1. Know them, use them, LOVE them!
LITERARY TERMS
Know them,
use them,
LOVE them!

2. PLOT A series of events Linear plot development
Author reveals events in the order in which they occur
Non-linear plot development
Author interrupts the sequence of events
Flashbacks, sub-plots, and parallel plots

3. POINT OF VIEW
the way the author allows you to "see" and "hear" what's going on
First-person point of view
Second-person point of view
Third-person point of view
Direct – the author literally tells you about the character / like a police report
Indirect – the author gives clues

4. CONFLICT External conflict Internal conflict Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Man
Internal conflict
Man vs. Self

5. IRONY
A contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between what is expected and what actually happens.
There are three types of irony:
Situational irony – the actual outcome of a situation is the opposite of someone’s expectations
Verbal irony – a person says one thing and means another (You wreck your car and exclaim, “Well this is great!”)
Dramatic irony – the audience has important information that characters in a literary work do not have

6. INFERENCE
The act of concluding from evidence; deduction. In literature it describes the act of figuring something out by using what you already know.
Example:
A + B = C
If A = 2 and B = 3 then using what you know, you can deduce what C equals.

7. CHARACTERIZATION
The method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character.
Direct characterization: the writer makes direct statements about a character’s personality
Indirect characterization: the writer reveals a character’s personality through the character’s words and actions and through what other characters think and say about the character
Direct – the author literally tells you about the character / like a police report
Indirect – the author gives clues

8. CHARACTER TYPES Static character – a character who remains the same
Dynamic character – a character who changes

9. DENOTATION CONNOTATION The literal or dictionary meaning of a word
Example: Home - a house, dwelling, a place where one lives permanently
CONNOTATION
The suggested or implied meanings associated with a word beyond its dictionary meaning
Example: Home - family, loving, safe, warm

10. SYMBOL
An object, person, place or experience that means more than what it is
An owl symbolises wisdom
The phoenix symbolises rebirth
The dove symbolises peace

11. MOOD The emotional quality or atmosphere of a story Example:
“The ‘Red Death’ had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal—the redness and the horror of blood.”
From “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

12. TONE
A reflection of a writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject
A writer’s tone may convey a variety of attitudes, including, sympathy, objectivity, seriousness, irony, sadness, bitterness, or humor
Example: “Don’t talk to me about voting or politics. I’m not interested. All politicians are self-serving and corrupt. My vote won’t change a thing!”

13. FORESHADOWING
The use of clues by the author to prepare readers for events that will happen later in a story
A hint

14. IMAGERY
The “word pictures” that writers create to help evoke an emotional response.
Writers use sensory details , or descriptions that appeal to one or more of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
"The commander's voice was like thin ice breaking. He wore his full-dress uniform, with the heavily braided white cap pulled down rakishly over one cold gray eye."
"The commander's voice was like thin ice breaking. He wore his full-dress uniform, with the heavily braided white cap pulled down rakishly over one cold gray eye."
From The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

15. SIMILE
A figure of speech using like or as to compare seemingly unlike things
Example:
The corn was as high as an elephant’s eye.
I mean really!
Do corn and an
Elephant have
ANYTHING in common?

16. METAPHOR
A figure of speech that compares two or more things that have something in common. In contrast to a simile, a metaphor implies the comparison instead of stating it directly.
Example
He’s a bear when he’s angry!

17. PERSONIFICATION
A figure of speech in which an animal, object, force of nature, or idea is given human qualities or characteristics
Example:
The shadow crept along
the hallway.

18. DICTION
The writer’s choice of words; an important element in the writer’s voice or style
Good writers choose their words carefully to convey a particular meaning or feeling