Literary Terms

Character: The physical, mental, moral, and temperamental qualities of the person in the story. -- information given by the author (3rd person) -- what the character him/herself thinks or says (1st person) -- what (s)he says to other characters -- how the character interacts with others -- how they act (normally) -- how others speak about the character Protagonist: main character in the story the champion of the cause, the good guy Antagonist: the opposite the bad guy Stereotypes: characters that behave in a predictable way. (i.e. bullies, innocent victim, the superhero, the nerd) Caricature: they have one trait exaggerated above all others such as their selfishness, honesty and foolishness. Setting: the time, place and circumstance of the story, the setting contributes to the dominant impression or mood. Plot: the plan. The story pattern and course of action: a series of related incidents outlining the protagonists conflict. It consists of: Initial Situation: circumstances at the beginning of the story Inciting Force: the incident which sets the plot into motion starts the main conflict. Rising Action: incidents building towards the climax Turning Point: when things change after the climax, leading to the falling action. Falling Action: the final incident or comment which throws additional light on the climax, explains the ending or hints at a message. Conclusion: the end of the plot Foreshadowing: a hint or indication in a story of something that is going to happen to foretell Irony of Situation: occurs when the outcome of events is opposite to that expected or desired by characters in the story. Verbal Irony: occurs when a character says one thing and means the opposite, Usually the person listening is unaware of the second level meaning. Dramatic Irony: when the audience knows more than the characters in the story do. Theme: The lesson or revelation conveyed to the reader (i.e. crime doesnt pay). Also the main idea is presented in the story expressed through plot, characters, setting and conflict (i.e. friendship, love, isolation, selfishness, courage, hatred, popularity, hipocracy.) Conflict: a struggle, antagonism or opposition of forces. Person vs. Person in conflict with another character Person vs. Self in conflict with him/herself Person vs. Nature in conflict with an element of nature (i.e. weather) Person vs. Fate in conflict with something beyond their control. Person vs. Society in conflict with society, school, law, or tradition Atmosphere: the feeling or mood created in a piece of literature and experienced by its readers Mood: the feelings experienced but the readers i.e. fear, sadness, happiness, confusion, hatred, terror. Suspense: the expectation, anxiousness or uncertainty regarding the outcome of events. Contrast: the use of scenes, characters, setting and actions to emphasize opposite scenes, characters setting and actions. Foil: contrasting characters Point of View: whos telling the story First Person: narrator is character in the story (I, me) Third Person: narrator is someone outside the story Third Person Omniscient: knows the thoughts and feeling of all characters Third Person Limited: Knows the thoughts and feelings of one character Third Person Objective: knows only what is seen (camera view)

Symbolism: when objects or actions represent an idea/process meaning (i.e. a wedding ring symbolizes union, love, commitment. A handshake between enemies could symbolize a new beginning) Imagery: the use of language in a literary work that evokes sense impressions or figurative references to perceptible or concrete objects, scenes, actions, or status. (i.e. blood imagery in Macbeth shows how his character develops into an evil, murderous tyrant.) Hyperbole: an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis in a figure of speech. (i.e. Ive been waiting here forever) Tone: the mood or atmosphere of a work. Shows the authors attitude toward the subject matter. (i.e. angry sarcastic) Sympathy: fellow feeling feeling along with the mental state and emotions of another human being (i.e. I feel bad for my best friend because his dog died) Empathy: identification with feelings of another human being (i.e. I knew how my best friend felt because my dog died as well) Simile: a comparison using like or as (i.e. your hair smells like a beautiful flower) Metaphor: a comparison not using the words like or as (i.e. your hair is a beautiful flower) Microcosm: something very small and self contained that presents all the qualities or activities of something larger. (i.e. an aquarium is a microcosm of the ocean) Pun: an expression with two distinct meanings. (i.e. look for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man. Grave in serious condition or buried in a grave.) Pathos: when a reader experiences a feeling of pity or sorrow regarding the characters or situation in a story. Catharsis: a symbolic cleansing of a character by means of the plot. The character is seemingly broken, and then is reborn or transformed into a new person. Allusion: an indirect to passing reference to some event, person place or artistic work: the nature an relevance is not explained by the writer relying on the readers familiarity with what is thus mentioned. Pathetic Fallacy: occurs when the physical aspects of the play/work, such as weather condition and geography, parallel the emotions of the characters and events/actions of the plot (i.e. hot humid weather = anger, frustration, physical violence, rain = sadness, anger) Idiom: a phrase whose meaning cannot be deducted from its parts (i.e. put a sock in it = be quiet) Slang: informal or non-standard language in which either new words are created or existing words are given new meanings Colloquial language/Informal Language: language used in everyday conversation, language one uses while speaking to friends, writing in a diary or journal, or other informal ways of communication. Euphemism: a mild or evasive phrase used in place of a harsh or explicit one. (i.e. Bill passed away, instead of Bill died; the company is downsizing, instead of the company is firing people) Genre: type/classification of literature tragedy, comedy, satire, biography Anachronism: an event, person or object appearing in literary work set in a time which the event, person or object did not exist. (i.e. if Macbeth had a cell phone) Understatement: statement which is not strong enough to express the full or true facts or feelings Connotation: The associations triggered by a word. These could be positive or negative. Writers carefully choose words to connotations they desire, both to describe and to persuade. (Connotations of the word dog include companion, trustworthiness, and unconditional affection) Denotation: the dictionary definition of a word (i.e. dog= domestic canine) Paradox: a statement or expression so surprisingly self-contradictory as to provoke us into seeing another sense to context in which it would be true (i.e. The son is the father of the man; fair is foul, foul is fair) Juxtaposition: the positioning of words side by side or close together. Wit: amusing verbal cleverness Satire: made of writing that exposes the failings of individuals, institutions, or societies to ridicule or scorn. (i.e. air farce, this hour has 22 minutes, John Stuart show) Archaism: the use in literature of words and expressions that have become obsolete Nemesis: a just payback or event inflicted on a character for an act done previously.

Soliloquy: a dramatic device in which a character speaks his thoughts and is not heard by another character in the play. Used to inform the audience of the characters true feelings and intentions. Aside: a few words, spoken aside or in and undertone so as to be inaudible to some characters on stage. Dramatic Monologue: a kind of poem in which a single fictional or historical character other than the poet, speaks to a silent audience. The poem reveals the thoughts of the person or character Flashback: when events in a story are related at a point in the narrative after later story events have already been recounted. Personification: when human traits are given to an inanimate object or animal (i.e. the fingers of ice scraped the window; the sun is smiling) Onomatopoeia: draws attention to the sound of a word by imitating or suggesting sounds that correspond to its meaning. (i.e. buzz, splash, slurp) Oxymoron: when opposite words are placed side by side to create a new meaning (i.e. jumbo shrimp, wise fool, bittersweet, living death) Alliteration: repetition, of the same sounds, usually the initial consonants of words. (i.e. rumbled, raged, and roared)