Literary Terms to Know
Allusion
Character Foil
Flashback
A reference to a literary,
mythological, or historical
person, place, or thing
A person or sometimes an
object that through strong
contrast underscores or
enhances the distinctive
characteristics of another
Interrupting current events to
a previous moment
Foreshadowing
Imagery
Mood
The use of hints or clues
which suggest future action
Use of words to create a
sensory experience or image
by appealing to the five
senses (sight, sound, smell,
taste, touch); an author may
also use animal imagery, as
well as light and/or dark
imagery
the feeling created in the
reader by a literary work or
passage
Paradox
Suspense
Symbol
A statement that is selfcontradictory on the surface
(a contradiction), but which
reveals a subtler meaning on
reflection; the statement may
appear illogical, impossible,
or absurd, but turns out to
have a coherent meaning
that reveals a hidden truth
Quality that makes the
reader or audience
uncertain or tense. It impels
the audience to read on.
Use of any object, person,
place, or action that both
has a meaning in itself and
stands for something larger
than itself, such as a quality,
attitude, belief, or value; two
basic types: universal and
contextual (the raven as a
symbol of evil
Theme
Controlling or central idea of a literary work (not always a
moral); not the same as a subject, which can be expressed
in a word or two (courage, survival, pride, etc); but what the
author wishes to convey about that subject and expressed
as a sentence or general statement about life or human
nature; a work can have more than one theme.
Tone
The attitude a writer or
speaker takes toward a
subject, character, or
audience; is conveyed
through the author’s diction,
imagery, detail, and syntax.
Could be serious, humorous,
sarcastic, indignant,
objective, etc; a tone may
shift
Emphasis
When important aspects of a story are given
important positions and in-depth
development
Emphasis is created by the use of:
Repetition – reiteration of a word, sound,
phrase, or idea
Parallelism – the arrangement and repetition
of words, phrases, or sentence structures
using similar grammatical form. Parallelism
adds rhythm and emotional impact to writing
Irony
Verbal
Dramatic
A deliberate contrast
between two levels of
meaning
Implying a different meaning
than what is directly stated.
(ex. You call a tall teammate
“tinny”)
Audience knows something
that one or more of the
characters does not (ex. You
know the girl should not go
down to the dark, creepy
basement because that is
where the bad guy is, but she
goes anyways)
Situational
A situation turns out
differently from what one
would normally expect,
though the twist is oddly
appropriate (ex. A deep sea
diver drowning in a bathtub)
Point of View (POV)
First-person
Second-person
The identity of the narrative
voice; the person or entity
through whom the reader
experiences the story
Narrated by a character in
the story or a direct observer
Style which addresses the
reader as you, hoping to
make you identify with the
character
Third-person Omniscient
Third-person Limited
Objective
Knows all about all the
characters and is only
limited by what she may
want to tell you
Describes a narrator who
knows everything but only
follows the point of new of
one particular character
The author does not
presume to know the
thoughts and feelings of the
characters; the author
simply reports what can be
seen or heard
Diction
Denotation
A writer’s or speaker’s choice
of words which is intended to
convey a certain effect;
includes both vocabulary
and syntax; can be formal or
informal, technical or
common, abstract or
concrete
The specific dictionary definition of a word
Conflict
A struggle/interplay between
opposing forces
Man vs. Self
(internal)
When a character must
make a decision about a
problem or struggle he is
having within himself
Connotation
The feeling or attitude associated with a word, related to
but quite distinct from its literal meaning
Man vs. Man
(external)
When a character has a
problem with another
character
Man vs. Nature
(external)
When a character has a
problem with a force of
nature
Man vs. Society
(external)
When a character has a
problem with a tradition or
rule of society
Man vs. Fate/Destiny
(external)
When a character has a
problem with something he
can’t do anything about
(such as God, luck, death,
etc)
Characterization
Motivation
Protagonist
The techniques used by the
writer to create a character:
 The character’s physical
appearance
 The character’s own
speech, thoughts,
actions, and/or feelings
 OTHER character’s
speech, thoughts,
actions, and/or feeling
about the character
 Direct comments by the
author about the
character
A reason that explains a
character’s thoughts,
feelings, actions, or behavior
The central character and
focus of interest who is trying
to accomplish or overcome
something or someone
Dynamic Character
Antagonist
A character that undergoes
a change in actions or beliefs The character or force which
during the course of a story
opposes the main character
Static Character
A character that does not
grow or change throughout
the story, that ends as s/he
began
Figurative Language
Hyperbole
A statement that is an
Words or phrases that
exaggeration
to emphasize a
describe one thing in terms of
point and is used for
something else; always
expressive or comic effect
involving some sort of
comparison between
seemingly unlike things; not
meant to be taken literally
Simile
The comparison of two unlike
things using the words “like”
or “as”. (ex. My brother is as
good as gold.)
Metaphor
Oxymoron
Personification
The direct comparison of two
unlike things without using
“like” or “as”. A metaphor
wastes no time in getting to
the point. (ex. My brother is a
rat)
Combining of opposites for
emphasis. Examples: jumbo
shrimp, deafening silence,
wise fool
When the author speaks of or
describes an animal, object,
or idea as if it were a person.
(ex. The moon smiled down
at me)
Plot
Exposition
Setting
The author lays the
groundwork for the story by
revealing the: setting,
relationships between the
characters, and situation as it
exists before conflict begins
The background against
which action takes place.
The action or sequence of
events in a literary work. It is a
series of related events that
build upon one another.
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The geographical location
The time or period in which
the action takes place
The general environment of
the characters, i.e. social,
moral, emotional.
Then setting can set the
mood as well.
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
The action and events that
take place in the story
leading up to the climax.
Filled with complications and
conflicts.
The most critical moment in
the story; the point at which
the main conflict is at its
highest point
Events that occur after the
climax and lead up to the
closure of the story
Denouement/Resolution
The problem set up in the
beginning is unraveled; there
is a revelation of meaning.