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Glossary of Literary Terms
allegory
alliteration
allusion
analogy
anecdote
antagonist
antithesis
character
• flat character
• round character
• static character
• dynamic character
• stock character
characterization
climax
composition
conflict
connotation
denotation
denouement
dichotomy
diction
epiphany
euphemism
exposition
falling action
flashback
foreshadowing
hyperbole
imagery
every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger
abstract concept or important historical/geopolitical event
repetition of initial consonant sound (lovely lake lapping)
reference to a famous historical, literary, mythological, or biblical person or event
a comparison of two things, alike in certain respects; particularly a method of exposition by
which one unfamiliar object or idea is explained by comparing with more familiar objects or
ideas
a brief narrative detailing an interesting, humorous, or poignant episode or event included within
a longer work
force or character opposing the main character
opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction, used for
emphasis
acts out the plot of the story
• shows only one or two traits
• complex and many-sided character
• character that does not change or grow in the story
• character that changes or grows in the story
• stereotyped character
methods the author uses to reveal the characters
• by what the character does
• by what the character says
• by what other characters say about him/her
• by what the narrator says
the point of greatest excitement or intensity; the turning point of the story
arrangement of information to form a unified whole; argumentation, description, exposition, and
narration; each may be used alone, but more frequently appear in combination; expository
structures include analysis, classification, comparison, definition, identification, and illustration
the problem, struggle, or clash the main character faces and must act to resolve
• external conflicts = Man v. Man; Man v. Nature; Man v. Society; Man v. Supernatural; Man
v. Technology
• internal conflict = Man v. self
the implied meaning of a word; the cluster of implications that words carry and may be…
• private and personal, the result of individual experience
• group (national, linguistic, racial, gender, age)
• general or universal, held by all or most people
the specific or exact meaning of a word, independent of its emotional coloration or associations
outcome or resolution of the conflict
a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses; division into two; especially, the division of
a class into two subclasses opposed to each other by contradiction (the dichotomy between
eastern and western culture)
accurate, careful use of words to convey particular meaning; the way words are combined
constitutes style rather than diction
an event in which the essential nature of something—a person, a situation, an object—is
suddenly perceived; the quick flash of recognition in which something is seen in a new light
substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning
might be harsh or unpleasant
the background of the story
the plot action that takes place as a result of the turning point; leads toward the resolution
interruption of the chronological sequence of the story to reveal something that happened earlier
in time
hints or clues of actions to come later in the story
using exaggeration to achieve effect (I nearly died from embarrassment.)
using details which appeal to the senses; make the reader see, hear, smell, taste, feel (The crisp
leaves crunched under foot.)
irony
• dramatic irony
• situational irony
• verbal irony
juxtaposition
metaphor
mood
motif
oxymoron
paradox
parallelism
paraphrase
pathetic fallacy
pathos
personification
plot
poetic justice
point of view
• first person
—central
—peripheral
• third person
—omniscient
—limited
protagonist
reversal
rising action
satire
setting
simile
syntax
stream of consciousness
symbol
theme
tone
tragedy
understatement
difference between the actual result and the expected result; what is expected is opposite of the
outcome
• the reader or audience knows something the characters do not know
• the outcome of an event is different from or opposite of what is expected
• what is said is opposite of what is meant
to be placed side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
implied comparison between two things without using like or as (The car is a lemon.)
the emotional atmosphere or feeling created in the story
an intentional recurring image, phrase, object, situation, or action that unifies the work
literal meaning is “pointedly foolish”; two contradictory terms paired for sharp emphasis
(“cheerful pessimist”; “wise fool”; “eloquent silence”)
a seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that is nevertheless true; used for emphasis
a structural arrangement of parts of a sentence, sentences, paragraphs, and larger units of
composition by which one element of equal importance with another is similarly developed and
phrased; coordinate ideas should have coordinate presentation
a restatement of an idea in such a way as to retain the meaning while changing the diction and
form
assigning the moods and passions of humans to nature such that nature seems to reflect human
emotions (Skies weeped during the funeral.)
the quality in art and literature which stimulates pity, tenderness, or sorrow in the reader or
viewer
a comparison technique in which human characteristics are given to non-human things (The fire
scrambled up the tree and gnawed at the branches.)
the sequence of events in a story; what happens; includes exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, and denouement or resolution
the ideal judgment which rewards virtue and punishes vice; the logical and motivated outcome of
the given conditions and terms of the tragic plan as presented in the earlier acts of the drama
the angle from which the author tells the story
• a character tells the story (I)
—told by the main character
—told by a minor character
• narrator tells the story (He, She, They)
—narrator is all-knowing about all characters & places; can go into all characters’ minds
—narrator is limited in knowing one character; can go into one character’s mind
the main character
the change in fortune for the protagonist in a dramatic or fictional plot
part of the story that moves toward the climax; relies on a complication of the plot
a blend of criticism with humor and wit directed at human institutions or human frailty in an
effort to inspire remodeling; not to be confused with invective, sarcasm, irony, or parody
where and when the story takes place; time and place includes duration and movement
stated comparison between two things using like or as (His hands are as rough as sandpaper.)
designates the way in which words can be arranged and modified to construct sentences; writers
characteristically use syntactic sub-ordination when they aim for a highly formal effect, and
syntactic co-ordination when they aim for a simpler, more straight-forward effect.
a narrative technique that
• attempts to capture the continuous flow of a character’s mental process;
• mingles sense perceptions with conscious and half-conscious thoughts and memories,
experiences, feelings, and random associations;
• often mixes references to present, past, and future timelines;
• does not resort to objective description or conventional dialogue
a concrete object that has meaning in itself and that also represents an abstract idea
the universal idea of a literary work; the message the story conveys
the attitude of the writer toward his/her subject; examples of words that describe tone: intimate,
didactic, solemn, playful, sarcastic, ironic, bitter, condescending, inspirational, sentimental,
maudlin, somber, serene, outraged, baffled, optimistic, cynical, ambivalent
a drama about an important and causally related series of events in the life of a person of
significance with such events culminating in an unhappy catastrophe, the whole treated with
great dignity and seriousness and intended to arouse pity and fear in the audience
a form of irony in which something is intentionally represented as less than in fact it is