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Literary Terms
- THE BASICS
- Characterization: The ways individual characters are represented by the narrator or author of a text.
This includes descriptions of the characters’ physical appearances, personalities, actions, interactions,
and dialogue.
- Dialogue: Spoken exchanges between characters in a dramatic or literary work, usually between two
or more speakers.
- Genre: A kind of literature. For instance, comedy, mystery, tragedy, satire, elegy, romance, and epic
are all genres.
- Imagery: A term used to describe an author’s use of vivid descriptions “that evoke senseimpressions by
literal or figurative reference to perceptible or ‘concrete’ objects, scenes, actions, or states”
- Plot: The sequence of events that occur through a work to produce a coherent narrative or story.
- Point of View: The perspective (visual, interpretive, bias, etc) a text takes when presenting its plot and
narrative.
- Style: Comprised of an author’s diction, syntax, tone, characters, and other narrative techniques, “style”
is used to describe the way an author uses language to convey his or her ideas and purpose in writing.
- Symbol(ism): An object or element incorporated into a narrative to represent another concept or
concern. Broadly, representing one thing with another.
- Theme: According to Baldick, a theme may be defined as “a salient abstract idea that emerges from a
literary work’s treatment of its subject-matter; or a topic recurring in a number or literary works”
- Tone: A way of communicating information (in writing, images, or sound) that conveys an attitude.
Authors convey tone through a combination of word-choice, imagery, perspective, style, and subject
matter. By adopting a specific tone, authors can help readers accurately interpret meaning in a text.
- Types of narrative: The narrator is the voice telling the story or speaking to the audience. However,
this voice can come from a variety of different perspectives
- First person: A story told from the perspective of one or several characters, each of whom typically
uses the word
- Second person: A narrative perspective that typically addresses that audience
using “you.”
- Third person: Describes a narrative told from the perspective of an outside figure who does not
participate directly in the events of a story.
- Third person: Describes a narrative told from the perspective of an outside figure who does not
participate directly in the events of a story.
- Second person: A narrative perspective that typically addresses that audience
using “you.”
- First person: A story told from the perspective of one or several characters, each of whom typically
uses the word
- Types of narrative: The narrator is the voice telling the story or speaking to the audience. However,
this voice can come from a variety of different perspectives
- Tone: A way of communicating information (in writing, images, or sound) that conveys an attitude.
Authors convey tone through a combination of word-choice, imagery, perspective, style, and subject
matter. By adopting a specific tone, authors can help readers accurately interpret meaning in a text.
- Theme: According to Baldick, a theme may be defined as “a salient abstract idea that emerges from a
literary work’s treatment of its subject-matter; or a topic recurring in a number or literary works”
- Symbol(ism): An object or element incorporated into a narrative to represent another concept or
concern. Broadly, representing one thing with another.
- Style: Comprised of an author’s diction, syntax, tone, characters, and other narrative techniques, “style”
is used to describe the way an author uses language to convey his or her ideas and purpose in writing.
- Point of View: The perspective (visual, interpretive, bias, etc) a text takes when presenting its plot and
narrative.
- Plot: The sequence of events that occur through a work to produce a coherent narrative or story.
- Imagery: A term used to describe an author’s use of vivid descriptions “that evoke senseimpressions by
literal or figurative reference to perceptible or ‘concrete’ objects, scenes, actions, or states”
- Genre: A kind of literature. For instance, comedy, mystery, tragedy, satire, elegy, romance, and epic
are all genres.
- Dialogue: Spoken exchanges between characters in a dramatic or literary work, usually between two
or more speakers.
- Characterization: The ways individual characters are represented by the narrator or author of a text.
This includes descriptions of the characters’ physical appearances, personalities, actions, interactions,
and dialogue.
- Types of Prose Texts
- Bildungsroman: This is typically a type of novel that depicts an individual’s coming-ofage through
self-discovery and personal knowledge. Such stories often explore the protagonists’ psychological and
moral development
- Epistolary: A novel comprised primarily of letters sent and received by its principle
characters.
- Essay: According to Baldick, “a short written composition in prose that discusses a subject or proposes
an argument without claiming to be a complete or thorough exposition”
- Novella: An intermediate-length fictional narrative
- Novella: An intermediate-length fictional narrative
- Essay: According to Baldick, “a short written composition in prose that discusses a subject or proposes
an argument without claiming to be a complete or thorough exposition”
- Epistolary: A novel comprised primarily of letters sent and received by its principle
characters.
- Bildungsroman: This is typically a type of novel that depicts an individual’s coming-ofage through
self-discovery and personal knowledge. Such stories often explore the protagonists’ psychological and
moral development
- Terms for Interpreting Authorial Voice
- Apology: refers to an instance in which the author or narrator justifies his
or her goals in producing the text.
- Irony: Typically refers to saying one thing and meaning the opposite, often
to shock audiences and emphasize the importance of the truth.
- Satire: A style of writing that mocks, ridicules, or pokes fun at a person,
belief, or group of people in order to challenge them.
