Literary Terms Please note that these are NOT all of the terms you need to know, but just a few to get you started.

Analogy: To compare one situation to another to show how they have a common characteristic.

Ambiguity: When you aren’t sure what something means, it could mean one thing or it could mean another.

Diction 1)Word choice. 2) The author’s choice of words. An author has the option of choosing any word from our language, why does he/she choose to use certain words and not others? In order to create a certain tone.

Connotation 1)The definition of a word found outside of the dictionary. 2)Figurative meaning of a word. 3) The verb form is “to connote” which means “to suggest or imply a meaning beyond the literal meaning of a word.” e.g. The word “cool” connotes “an awesome or exciting thing.”

Denotation 1)The definition of a word found in the dictionary. 2)Literal meaning of a word. e.g. The word “indolence” denotes “laziness.”

Audience: The audience for a piece of literature may be a single person or a group of people. To what person or group is the text directed?

Contrast: To explain how two things differ Contrast: To explain how two things differ. To compare and contrast is to explain how two things are alike and how they are different.

Epic: A long poem narrating the adventures of a heroic figure e. g Epic: A long poem narrating the adventures of a heroic figure e.g. Homer’s The Odyssey.

Genre: A term used to describe a particular category or type of literature. Some literary genres are mysteries, westerns, and romances.

Monologue: A long speech by one character in a play or story.

Myth: A legend that embodies the beliefs of people and offers some explanation for natural and social phenomena.

Soliloquy: A monologue in which a character expresses his or her thoughts to the audience and does not intend the other characters to hear them.

Voice: The authorial presence in a piece of literature whether in the first, second, or third person.

Short Story: Tells about a single event or experience Fictional (not true) 500 to 15,000 words in length It has a beginning, middle, and end Creates an impression on the reader

Plot: The series of events that form the story.

Exposition:. The background information to the story Exposition: . The background information to the story. We learn the setting, characters, and the situation.

Rising Action: The events in the story that lead up to the climax.

Climax: The point at which the action in a story or play reaches its emotional peak.

Falling Action: The events in the story that happen after the climax.

Resolution: The resolution of the conflict in a plot after the climax Resolution: The resolution of the conflict in a plot after the climax. It also refers to the resolution of the action in a story or play.

Characterization: How the author helps us understand who the characters are and what motivates them. An author may directly describe the appearance and personality of character or show it through action or dialogue.

Protagonist: The main character of a novel, play, or story.

Antagonist: A person, or thing, who opposes or competes with another; adversary; opponent.

Archetype: A character who represents a certain type of person. e. g Archetype: A character who represents a certain type of person. e.g. mother/father figure hero/heroine the know-it-all

Conflict: The struggle in the story Conflict: The struggle in the story. Traditionally, there are four main conflicts: person vs. self (internal) person vs. person (external) person vs. society (external) person vs. nature (external)

Foreshadowing: When the author gives clues early in the story about something that will happen later in the story to create suspense.

Theme: The central idea of a work.

Tone: The author’s attitude toward the subject of the work Tone: The author’s attitude toward the subject of the work. Usually positive or negative. e.g. The tone of a piece of literature could be pessimistic, optimistic, angry, or sarcastic.

Mood: The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage Mood: The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage.  The mood may be suggested by the writer's choice of words, by events in the work, or by the physical setting.  

Point of View (P. O. V):. The perspective from which the story is told Point of View (P.O.V): The perspective from which the story is told. Narrators of stories can take on three points of view: 1st person= “I/we” 2nd person= “you” 3rd person= “he/she, they/them” Omniscient Point of view  The narrator is an all-knowing outsider who can enter the minds of all of the characters.

Figurative Language:

Figurative Language: Language that is not used in its real meaning but makes a picture in the reader or listener’s mind. e.g. Whenever you call something “cool,” you’re not talking about its temperature but referring to some other quality it possesses.

Imagery: The use of description that helps the reader imagine how something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes. Most of the time, it refers to appearance. e.g. “Tita was so sensitive to onions, any time they were being chopped, they say she would just cry and cry; when she was still in my great-grandmother’s belly her sobs were so loud that even Nacha, the cook, who was half-deaf, could hear them easily.” --Like Water for Chocolate

Hyperbole: An big exaggeration to show how something appeared or felt rather than an accurate description of how it was. e.g. To say that it took you hours to walk home when in reality it was only 10 mins would be a hyperbole.

Allusion: A reference to a person, place, or thing--often literary, mythological, or historical. The infinitive of allusion is to allude. e.g. Romeo alludes to the mythological figure Diana in the balcony scene.

Symbolism:. The use of one thing to represent another Symbolism: The use of one thing to represent another. Something that stands for something else. e.g. A dove is a symbol of peace.

Personification: Giving inanimate objects humanlike characteristics. e.g. “The wind howled through the night.”

Irony: When the opposite of what you expect to happen, happens. e. g Irony: When the opposite of what you expect to happen, happens. e.g. Saying that you love someone’s shirt when you really think it’s ugly is being ironic.

Simile: Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as. ” e. g Simile: Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as.” e.g. “I’m as hungry as a pig,” or “Your eyes are like stars that brighten my night.”

Metaphor: When you compare two unlike things to show how they have a common characteristic using any form of the verb “to be”–-i.e. am, are, is, was, were. Ex: “This chair is a rock,” or “I am an island.”