Literary Terms Flashcards
narrator
person telling the story
Narration
telling a story
n. b.
note well
nom de plume
pen name or pseudonym used by aurthor
novel
long, fictional prose story
novella
short novel with fewer characters than novel
novel, gothic
novel with medieval setting suggestion mystery and/or horror
historical novel
full-length fiction book, using historical facts as its basis for plot or setting, but including imaginary characters and dialogue
picaresque novel
novel characterized by a young hero of lower-class, unrespectable background, who leaves home and is face with a harsh, cruel world, and eventually conforms to its realities.
nuance
slight shade of meaning or detail
op. cit
used in footnotes/bibliographies to refer to work previously cited or quoted
oxymoron
use of paradoxical or opposite words for effect. Ex: poor little rich girl
paradox
contradictory statement that makes sense. Ex: She loved and hated him at the same time
paraphrase
restatement of writing, keeping the basic meaning, but telling it in one’s own words
literary parody
satire imitating an author or work with the aim of mockery
purple passage
writing that contains flowery, ornate language, often in the midst of otherwise dull passages
personification
literary device where writer attributes human qualities to objects or ideas. Ex: Fear raised its ugly head
plot
structure of the literature; the way it is put together; the unfolding or sequence of the events
poetry
poem collection; genre characterized by rhythm, rhyme, and stanzas, as opposed to prose
point-of-view
perspective form which the story is written; can be omniscient, first-person, shifting between characters, or other
prose
literature written in sentences and paragraphs, as opposed to poetry or verse
pprotagonist
main characters, hero, or heroine in a written work
proverb
saying, adage, or maxim, usually short and generally believed to be true. Ex: A stitch in time saves nine
pseudonym
name author uses instead of his/her real name; nom de plume
pun
play on words; words put together in such a way as to be humorous
rhetorical question
question asked without expecting an answer; used for effect. Ex: Oh, what does it matter, anyway?
literary realism
literature reflecting real life, rather than imaginary or idealistic life
redundancy
repetition that is unnecessary and awkward, as contrasted with intentional repetition for a particular effect. Ex: rich, wealthy individual
resolution
clarification, solution, or outcome of the conflict in a story
rhetoric
persuasive writing
roman a clef
novel based on actual people and places, but written as fiction instead of fact
romance
story about heroic deeds, mysterious settings, or love
romanticism
literary moment characterized by emotion, imagination, and goodness of people; little emphasis on reason. Opposite of classicism
sarcasm
form of irony which seems to praise, but really criticizes. Ex: Mother always knows best!
satire
Literature that makes fun of social conditions or conventions, often for the purpose of creating change.
sequel
a subsequent work similar to an original, often with the same characters
setting
time and place of a story
simile
comparison of one thing to another using the words like or as
short story
fiction story shorter than a novel, often having a surprise ending
style
the way an author characteristically expresses him or herself
symbol
a word or object that stands for something else
synonym
words meaning the same
synopsis
summary or condensed statement of a literary work
fairy tale
fanciful, imaginary story about a hero or heroine overcoming a problem often involving mystical creatures, supernatural power, or magic; often a type of folktale
theme/thesis
main idea in a piece of literature; topic or subject
thriller
story or movie filled with suspense
tone
mood brought forth by story of poem
tragedy
literature, often drama, ending in catastrophe for the protagonists after dealing with a series of problems
understatement
form of irony where the author intentionally understates the facts
verse
writing with thyme and meter; as opposed to prose; often verse refers to poetry of a less serious nature
flashback
jumping backward in the chronology of a narrative, often through a dream or musing sequence
foil
character opposite or different from the protagonist, used to highlight the protagonist’s traits; incidents or setting may also be used as foils
folklore/folktales
stories and legends transmitted by word of mouth, rather than in writing
foreshadow
hints during the narrative about what will happen later; can be literal ints or symbolic hints
literary genre
kind or type of literature; literary classification. Ex; novel; science fiction
hero
character, usually the protagonist, who rises above and conquers a series of problems and events in the story
homonyms
words that sound alike, are spelled alike, but have different meanings. Ex: trunk (of tree and a suitcase)
homophones
words that sound alike (includes homonyms and also words that have different spellings) Ex: sea and see
hyperbole
use of extreme exaggeration for effect. Ex: his breath could wilt a flower
i.e.
that is (followed usually by explanatory matter)
ibid.
