killed by a tree unexpectedly crashing down)

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Motif

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recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation that tends to unify work by bringing to mind earlier occurrences & impressions

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Plot

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arrangement of incidents in narrative to achieve an effect

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Point of view

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vantage point, or stance, from which a story is told, the eye & mind through which the action is perceived & filtered, narrative perspective

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1st person

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“I” perspective; narrator tells his/her story

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3rd person omniscient

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he/she perspective, but narrator is godlike, all-knowing/seeing

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3rd person limited

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he/she, but narrator focuses on thoughts of single character & presents other chars only externally

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objective

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prohibits any subjective commentary by author; reporter-style

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symbol

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anything that signifies, or stands for, something else – usually something concrete that suggests something abstract (climbing = progress, light = good)

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theme

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central or dominating idea, the “message” implicit in a work –seldom stated directly (differs from subject (topic or thing described in work) in that theme is a comment, observation, or insight about a subject

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tone

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reflection in work of author’s attitude toward his subject, characters, & readers (comparable to tone of voice)

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unity

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quality of oneness in literary work, in which all parts are related by some principle of organization so that they form an organic whole, complete & independent in itself – work has unity when all its parts work together to create one main impression or effect.

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Freytag’s pyramid

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Beginning -> Rising Action -> Climax -> Falling Action -> Ending

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