Daily Literary Terms
British Literature Academic
Table of Contents:
Allegory
Alliteration
Allusion
Setting
Mood
Tone
Symbol
Foil
Epic
Motif
Humor
Tragic Hero
Point of View
Characterization
Irony
Paradox
Hyperbole
Personification
Grab a worksheet from the front desk and fill
in the information below under the term.
Allegory
– A story in which people,
things, and actions,
represent an idea; they often
have strong moral lessons.
These stories can be read on
two levels.
– The pigs in Animal Farm=
communists, the fear of totalitarian
control
– Look for this in Lord of the Flies
Alliteration
• The repetition of sounds
• Sometimes used to highlight
importance or establish a
mood (“s” and “m” sounds
are often considered
soothing)
• Usually used in poetry, but is
also used by fiction authors,
often in descriptions.
– Consonance/ assonance
– Look for these in Hamlet
Allusion
• A reference to a person,
place, event or literature
outside of the work.
• The writer expects the
reader to recognize
these.
• There are two types:
– Explicit= the author will
reference the outside
work by title or character
name
– Implied= the author
alludes to another work,
but does not expressly
identify it. Often used with
imagery of the Garden of
Eden or Satan.
Setting
• In fiction, setting includes the time,
location, historical context, social
norms, physical space, and
atmosphere for the story. The
setting can often reflect the actions
and feelings of the characters.
• Authors often give the reader hints
to the genre of a work based on the
setting.
• There are two categories of setting:
– General setting: includes all the
outside forces and contexts listed
above.
– Specific Setting: the actual place
a story is set.
• Mood is the emotions that you feel while you
are reading. This is also a contributing factor
to establishing the general setting.
• It is different from the tone. The author
provides the tone, the reader interprets the
mood.
Mood
Tone
• Sometimes called the
author’s voice.
• It is the author’s attitude
towards the subject
matter. It can be playful,
serious, mocking, terrifying,
etc.
• It can also indicate how
the author feels about a
certain character or plot.
Symbol
• A symbol is something such
as an object, picture, written
word, or particular mark that
represents something else by
association, or resemblance.
• For example, a red A
represents empowerment
by the end of The Scarlet
Letter, Piggy’s glasses
represent intelligence, or the
green light on Daisy’s dock
in The Great Gatsby
represents hope.
Foil
• Two parallel
characters in similar
situations that provide
insight into each
other’s motives and
character.
• Almost always one of
the characters will be
a main character and
the other a
minor/supporting
character.
– Examples: Tom and
Gatsby
Epic
• A long poem about the
deeds of a hero
• It usually involves
elements of the
supernatural and divine
intervention
• These works give the
reader a glimpse into
the morals and ideals
of the culture which
created the work.
– Examples: Beowulf, The
Odyssey, The Iliad
Motif
• A reoccurring object,
concept, or theme through
a piece of literature.
• These tend to be universal;
they are meant to be
recognized by the reader.
Examples:
white= purity
Winter=death
Ravens signal death
Purposeful Humor
Satire
• A satire uses humor
and ridicule to
criticize an institution
of a society (religion,
politics, government,
education etc)
• The goal of the
author is to incite
change in the
reader
Parody
• A Parody imitates a
person, genre, or story
for comical effect.
• Its sole goal is humor
Is this a Satire or a
Parody?
Satire because it
is commenting on
the purpose of
war in hopes that
people will see its
futility.
Is this a satire or a parody?
Parody because it is simply imitating/ retelling The
Shining for humorous effect.
Tragic Hero
Elements of a traditional tragic hero:
1. Falls from their place in society
2. Has a tragic flaw
3. Makes irreversible mistakes
4. Is inherently good
5. Is fated to die
Point of View
• Literature provides a lens
through which readers look at
the world. Point of view is the
way the author allows you to
"see" and "hear" what's going
on. Skillful authors can fix their
readers' attention on exactly
the detail, opinion, or emotion
the author wants to emphasize
by manipulating the point of
view of the story.
POV: First Person
• First-person point of view is in use when
a character narrates the story with I-memy-mine our-we in his or her speech.
The advantage of this point of view is
that you get to hear the thoughts of the
narrator and see the world depicted in
the story through his or her eyes.
• The disadvantage of this type of
narration is that the reader only knows
what the narrator knows, or situations
and characters are portrayed in a
biased way.
• The reader is given a more difficult task
with this point of view and must go
beyond what the narrator says to see
the truth.
Third Person Objective
• The narrator is not a character
in the story; the reader does not
know any characters’ thoughts
or feelings. They only describe
what a camera might see.
• This narrator is the most
trustworthy, they do not provide
bias but rather an neutral view.
• Keep in mind, this narrator does
not know everything. Like a
camera lens, the narrator
reflects the story back to the
reader without embellishments
or opinion.
Third person omniscient
• The narrator is not a character in the
story; the reader knows the thoughts and
feelings of two or more characters.
• Omniscient means all knowing
Third person limited
• The narrator is not a
character in the story; the
reader knows the thoughts
and feelings of one
character.
• This may switch with chapters
or sections, or can remain
with one character through
the entire work. This is one of
the more common forms of
narration.
Characterization
•
the process of
conveying information
about characters in
fiction.
The six methods of
characterization are…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The character’s actions
The character’s speech
(both what they say and
how they say it– think
dialect)
Physical description (look for
color symbolism and
connection to setting– Roger
LOTF)
What other characters say
(both when the character is
around and when he is not)
The character’s thoughts
and feelings
Tone and mood established
when the character is
present (esp. with a third
person point of view)
Characters continued..
•
The seven reasons why
minor characters are
used in literature.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
To provide background
information
To act as a foil to a
major character
To foreshadow events
To advance the plot
To illuminate the theme
To enhance the setting
To establish the mood
• Situational-The contrast
between what is expected to
happen and what actually
happens in a story.
– Think LOTF, Jack’s attempts to kill
Ralph actually helped them all
survive.
• Verbal Irony-When the speaker’s
words say one thing and he/she
means just the opposite.
– Usually created through sarcasm or
puns. One of the things that can
cause the communication model
to break down.
• Dramatic Irony-When the
reader knows information that
a character or characters in
the story do not.
– Think of Hamlet, there is a lot we
know that the characters don’t;
like it is Polonius behind the arras,
that Hamlet is not really crazy.
Irony
Paradox
• A statement that
reveals a kind of truth,
although it seems at first
to be self-contradictory.
• This is a whole line or
few lines long, unlike an
oxymoron which is only
a word or two.
Hyperbole
• the use of
exaggeration as a
rhetorical device or
figure of speech. It may
be used to evoke strong
feelings or to create a
strong impression, but it
is not meant to be
taken literally.
– Burns’ “Red Red Rose” is
a good example
Personification
• is giving human traits (qualities,
feelings, action, or characteristics) to
non-living objects (things, colors,
qualities, or ideas).
– Golding often does this with the setting in Lord of
the flies
Daily Literary Terms Continued…
SHAKESPEARE LITERARY TERMS