- Stream of consciousness: A mode of writing in which the author traces his or her thoughts verbatim
into the text. Typically, this style offers a representation of the author’s exact thoughts throughout
the writing process
- Stream of consciousness: A mode of writing in which the author traces his or her thoughts verbatim
into the text. Typically, this style offers a representation of the author’s exact thoughts throughout
the writing process
- Satire: A style of writing that mocks, ridicules, or pokes fun at a person,
belief, or group of people in order to challenge them.
- Irony: Typically refers to saying one thing and meaning the opposite, often
to shock audiences and emphasize the importance of the truth.
- Apology: refers to an instance in which the author or narrator justifies his
or her goals in producing the text.
- Terms for Interpreting Characters
- Antagonist: A character or characters in a text with whom the protagonist opposes
- Anti-hero: A protagonist of a story who embodies none of the
qualities typically assigned to traditional heroes and heroines
- Archetype: “. Archetypes differ from allegories because they tend to
reference broader or commonplace
- Epithet ; An epithet usually indicates some notable quality about the
individual with whom it addresses
- Personification: The use of a person to represent a concept, quality, or object.
- Protagonist: The primary character in a text, often positioned as “good” or the
character with whom readers are expected to identify
- Protagonist: The primary character in a text, often positioned as “good” or the
character with whom readers are expected to identify
- Personification: The use of a person to represent a concept, quality, or object.
- Epithet ; An epithet usually indicates some notable quality about the
individual with whom it addresses
- Archetype: “. Archetypes differ from allegories because they tend to
reference broader or commonplace
- Anti-hero: A protagonist of a story who embodies none of the
qualities typically assigned to traditional heroes and heroines
- Antagonist: A character or characters in a text with whom the protagonist opposes
- Terms for Interpreting Word Choice, Dialogue, and Speech
- Alliteration: Alliteration is typically used to convey a specific tone or message
- Apostrophe: usually employed for emotional emphasis, can become ridiculous [or
humorous] when misapplied
- Diction: Word choice, or the specific language an author, narrator, or speaker
uses to describe events and interact with other characters
- Diction: Word choice, or the specific language an author, narrator, or speaker
uses to describe events and interact with other characters
- Apostrophe: usually employed for emotional emphasis, can become ridiculous [or
humorous] when misapplied
- Alliteration: Alliteration is typically used to convey a specific tone or message
- Terms for Interpreting Plot
- Climax: The height of conflict and intrigue in a narrative
- Denouement: The “falling action” of a narrative, when the climax and central
conflicts are resolved and a resolution is found
- Deus Ex Machina: According to Taafe, “Literally, in Latin, the ‘god from the machine’; a deity in Greek
and Roman drama who was brought in by stage machinery to intervene in the action; hence, any
character, event, or device suddenly introduce to resolve the conflict
- Exposition: Usually located at the beginning of a text, this is a detailed discussion introducing
characters, setting, background information, etc
- Frame Narrative: a story that an author encloses around the central narrative in order to provide
background information and context.
- In media res: Beginning in “the middle of things,” or when an author begins a text in the midst of
action
- In media res: Beginning in “the middle of things,” or when an author begins a text in the midst of
action
- Frame Narrative: a story that an author encloses around the central narrative in order to provide
background information and context.
- Exposition: Usually located at the beginning of a text, this is a detailed discussion introducing
characters, setting, background information, etc
- Deus Ex Machina: According to Taafe, “Literally, in Latin, the ‘god from the machine’; a deity in Greek
and Roman drama who was brought in by stage machinery to intervene in the action; hence, any
character, event, or device suddenly introduce to resolve the conflict
- Denouement: The “falling action” of a narrative, when the climax and central
conflicts are resolved and a resolution is found
- Climax: The height of conflict and intrigue in a narrative
- Terms for Interpreting Layers of Meaning
- Allegory: a literary mode that attempts to convert abstract concepts, values, beliefs, or historical events
into characters or other tangible elements in a narrative
- Allusion: When a text references, incorporates, or responds to an earlier piece
- Hyperbole: exaggerated language, description, or speech that is not meant to be taken literally, but is
used for emphasis
- Metaphor: a figure of speech that refers to one thing by another in order to identify similarities
between the two (
- Metonymy: a figure of speech that substitutes one aspect or attribute for the whole itself.
- Parody: a narrative work or writing style that mocks or mimics another genre or work.
- Parody: a narrative work or writing style that mocks or mimics another genre or work.
- Metonymy: a figure of speech that substitutes one aspect or attribute for the whole itself.
- Metaphor: a figure of speech that refers to one thing by another in order to identify similarities
between the two (
- Hyperbole: exaggerated language, description, or speech that is not meant to be taken literally, but is
used for emphasis
- Allusion: When a text references, incorporates, or responds to an earlier piece
- Allegory: a literary mode that attempts to convert abstract concepts, values, beliefs, or historical events
into characters or other tangible elements in a narrative
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