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ELA 30-1/ Revised February 2010

A Glossary of Literary Terms

1. allusion: a reference to some person, place or event with literary, historical,

geographical, Biblical, mythical or cultural significance.

2. analogy: a comparison of ideas or objects which are essentially different but

which are alike in one significant way. For example: His thoughts tumbled in his
head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling
Free. Uh, yeh…

3. antagonist: the force (usually, but not always, a person) that opposes the main
character (the protagonist) in his attempt to solve a problem and thus to resolve
the conflict he is involved in.

4. anticlimax: an outcome of a situation or series of events that, by contrast to what

was anticipated, is ludicrous or disappointing. The anticlimax can often create a
humorous effect. For example: "It is impossible to travel faster than the speed of
light, and certainly not desirable, as one's hat keeps blowing off."

5. archetype: a representation of an element of universal human experience;

something recognized by all. An idea or desire that automatically and
unconsciously resonates (a feeling of shared emotion or belief) powerfully and
deeply within a large group. As in April 2000 The Third Expedition by Ray
Bradbury: none of the rocket crew question the arrival of loved ones long since
dead.

6. atmosphere: the general over-all feeling of a story conveyed in a large part by the
setting and the mood.

7. archaic: language of the past. For example: "Hail, fair sir knight! And what
bringeth thee to these perilous woods this fine eventide? Be it the tales of a
dragon hereabouts?" As opposed to: Hey, knight! Whatcha doin' in the woods
after dark? You looking for that dragon they say lives around here?"

8. autobiography: the life story written by the subject herself.

9. ballad: a narrative (story) poem with many specific characteristics. A few

structural considerations are rhythm, rhyme, repetition and chorus.

10. biography: non-fiction that records the life of an individual, not written by the
person.

11. blank verse: poetry that has rhythm (5 beats to a line) but has no rhyme, used
extensively in Shakespearian plays. Note the rhythm in the following: "The
course of true love never did run true.” As you read this line aloud, listen for the
stress pattern: da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM (i.e. the COURSE of
TRUE love NEver DID run TRUE)…hmmm…fascinating…

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12. characterization: the portrayal in a story of an imaginary person by what he says

or does, by what others say about him or how they react to him, and by what the
author reveals directly or through a narrator.

13. cliché: an expression so often used that it has lost its freshness and effectiveness.
Examples: All that glitters is not gold. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no
lies.

14. climax: the point of highest interest or dramatic intensity in a story.. Usually it
marks a turning point in the action, since the reader is no longer in doubt about
the outcome.

15. coincidence: a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently
by mere chance Example: Newspaper headline: Man LOSES Job WINS Lottery

16. conflict: the struggle between two opposing forces, ideas, or beliefs which form
the basis of a story’s plot. The conflict is resolved when one force – usually the
protagonist- succeeds or fails in overcoming the opposing force or gives up
trying.

17. connotation: an emotional coloration/association in addition to the explicit or

denotative meaning of any specific word or phrase Example: used car and
previously owned car have the same literal meaning, but many dealerships prefer
the latter, since it is thought to have fewer negative connotations.

18. context: the whole sentence or paragraph surrounding a word or expression.

19. couplet: a pair of lines in a poem which rhyme. Example:

Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run. (To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvel)

20. denotation: the precise, literal meaning of a word or expression (the dictionary
meaning) as opposed to a possible connotative meaning (see # 16)

21. denouement: the unraveling of the plot of a story, following the climax, in which
the writer explains how and why everything turned out as it did…falling action.

22. dialect: the language used in a particular region. The vocabulary, grammar and
pronunciation differerent from other regions. Example: Newfoundland dialectic
phrase and translation: Now luh, da arse is gone right out of er =>(The
economy is facing hard times…)

23. dichotomy: A division into two opposing parts, such as the dichotomy of the soul
and body or the dichotomy of good and evil in humans.

24. drama: a story with a plot and conflict, acted upon a stage in front of a camera or
over the radio. Types: comedy, tragedy, horror, melodrama, fantasy and so on.
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25. episode: An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or

radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin
(similar) to a chapter of a book.

26. essay: a short non-fiction work on one topic. Types: Informational and Personal.

27. fantasy: a tale involving such unreal characters and improbable events that the
reader is not expected to believe it. Some fantasies are intended merely to
entertain (escape fantasy); others have a more serious purpose as in Interpretive
fantasy (The Rocking Horse Winner DH Lawrence)

28. figurative language: imagination is needed to complete meaning( See the 30-1
History and Development of the Essay handout for a full list of Figurative
language)

29. flashback: a device by which a writer interrupts the main action of a story to
recreate a situation or incident of an earlier time as though it were occurring in the
present.

30. flat character: a character presented in outline (one or two traits), somewhat
stereotyped; easy to describe.

31. foreshadowing: the dropping of important hints by the author to prepare the
reader for what is to come and to help the reader anticipate the outcome.

