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Literary Term Basics

1. Antagonist- The character that causes the conflict with the protagonist (main character); often the
villain
2. Characters- persons, animals, or things presented as persons in a literary work.
Dynamic- a character who experiences a change in personality or attitude
Static- a character who remains the same throughout the narrative
3.

Characterization- the personality a character displays; also, the means by which an author reveals that
personality (description, dialogue, actions, thoughts, feelings)

4. Conflict- a struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a story

External- character struggles against an outside force (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs.
society)
Internal- conflict takes place in characters own mind; struggles between opposing needs,
emotions, or desires (man vs. himself)
5. Dialogue- the conversations held by characters
6. Flashback- a scene in a short story, novel, play, or movie that interrupts the action to show an event
from an earlier time.
7. Foreshadowing- the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come.
8. Genre- the type of story, play, or movie (action, thriller, romance, drama, comedy, suspense, mystery,
fantasy, historical, sci-fi, biography, etc.)
9. Narrative- the kind of writing that tells a story
10. Plot- the sequence of events in a literary work
11. Plot Structure- The structure of a short story or play
a. Exposition- the first part of a story where important
background information is presented; the beginning
b. Rising Action- events that lead to the climax of the story
c. Climax- the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or
suspense in the narrative
d. Falling Action- all of the action in a play that follows the climax
e. Resolution- the outcome of a conflict in a story or play; the ending

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12. Point of View- the point from which the story is told
First-person- the narrator tells the story and is involved in the story, using the pronoun I
Third-person- the narrator is not involved in the story and is telling the story about others. Uses
third person pronouns such as "he" or "she."
Limited- focuses on the thoughts and feelings of one character
Omniscient- all-knowing narratorfocuses on the thoughts and feelings of all the
characters
13. Protagonist- the main character; often the hero
14. Satire- genre of writing that ridicules something (person, group, social institution, etc) in order to
reveal a weakness; often involves exaggeration to inspire change. Ex: political cartoonssee below

15. Setting- the time and place of the story

16. Theme- the main idea or basic meaning of a literary work. It is expressed in a sentence. (Moral of
the story)

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Descriptive Language
1.

Allusion- reference to a statement, person, place, or an event from literature, history, religion,
mythology, politics, sports, science, or pop culture. Ex: He seemed as strong as Hercules.

2.

Alliteration- repetition of consonant sounds. Ex: But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound
into saucy doubts and fears.Shakespeare.

3.

Imagery- descriptive language that appeals to our five senses (Ex: the aroma of bacon sizzling in the
frying pan)

4.

Irony- contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality

Verbal irony- writer/speaker says one thing, but really means another
Situational irony- what we expect to happen is contradictory to what really takes place
Dramatic irony- audience or reader knows something important that a character in the story does not
know

5. Mood- overall feeling of the text or passage (happy, sad, peaceful); attitude of author toward subject
6. Onomatopoeia- a word that imitates the sound it represents. Ex: splash, kerplunk
7. Tone- the attitude an author takes toward a character, subject, or audience (serious,

humorous, biased, etc)

Figurative Language
1. Hyperbole-exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect. Ex: Im so hungry I could eat a horse!
2. Metaphor- a comparison between two unlike things (Ex: Life is like a box of chocolates.)
3. Oxymoron- pairing opposites, or contradictory terms next to each other (Ex: bright smoke)
4. Personification- giving human traits to non-living objects (Ex: The trees were whispering.)
5. Pun- play on words. Ex: A pessimists blood type is always B-negative.
6. Simile- a comparison of two unlike things using like or as (Ex: Life is a box of chocolates.)
7. Symbol- a visual representation of someone or something; or, an object, person, place or action
that has a meaning in itself and stands for something larger than itself