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LITERARY TERMS
ELEMENTS OF A STORY
1. Setting- The time and place of a novel or story. WHERE AND WHEN
2. Plot-The sequence of important (or main) events in the story. (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax,
Falling Action, Dénouement, Deus Ex Machina)
3. Conflict-The problem(s) in the story. The types are: Person v. person, v. self, v. technology, v. nature,
v. society, v. fate) Ex: A fight between a boy and his best friend. Person v. person)
4. Resolution-The outcome of the conflict. (Keep in mind that not all stories have a happy ending, nor
are all stories’ conflicts resolved.) Ex: The boy and his best friend ended their friendship and never
spoke again.
5. Theme-The author’s main idea or message of the story. It is a universal concept that is experienced by
everyone at some point in their lives. Ex: Love, Hate, Prejudice
6. Characters-The people, animals, and things that are in the story. (Protagonist, Antagonist, Foil,
Comic Relief) Ex: Winnie is the protagonist of Tuck Everlastin.
7. Characterization-The art of creating and developing a character. (Direct, Indirect, Round, Flat,
Dynamic, Static)
8. Mood-The way the story makes the reader feel. Ex: Sad, Hopeful, Scared
9. Tone-The author’s feelings or attitude toward his subject matter or characters in the story. Tone is
what you think the author feels and wrote about his/her subjects. Ex: Serious, Humorous, Sarcastic
10. Point of View-The perspective from which the story is told. (Ex: 1st Person, 2nd Person, 3rd Person
LITERARY DEVICES
Alliteration: The repetition of beginning consonant sounds (2 or more times) in close proximity, usually
within the same sentence or line. Ex: The sea snake slithered silently sideways.
*Allusion: A reference from history, mythology, the bible, a piece of literature, art or music that occurs in a
story or a poem. Ex: The movie The Matrix has many allusions in it including references to the story Alice in
Wonderland, the bible, and Greek mythology.
Dialogue: Where characters speak to one another; may often be used as a substitute for exposition. Ex:
Since there is so little stage direction in Shakespeare, many of the characters’ thoughts and actions are
revealed through dialogue.
Figurative Language: Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal
meaning of the words themselves. There are many techniques which can rightly be called figurative
language, including metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, verbal irony, and
oxymoron. Ex: The poet makes extensive use of figurative language, presenting the speaker’s feelings
as colors, sounds and flavors.
Fable- A short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters. Ex: Aesop’s
Fables are great stories to teach children important lessons.
Flashback- a shift in a story to something that occurred earlier in the story. The shift interrupts the
chronological order of the story. Ex. When Winnie looks back at the sherriff finding her in the jail cell while
she is sitting in her room several days later.
Foreshadowing: Where future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested (not told
outright) by the author before they happen. Foreshadowing can take many forms and be accomplished in
many ways, with varying degrees of subtlety. However, if the outcome is deliberately and clearly revealed
early in a story (such as by the use of a narrator or flashback structure), it does not constitute
foreshadowing
Hyperbole: An obvious exaggeration. Ex. I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
Imagery: Language which describes something in great detail and paints a vivid picture in the reader’s
mind. Ex: The author’s use of visual imagery is impressive; the reader is able to see the island in all its
lush, colorful splendor by reading the detailed descriptions.
Metaphor: A direct relationship where one thing or idea substitutes for another. More commonly defined
as a comparison of two things not using the words “like” or “as”. Ex: My dog is a devil, my sister is
a demon, but my dad is a big teddy bear.
Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like what they describe (rattle, scrape, screech, etc.). Ex: The writer
used onomatopoeia when she told how the car screeched to a halt and the tires squealed.
Oxymoron: A contradiction in terms. In other words, when two opposite words are linked together to
explain something. Ex: Shakespeare describes love using several oxymorons to explain how it can be
complicated, such as “cold fire,” “feather of lead” and “sick health.”
Personification: Where a non-human object or an abstract concept is given human traits, thoughts, or
self-awareness. Ex: The tree waved at all of people that passed it by. Ex: Mother Nature, angry with
people for polluting her earth, waged a storm of historic proportions.
Repetition: Where a specific word, phrase, or structure is repeated several times, usually in close
proximity, to emphasize a particular idea. Ex: The repetition of the words “What if…” at the beginning
of each line reinforces the speaker’s confusion and fear.
Satire- The use of wit, irony, or sarcasm to point out human beings’ shortcomings in order to enlighten people
and bring about improvement. Although satire can be funny, the primary purpose of it is not to humor, but to
give the author the weapon of wit in which to attack something of which s/he strongly disapproves. It “makes
fun” of a particular situation or person. Ex: The Simpsons is a satirical look at American society.