32. free verse: poetry which has neither rhythm or rhyme. “Vers Libre”…formulated
by the French in the 19th century.

33. hackneyed: trite; statements or words which are worn out as an expression or
comment. (See cliché # 12)

34. imagery: a general term for any representation of a particular thing with its
attendant and evocative detail. Imagery in writing can involve any of the senses:
touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. Imagery is achieved through the use of
descriptive detail that often utilizes various forms of figurative language. Ex.
…where the smell of lemon pop was so sweet on the dark pool hall air that I am
sometimes awakened by it in the night, even yet…(The Town Dump Wallace
Stegner)

35. incident: one of the events (usually minor) that make up the total action or plot
of a work of fiction.

36. internal rhyme: a line of poetry in which a word in the middle rhymes with a
word at the end of the line. Ex. The Artic nights have seen queer sights. (The
Shooting of Dan McGrew Robert Service)

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37. irony: a mode of expression in which the author says one thing and means the
opposite. The term also applies to a situation, or the outcome of an event, (or
series of events), that is the opposite of what might be expected or considered
appropriate. There is verbal, situational and dramatic irony (See the 30-1 Short
Story handout)

38. juxtaposition: an act or instance of placing two things close together or side by
side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities
or differences, etc. It has a quality of being unexpected. Ex. A teacup and its
saucer are expected. A kitty cat who is reflected in a mirror looking like a Lion is
not.

39. locale: the particular place in which the action in a work of fiction occurs.

40. mood: the frame of mind or state of feeling created by a piece of writing. Ex. the
eerie mood of a story by Edgar Allan Poe. ( a writer primarily known for his
horror stories)

41. moral: the lesson taught by a literary work; found in escape fiction, parables and
fables. Recall that interpretive literature has a theme. (See the 30-1 Short Story
handout for definition of theme)

42. motif: a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature (Ex. Paul’s
eyes in DH Lawrence’s story The Rocking Horse Winner). A motif may also be
two contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil. (Ex. Goodman Brown
and the Devil in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown). A motif is
important because it allows one to see main points and themes that the author is
trying to express, in order that one might be able to interpret the work more
accurately.

43. motivation: reason(s) given in a narrative for the characters behaving the way
they do. Understanding a character’s motivations is essential to Literary analysis.

44. narration: an account or story of an event, or series of events, whether true or

imaginary.

45. narrative poetry: a poem which tells a story. Types: ballad, epic, saga.

46. narrator: the person in a poem, short story or novel who tells what is happening.

47. paraphrase: a restatement of a poem or piece of prose in your own words.

48. pathos: that quality in prose that evokes in the reader a feeling of pity and
compassion. Ex. The reader feels pity for the child Paul in The Rocking Horse
Winner by DH Lawrence.

49. plot: the series of events or episodes that make up the action in a work of fiction.
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50. point of view: the method used by the short story writer to tell his story; the
position psychological as well as physical, from which he presents what happens
and the characters involved in it. (See the 30-1 Short Story handout for the 4
points of view)

51. protagonist: usually the main character, who faces a problem and, in his attempt
to solve it, becomes involved in a conflict with an opposing force.

52. quatrain: a four-line stanza, commonly used in the English/Shakespearian

sonnet: 3 quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet.

53. realism: the faithful portrayal of people, scenes, and events as they are, not as the
writer would like them to be. (See # 64 verisimilitude)

54. resolution: the events following the climax in a work of fiction; sometimes
called the falling action.

55. rising action: the series of incidents in a story which provide suspense and lead
to the outcome.

56. round character: a complex character, like a real person- possessing both good
and bad qualities- not stereotyped.

57. satire: a piece of writing that criticizes manners, individuals, or political and
social institutions by holding them up to ridicule.

58. sentimentality: a superabundance of emotion in a story; the author of a

sentimental story is consciously manipulating the reader through selective use of
detail and stereotypes.

59. setting: the time and place in which the events of a work of fiction occur.

60. stereotype: a “stock” character in a story, presented according to certain widely

accepted ideas of how such a person should look, think, or act. Ex. a “good”
student wears glasses and is poor at sports.

61. style: the distinctive manner in which a writer uses language, her conscious
choice and arrangement of words.

62. suspense: a feeling of excitement, curiosity, or expectation about the outcome of

a work of fiction.

63. symbol: an object that stands for, or represents an idea, belief, superstition, social
or political institution, etc. Ex. a pair of scales is often used as a symbol for
justice. (See the 30-1 Short Story handout)

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64. theme: the idea, general truth, or commentary on life or people brought out
through a story.

65. tone: the feeling conveyed by the author’s attitude toward his subject and the
particular way in which he writes about it. (Lawrence’s tone of censure in The
Rocking Horse Winner)

66. unity: an arrangement of parts of material that will produce a single, harmonious
design or effect in a literary work.

67. verisimilitude: the state of being true to life. Any specific details that are
realistic and help to make a story seem true.