Literary Elements Glossary

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Literary Terms Glossary English I Academic

NOTE: You will need to keep and use this glossary for the ENTIRE YEAR. You MUST keep it in your English notebook at all times.
Basic Literary Terms
Setting: The time, place, or weather in which a story takes place
Theme: The central idea in a work of literature; the author’s message
Symbol: An object or name that stands for itself as well as for something else
Metaphor: A DIRECT comparison between two unlike objects
Simile: An INDIRECT comparison between two unlike objects; usually uses “like” or “as”
Personification: When inanimate objects are given human qualities
Hyperbole: an exaggeration that creates an unusual image
Imagery: language that is used to vividly conveys the five physical senses
Mood: the emotional atmosphere of a literary work
Paradox: a statement that seems to contradict itself, but actually contains some truth
Oxymoron: an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined
Allusion: a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize
Alliteration: the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases.

Language Usage
Diction: the author’s word choices
Tone: the author’s attitude toward the subject or toward the reader
Figure of Speech: a phrase that is not meant to be understood at a literal level
Synonym: a word that is similar in meaning to another word
Antonym: a word that is opposite in meaning to another word
Denotation: the dictionary definition of a word
Connotation: meanings or associations suggested by a word
Pun: a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings

Genres
Allegory: a literary work on which characters, objects, or actions represent abstract ideas
Epic: A long narrative poem which presents the adventures of a national or legendary hero
Fable: a brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters
Satire: the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections
Short Story: a brief fictional narrative in prose
Coming-of-Age Novel: a novel in which the protagonist grows from a childlike view to an adult understanding of the world. These novels deal with a character’s loss of innocence.
Tragedy: a serious piece of literature (usually a play) that comes to a disastrous conclusion, usually with the death of one or more main characters
Irony
Irony: the difference between what appears to be real and what is actually real in a story
Situational Irony: the difference between what the reader expects to happen and what actually happens
Verbal Irony: the difference between what a speaker says and what he means
Dramatic Irony: the difference between what the reader knows and what a character knows. The reader has more or better information than the character.
Plot Structure
Plot: the sequence of related events that make up a story
Exposition: the introduction of characters, setting, and situation
Rising Action: the conflict and complications of a story
Climax: the emotional high point of a story
Resolution: the final outcome of a story
Foreshadowing: clues that hint toward what will happen later in the story
Flashback: interrupts the plot and tells of an earlier time
Suspense: the quality that makes the reader uncertain or tense about the outcome of events

Conflict
Conflict: a struggle between opposing forces
Internal Conflict: a character’s struggle within himself; a character is torn between opposing feelings or different courses of action
External Conflict: a character’s struggle with an outside force
Man vs. man (character vs. another character)
Man vs. society
Man vs. nature (physical)
Man vs. supernatural being

Characterization
Characterization: how the authors reveals the personality of a character
Direct Characterization: the author tells the reader about the character directly
Indirect Characterization: the author shows a character’s personality through the character’s words, thoughts, actions, appearance, and interactions with other characters
Protagonist: the main character (the “good guy”)
Antagonist: the character or force in conflict with the protagonist (the “bad guy”)
Foil: two characters with opposite traits
Dynamic Character: a character who changes attitude in the course of the story by gaining new understanding or insight
Static Character: a character who stays the same throughout the story

Poetry and Sound Devices
Poetry: language arranged in lines with regular rhythm
Onomatopoeia: words that imitate sounds
Alliteration: the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words
Rhyme: the repetition of similar sounds in a line (internal rhyme) or at the end of two or more lines (end rhyme)

Drama Terms
Prologue: the introduction to a literary work, OR the opening speech of a play that provides background information
Soliloquy: a long speech by a character speaking to himself or the audience; often reveals the private thoughts and emotions of that character
Monologue: a long speech by one character to other characters
Aside: a comment made by a character that is heard by the audience or another character, but is not heard by other characters onstage
Catastrophe: the tragic resolution of the conflict; often involves the death of one or more major characters

ADDITIONAL TERMS: