Understanding Literary Terms: A Quick Reference
Literary Devices: Definitions and Examples
Allegory: A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Antagonist: A character, group of characters, institution, or concept that stands in or represents opposition against which the protagonist(s) must contend.
Characterization: The creation or construction of a fictional character.
Protagonist: The leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.
Foreshadowing: A warning or indication of a future event.
Imagery: Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
Irony: The expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
Juxtaposition: The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Paradox: A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.
Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Simile: A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid.
Theme: The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic.
Symbol: A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g., the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation.
Motif: A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.
Point of View:
Suspense: A state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.
Tone/Mood: The mood is the atmosphere of the story, and the tone is the author’s attitude towards the topic. We can identify both by looking at the setting, characters, details, and word choices. By doing so, it will help us find meaning in the story or passage and help us feel more connected to the writing.
Dialogue: Conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie.
Paraphrase: Express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity.
5 Points of Plot: The Five Elements of Plot Structure. Every story must have a beginning. The start, or exposition, is where the characters and setting are established. During this part of the novel, the conflict or main problem is also introduced. These are: Introduction, Rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and narrative hook.
Tragedy: A play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.
Emotional Journey: An emotional journey is any moment in your life that you go through several emotions. It’s not all at once, that’s called a mood swing. Any relationship where you go through several emotions over a period of time is an emotional journey. Your whole life is an emotional journey.
Conflict: A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.