Glossary of Literary Terms














Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonants in a phrase or line. Like
assonance, alliteration is most commonly used in poetry, but fiction writers also make
use of it (often subconsciously) in more poetic styles of writing, or in dialogue, to
humorous effect.
Allusion: An allusion is a reference, within a literary work, to another work of
fiction, a film, a piece of art, or even a real event. An allusion serves as a kind of
shorthand, drawing on this outside work to provide greater context or meaning to the
situation being written about. While allusions can be an economical way of
communicating with the reader, they risk alienating readers who do not recognize
these references.
Antagonist: The antagonist in a work of fiction is the character who opposes the
hero, or protagonist, of the story. The antagonist is central to the work in providing
the conflict of the story. (However, not every story has to have an antagonist.)
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in a phrase or line. It's
harder to use and spot in fiction than in poetry, but it is a tool at the disposal of the
fiction writer, especially in either more poetic or more comic passages. (For more
information about the use of sounds in fiction, see alliteration.)
Autobiography: An autobiography is an account of a person's life written by that
person. A biography, on the other hand, is written by someone else. Obviously an
autobiography runs the danger of being highly subjective.
Avant-garde: "Avant-garde" comes from a French term originally referring to the
vanguard of the army. The term was extended beginning in the late 19th century to
describe movements in art and literature that call for experimentation and revolt
against tradition.
Bildungsroman: A bildungsroman is a novel that traces the development of a
character from childhood to adulthood, through a quest for identity that leads him or
her to maturity. The term bildungsroman comes from the German for "formation
novel," or "education novel."
Biography: A biography is a historical account of someone's life, written by someone
else, as opposed to an autobiography, which is written by that person.
Character: A person depicted in a narrative or drama. Characters may be flat, minor
characters; or round, and major.
Climax: A climax is a moment of great intensity in the plot of a literary work,
generally bringing events to a head and leading to the conclusion.
Connotation: Connotation is the feeling or association that a word or phrase evokes
in addition to its literal meaning. The opposite of connotation is denotation. As a
fiction writer, it's important to be aware of a word's connotations when writing. These
implied, or unstated meanings of a word can work with or against your intentions.
Denouement: The denouement refers to the resolution of the complications of a plot
in a work of fiction, generally done in a final chapter or section (often in the
epilogue). The denouement generally follows the climax, except in mystery novels, in
which the denouement and the climax may occur at the same time.
Dialogue: Dialogue is a conversational passage in a narrative or play used to advance
the plot or develop the characters. For the fiction writer, the challenge is to create
dialogue that advances the plot and sounds realistic. Awkward or forced dialogue will
pull the reader out of the story.
Epigraph: An epigraph is a quotation at the beginning of a poem, short story, book
chapter, or other piece of literature. The epigraph introduces or refers to the larger
themes of the piece: in a way, it may help draw the reader's attention to these ideas,
setting the stage. The epigraph, unlike quotations that occur within a work, does not
require quotation marks.











Epilogue: The epilogue is the final section of a novel or story, which provides a
comment or conclusion to what has happened. It follows the book's climax, and ties
up any loose knots. The denouement, then, might occur in the epilogue.
Episodic novel: An episodic novel is a narrative composed of loosely connected
incidents, each one more or less self-contained, often connected by a central character
or characters. It is one way of constructing a plot.
Erotica: Erotica is a genre of literature that includes sexually explicit details as a
primary feature. Unlike pornography, erotica does not aim exclusively at sexual
arousal. Though the distinction is blurring in modern works, erotica traditionally
contains more sexual details than romance novels.
Euphemism: A euphemism is a word or phrase that stands in for another word or
phrase, chosen to mask or soften the true meaning of what is being expressed. A
euphemism may be used for superstitious reasons, due to religious or cultural taboos,
or for political reasons. For a fiction writer, euphemisms, in dialogue, can be helpful
in revealing character. The opposite of euphemism is dysphemism.
Figurative language: Figurative language is a word or phrase that departs from
everyday literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness.
Metaphor and simile are the two most common examples of figurative language, but
figurative language also includes hyperbole, synecdoche, puns, and personification,
among others. Used well, figurative language enhances your fiction and can be an
economical way of getting an image or a point across. However, used incorrectly,
figurative language can be confusing or downright silly.
Figure of speech: A figure of speech is a word or phrase that departs from everyday
literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness. Metaphor
and simile are the two most commonly used figures of speech, but things like
hyperbole, synecdoche, and personification are also figures of speech. Used well,
figures of speech greatly enhance your fiction, and can be a very economical way of
getting an image or a point across, but used incorrectly, they merely confuse the
reader.
First person point of view: A point of view in which an "I" or "we" serves as the
narrator of a piece of fiction. The narrator may be a minor character, observing the
action, as the character Nick does in The Great Gatsby, or the main protagonist of the
story, such as Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. While first person can
allow a reader to feel very close to a specific character's point of view, it also limits
the reader to that one perspective. The reader can only know what this character
knows. Some writers, especially beginning writers, have a tendency to get stuck in
first person. It's helpful to at least try writing in third person from time to time.
Flat characters: Flat characters are minor characters in a work of fiction who do not
tend to undergo substantial emotional change or growth. Flat characters are also
referred to as "two-dimensional characters," and are the opposite of round characters.
Though we don't generally strive to write flat characters, they are often necessary
components in any given story, along with round characters.
Imagery: Imagery is visually descriptive or figurative language in a literary work. It
is also the pattern of images that run through a work.
Irony: As anyone who has seen Reality Bites knows, irony is the incongruity between
what is expected and what actually occurs. "The American Heritage Dictionary"
expands the definition to include "The use of words to express something different
from and often opposite to their literal meaning." Related to irony, sarcasm is a
remark meant to wound or hurt the recipient. Facetiousness is the more playful,
benign brand of sarcasm.
Magic realism: The term magic realism describes contemporary fiction, often from
Latin America or the third world, whose narrative blends magical or fantastic
elements with reality. Magic realist writers include Gabriel García Márquez, Alejo
Carpentier, and Isabel Allende.














