Literary Terms

Language characteristic of a particular region, group, or time period

A character that possesses many personality traits

the type of irony when words suggest the opposite of what is meant (sarcasm)

a brief recounting of a relevant story either to make a point or to insert humor

A character that stays the same throughout the story

Getting the opposite of what is expected in any way

Giving human characteristics to a non-human subject

To place two things side by side for comparison, often to highlight the contrast between the two elements

Writing that is not meant to have a rhyme, rhythm, etc.

the information given after the resolution

The reader must figure out the character’s traits because they aren’t directly stated

The narrator offers no opinion on the subject, nor tries to influence the reader subtly

A brief work of fiction

Anything out of its proper time in history

A character that has only one basic trait

a combination of contradictory words like Icyhot, jumbo shrimp, small crowd, old news

the message the author is trying to deliver through their story

writing that utilizes the connotations of words to achieve a particular effect or reaction from the reader

A struggle between opposing forces

The main character

Device used to keep the reader interested

Sequence of events of a story

Literature of a specific people or culture that is passed down from one generation to the next

the literal, explicit meaning of a word without the associations many people have of the word

story that mocks or ridicules society

a brief reference to a work of fiction that is well-known for the purpose of inferencing details not explicitly given

The end of the story when the climax is resolved

A narrator not in the story and can only report what he sees from 1 character’s perspective

a less offensive substitute for an unpleasant word, often to hide the truth or be sensitive

The act of creating or developing a character

a figure of speech that compares 2 things in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea

the feeling a word evokes due to how it is commonly used, regadless of its definition

The people or animals that participate in the action

Clues about the future given to create suspense

A scene from the past that interrupts the present

(man v. self) conflict that is within the character

Writing arranged with a rhythm, typically having a rhyme

The author’s attitude towards his work

The overall feeling the author wants the reader to experience from the piece

A character that develops or grows during the story

Stage of the story that sets the plot in motion

Written to be performed by actors in verse, prose, or both

Writing that tells about real people, places, objects, events, ideas

Descriptive language used to create word pictures for the reader

Writing or speech that is not meant to be interpreted literally

The “I” narrator telling the story / the narrator is part of the action

Type of irony when then the reader knows more than the characters

Perspective from which a story is told

The underlying meaning of the work

(man v. man, man v. nature, man v. machine, man v. society) conflict that is outside the character

The narrator is all knowing of the action and the feelings of the characters

The high point of the story

The introduction to the story

The action following the climax

Someone or something against the main character