used in footnotes and bibliographies to refer to the source mentioned directly above
idiom
phrase in common use that does not literally mean what it says
Ex: Hold on to your hat and pocketbook
imagery
creation of mental pictures by pertinent word choice and heightened description. Ex: His leathery, sun-abused face was ridged like corrugated cardboard
in medias res
beginning in the middle of events. Ex: Odyssey by Homer opens in the middle of a journey
irony
phrases or words with meanings quite different from what is actually states. Ex: “Brutus is an honorable man.”
malapropism
confusion of similar-sounding words which often ends up sounding humorous. Ex: The Calvary had well-groomed horses (calvary; Calvary)
metaphor
comparison of unlike things without using worlds like or as
moral
a lesson the literature is teaching; fables usually teach a lesson about life
literacy motif
recurrent words or phrases
mythology
traditional tales about goddesses, gods, heroes, and other characters, often telling about the creation of the universe, talking about death, or otherwise philosophically explaining human existence
conflict
opposing elements or characters in a plot
connotation
feelings and associations added to specific word meaning. Ex: mother–kindly, self-sacrificing, nurturing woman
consonance
repetition of similar consonant sounds, with changes in intervening vowel sounds
convention
accepted literary form of the past
copyright
legal rights to published works which stop anyone else from using the work without permission
critic
person who evaluates literature or other art
criticism
essays and critiques evaluating a writer or his work, based on set standards, according to the philosophy of the critic
denotation
dictionary meaning of word. Ex: mother–female who bears or adopts a child
denouement
outcome, resolution, solution of a plot
dialogue/dialog
speaking and conversation between characters in stories, plays, and in person
didactic
describes literary works meant to teach a moral or lesson
doppelganger
personification of a character’s darker side; ghost
double entendre
double meaning of word, phrase, or sentence, often raucous or sexual in implication. Ex: all eyes to the rear
editorial
newspaper or magazine article expressing opinion of an editor or publisher
ellipsis
three dots (…) to show words have been left out of a quotation or to indicate the passage of time
envoy/envoi
brief postscript to book, essay, or poem; often the concluding stanza to a ballade, summarizing the poem
epigram
witty, often paradoxical, saying or brief poem. Ex: Absence makes the heart grow fonder– of somebody else
epitaph
inscription on tombstone or marker for the dead
eponym
person whose name is the source of a new word. Ex: Peter Magnol (Magnolia)
essay
short prose work expressing author’s views on a subject
euphemism
more palatable word for less pleasant subject. Ex: “lady of the evening” is a euphemism for “prostitute”
fable
story with moral or lesson about life, often with animal characters possessing human characteristics
popular fiction
fiction aimed at the mainstream population. Ex: romances; detective stories
science fiction
fiction concerning advanced technology, usually imagined, not actual scientific advancement
first-person narratives
story told form first person point of view, usually using “i”
allegory
writing that has a deeper meaning hidden beneath the obvious one
alliteration
repetition of sounds at the beginning of words. Ex: Slug in the slime
alllusion
reference, without explanation, to a work of literature, a character, a principle, and so on, assuming that the reader is familiar with its implication
analogy
comparison of two dissimilar things that are alike in some way, often using simile or metaphor. Ex: He reminded me of a pig eating his swill
antagonist
person who opposes or competes with the main character, hero, or heroine; often the villain
antihero
character, usually the protagonist, who faces a series of problems and events in a story, but often is going against traditional societal standards
aphorism
wise saying, usually brief, reflecting a general truth. Ex: Haste makes waste
bildungsroman
fiction depicting the moral and intellectual growth of a protagonist, often intended for the education and guidance of others
bowdlerize
to excise material deemed objectionable from a piece of writing. (Named after Thomas Bowdler, who censored and deleted passages and words form Shakespeare’s plays in 1818)
burlesque
literary form which ridicules or mocks
catharsis
therapeutic release of emotion upon identifying with and being moved by a piece of literature
catastrophe
final event of a dramatic work, usually ruin or death
characterization
the process of developing a character in a narrative or drama, often through the conflict of the plot
circumlocution
writing or speaking that goes around the subject instead of getting directly to the point. Ex: This was not unlike
classicism
literary movements of ancient Greece and Rome, using strict forms, accenting reason, and characterized by restraint. Opposite is romanticism
cliche
trite, overused idea or statement.Ex: Have a nice day
climax
high point in the plot where the reader is most intrigued and does not yet know the outcome
coherence
clarity in connecting ideas
comedy
fictional writing that has a happy ending for its major characters and contains humor
conciseness
“tight” writing; use of only the necessary words to express thoughts
concision
see conciseness above
concrete
opposite of abstract; refers to specific people and things that can be perceived with the five sense
