Literary Terms

LITERARY TERMS Allen Loibner-Waitkus

alliteration—a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occurring close together in a series

allusion—a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance

antagonist—the character who comes into conflict with the main character (not always the bad guy) euphony—soothing, pleasant sounds

exposition—the basic situation or introduction of a piece of fiction

first person—the narrator IS a character in the story

flat character—an underdeveloped, two-dimensional character

Bildungsroman—a coming-of-age story

cacophony—harsh, discordant sounds foreshadowing—hints of clues of what’s to come

hyperbole—exaggeration for literary effect

climax—the point of highest interest

dénouement—the conclusion or resolution of a piece of fiction

diction—the choice of language used by the speaker or writer

dramatic irony—the reader or audience knows something the characters in the story or play don’t

dynamic character—a character who changes over the course of the story

epistolary—fiction written as a series of documents; the usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings, and other documents are sometimes used imagery—language that evokes one or all of the five senses

in medias res—in or into the middle of a narrative or plot

juxtaposition—placing close together or side by side for comparison or contrast

Künstleroman—a story about an artist’s growth to maturity

malapropism—confusion of words that are similar in sound

metaphor—a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics

motif—recurrent thematic element

onomatopoeia—words that sound like what they mean

pathetic fallacy—giving human emotions to things that aren’t human

personification—giving human characteristics to things that aren’t human stock character—a character we see again and again in literature (the town drunk, the bumbling cop, the nerd, etc.)

stream of consciousness—the unbroken flow of thought and awareness of the waking mind

symbolism—signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense

protagonist—the MAIN character (not always the good guy)

red herring—false hints or clues intended to confuse the reader

round character—a well-developed, three-dimensional character

satire—literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn

setting—where and when a story takes place

simile—draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”

situational irony—the opposite of what the reader expects to happen happens synecdoche—uses a part to represent the whole

synesthesia—a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway

theme—a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly

third person—the narrator IS NOT a character in the story tone—the attitude of the author toward the characters, subject matter, reader, etc.

verbal irony—the intended meaning of a statement differs from the meaning that the words appear to express verisimilitude—the quality of seeming real

static character—a character who doesn’t change over the course of a story