Metaphor: A metaphor is a comparison of two things that does not use "like" or "as."
Like similes, metaphors are a type of figurative language. Used well, metaphors are
an efficient way of conveying an image or idea to your reader. Used poorly, however,
they confuse or distract your reader.
Narrative: The narrative is the telling of fictional or real events.
Personification: Personification, a common figure of speech along with simile and
metaphor, is used in prose and poetry as well as in everyday speech.
Plot: Plot concerns the organization of the main events of a work of fiction. Plot
differs from story in that plot is concerned with how events are related, how they are
structured, and how they enact change in the major characters. Most plots will trace
some process of change in which characters are caught up in a conflict that is
eventually resolved. Plots may be fully integrated or "tightly knit," or episodic in
nature.
Point of view: Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told; the
narrator's position in relation to the story. Point of view may be first person, third
person, or less commonly, second person.
Round character: A round character is a major character in a work of fiction who
encounters conflict and is changed by it. Round characters tend to be more fully
developed and described than flat, or minor characters. A number of elements in
fiction reveal character, making the character round, including description of a
character, dialogue, a character's actions, and a character's thoughts.
Second person point of view: In second person point of view, the narrator tells the
story to another character using "you," so that the story is being told through the
addressee's point of view. Second person is the least commonly used POV in fiction,
though there are a few examples. Many of the stories in Lorrie Moore's book "SelfHelp" are written in the second person, as is Tom Robbins's "Half Asleep in Frog
Pajamas," which begins: "The day the stock market falls out of bed and breaks its
back is the worst day of your life. Or so you think. It isn't the worst day of your life,
but you think it is."
Sentimentality: Sentimentality comes up as an issue for nearly every writer at some
point. In attempting to convey strong emotions, it's easy to go too far and make your
reader feel manipulated instead of moved. Sentiment is a good thing -- we want our
readers to experience emotions as they read our work. Sentimentality, on the other
hand, refers to excessive or inappropriate emotion, and should be avoided in fiction.
The best way to learn about sentimentality is to read widely and pay attention to your
own emotional reactions to books as you read, and study why they succeed or fail.
Simile: A simile is a comparison of two things using "like" or "as." Like metaphors,
similes are a type of figurative language.
Story: Story is the full sequence of events in a work of fiction as we imagine them to
have taken place, in the order in which they would have occurred in life (as opposed
to plot).
Style book: A style book is a manual giving rules and examples of usage, and
punctuation, used especially in the preparation of copy for publication.
Symbol: A symbol is a person, place, or thing comes to represent an abstract idea or
concept -- it is anything that stands for something beyond itself. For example: The
character of the madwoman in the attic in the novel "Jane Eyre" is identified in Jean
Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea" as a symbol for women's hidden rage.
Synecdoche: Synecdoche is a kind of figurative language in which a part stands for
the whole, or vice versa. Saying the "White House," to mean the U.S. government, is
an example of synecdoche.
Third person limited point of view: Third person limited point of view is a method
of storytelling in which the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single
character, while other characters are presented externally. Third person grants a writer
more freedom than first person, but less than third person omniscient.



Third person omniscient point of view: A method of storytelling in which the
narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story, as
opposed to third person limited, which adheres closely to one character's perspective.
Third person point of view: A method of storytelling in which a narrator relates all
action in third person, using third person pronouns such as "he" or "she." Third
person may be omniscient or limited. Often new writers often feel most comfortable
with first person, but writing in the third person allows a writer more freedom in how
a story is told.
Voice: Voice has two meanings as it concerns creative writers:
o Voice is the author's style, the quality that makes his or her writing unique,
and which conveys the author's attitude, personality, and character; or
o Voice is the characteristic speech and thought patterns of a first-person
narrator; a persona. Because voice has so much to do with the reader's
experience of a work of literature, it is one of the most important elements of
a piece of writing.
From Ginny Wiehardt – About.com: Fiction Writing
http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/Glossary_of_Literary_Terms.htm