Simile: An indirect relationship where one thing or idea is described as being similar to another. A simile
is commonly defined as a comparison to two different things often using the words “like” or “as”.
Ex: The sun was like a red and orange fireball in the sky.
Symbol: Something that represents something else. Ex: The symbol for peace is often a dove. The symbol
for love is often a rose. A symbol must be something tangible or visible, while the idea it symbolizes must
be something abstract or universal. In other words, a symbol must be something you can hold in your hand or
draw a picture of, while the idea it symbolizes must be something you can’t hold in your hand or draw a picture
of.
Symbolism: The practice of using specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas. Ex. The Ferris wheel
in Tuck Everlasting symbolizes the circle of life. The Tuck’s life is continuous- Tuck feels he is on that wheel
but he is “stuck”. He can’t get off, like an ongoing Ferris wheel.
POETIC DEVICES
Alliteration: The repetition of beginning consonant sounds (2 or more times) in close proximity, usually
within the same sentence or line. Ex: The sea snake slithered silently sideways.
Allusion: A reference from history, mythology, the bible, a piece of literature, art or music that occurs in a
story or a poem. Ex: The movie The Matrix has many allusions in it including references to the story Alice in
Wonderland, the bible, and Greek mythology.
*Ballad: A narrative poem that tells a story. Ex: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge tells the story of an old sailor who is cursed to roam and tell all those he meets about his journey.
Blank Verse: Non-rhyming poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter. Ex: Most of Shakespeare’s
dialogue is written in blank verse, though it does occasionally rhyme.
Couplet: Two lines that rhyme and are similar in meter.
A poem, a poem, I cannot write
I tried and tried all through the night.
Figurative Language: Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal
meaning of the word itself. There are many techniques which can rightly be called figurative language,
including metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, verbal irony, and oxymoron. Ex:
The poet makes extensive use of figurative language, presenting the speaker’s feelings as colors,
sounds and flavors.
Free Verse: Poetry that doesn’t rhyme in any way or have any patterns.
Hyperbole: An obvious exaggeration. Ex: The author uses hyperbole to describe Mr. Smith when he
says that he is the greatest human being to ever walk the earth.
Imagery: Language which describes something in great detail and paints a vivid picture in the reader’s
mind. Ex: The author’s use of visual imagery is impressive; the reader is able to see the island in all its
lush, colorful splendor by reading the detailed descriptions.
Irony: A contrast between the way things seem to be and the way they actually are.
Metaphor: A direct relationship where one thing or idea substitutes for another. More commonly defined
as a comparison of two things not using the words “like” or “as”. Ex: My dog is a devil, my sister is
a demon, but my dad is a big teddy bear.
*Ode: A long, lyric poem that is deep in feeling and rich with poetic devices (particularly imagery).
Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like what they describe (rattle, scrape, screech, etc.). Ex: The writer
used onomatopoeia when she told how the car screeched to a halt and the tires squealed.
Oxymoron: A contradiction in terms or when two opposite words are linked together to explain
something. Ex: Shakespeare describes love using several oxymorons to explain how it can be
complicated, such as “cold fire,” “feather of lead” and “sick health.”
Prose: All forms of written expression not having a regular rhythmic pattern; similar to verse, it is
characterized by style, though style will vary from writer to writer.
Refrain: A phrase or sentence repeated at intervals in a stanza.
Rhyme is when two or more words have the same or similar sounds. Ex: “Why do birds in the sky fly?”
Rhyme Scheme: The way in which the end words of each line throughout the poem rhyme. (Ex. AB AB).
Rhythm: Rhythm is the pulse or beat in a line of poetry. It is the regular recurrence of an accent or stress.
Ex: ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…
Simile: An indirect relationship where one thing or idea is described as being similar to another. A simile
is commonly defined as a comparison to two different things often using the words “like” or “as”.
Ex: The sun was like a red and orange fireball in the sky.
Stanza: A grouping of two or more lines of a poem and named for the number of lines it contains. Below are
the most common stanzas.
Couplet: Two-line stanza
Triplet: Three-line stanza
Quatrain: Four-line stanza
Symbol: Something that represents something else. Ex: The symbol for peace is often a dove. The symbol
for love is often a rose. A symbol must be something tangible or visible, while the idea it symbolizes must
be something abstract or universal. In other words, a symbol must be something you can hold in your hand or
draw a picture of, while the idea it symbolizes must be something you can’t hold in your hand or draw a picture
of.
Symbolism: The practice of using specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas