Literary Terms

Characters: People, animals that take part in story ANTAGONIST- character working against the main character; usually evil, can be force of nature PROTAGONIST - main character of story, hero DYNAMIC- character who changes throughout story STATIC - character who does NOT change throughout story ROUND- character who has many traits; we get to know this charac. in- depth FLAT- character who is described more simply

Characterization There are four ways that an author develops characters: –Through their actions –Through their speech –Through their thoughts –Through what others say about them

Conflict Struggle between two opposing forces 6 main types of conflict –man vs. man man vs. nature –man vs. self man vs. society –(man vs. technology)(man vs. supernatural) Each type falls into one of two categories: –external- conflict between an outside force and the main character –internal- one occurs within a character

Theme Main ideas in a work of literature Usually about life or human nature A message, meaning, or moral the author wants you to learn –Examples: Loyalty, friendship, overcoming obstacles

Point of View First Person –character in story is telling the story –I, me, my –reader only knows what the narrator is thinking 3rd Person –Storyteller is NOT one of the characters –He, she, they –Reader gets to know the thoughts of many characters

FLASHBACK Something that happened before the beginning of a story FORESHADOWING use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot

Imagery Imagery: –The use of detailed descriptions to paint a picture. –Imagery appeals to the five senses. –Authors usually use sight imagery, but can be sound, taste, touch, or smell imagery.

Irony Situational Irony: A contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually does. Verbal Irony: A contrast between what is said and what is meant. Dramatic Irony: When the reader knows something that other characters do not.

Setting Time and Place of action of the story It is important to the events and outcomes of the story. The setting is both large and small in scope

Metaphor A comparison without the use of like or as. e.g., Life is but a dream.

Personification When an author gives human qualities to nonhuman things. e.g., The wind cried in the dark.

Simile A comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words “like” or “as.” e.g., The warrior fought like a lion.

Tone Attitude a writer takes towards a subject Reflects the feelings of a writer Can be sarcastic, humorous, serious,etc.

Mood The feeling or atmosphere that the author creates for the reader. Do not confuse Mood with Tone. The mood is the feeling you are supposed to get when reading the story.

Allusion When an author refers to characters or events from history or other pieces of literature e.g., She was beautiful like Venus, the Goddess of love.

Symbol PersonPlace Event or Object that stands for something beyond itself Example: a bird in a cage would symbolize lost freedom

Anaphora Repetition of a word or group of words within a short section of writing. Ex. “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” – Ecclesiastes 3:2

Irony Situational Irony: A contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually does. Verbal Irony: A contrast between what is said and what is meant. Dramatic Irony: When the reader knows something that other characters do not.

Euphemism Substituting a milder word or phrase for one that might be offensive or harsh. Ex. “passed away” for “died”; “previously owned” for “used.”

Pun A play on words which are identical or similar in sound but which have sharply diverse meanings. Puns may have serious or humorous uses. E.g., In Romeo and Juliet as Mercutio is dying, he says, “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.”

Apostrophe A form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present Or The inanimate is spoken to as if it is animate (alive). e.g., The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Asyndeton A style that omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses (opposite of polysyndeton). style polysyndetonstyle polysyndeton "They dove, splashed, floated, splashed, swam, snorted." (James T. Farrell, Young Lonigan)

Polysyndeton A style that employs many conjunctions : for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so styleconjunctionsstyleconjunctions Ex. "We lived and laughed and loved and left." (James Joyce, Finnegans Wake)

Anaphora Repetition of a word or group of words within a short section of writing. Ex. “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” – Ecclesiastes 3:2

Diction An author's choice of words. Since words have specific meanings, and since one's choice of words can affect feelings, a writer's choice of words can have great impact in a literary work. Ex. Discussing his novel "A Farewell to Arms" during an interview, Ernest Hemingway stated that he had to rewrite the ending thirty-nine times. When asked what the most difficult thing about finishing the novel was, Hemingway answered, "Getting the words right."

Inference The act of drawing a conclusion that is not actually stated by the author. Ex. In the Pigman, John and Lorraine are writing a “memorial epic” about Mr. Pignati. Therefore, the reader may logically assume that Mr. Pignati dies in the book.

Parallelism The repetition of similarly constructed phrases, clauses, or sentences within a short section. Ex. “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people…”; “when I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child…” I Corinthians 13:11

Tone The atmosphere in a literary work or the attitude the author puts in a literary work. Ex. The gloom and representation of decay is the main tone of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.

Repetition Repeating of a word or phrase for stylistic effect. Ex. “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child…” I Corinthians 13:11

Style The way an author chooses and uses words, phrases, and sentences to tell the story. Ex. In an action/adventure story, the author may use simple words and short choppy sentences, because this style moves the story along quickly. In a story about a college professor, the same author may choose to use polysyllabic, unfamiliar words, and long, convoluted sentences.

Syntax The ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as phrases, clauses, and sentences. Poets often manipulate syntax, changing conventional word order, to place certain emphasis on particular words. Emily Dickinson, for instance, writes about being surprised by a snake in her poem "A narrow Fellow in the Grass," and includes this line: "His notice sudden is." In addition to the alliterative hissing s-sounds here, Dickinson also effectively manipulates the line’s syntax so that the verb is appears unexpectedly at the end, making the snake’s hissing presence all the more "sudden."