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English 8 Date:
Literary Lexicon
LITERARY ELEMENTS—specific aspects of literature and language that readers can recognize,
identify, analyze, and interpret
Allusion
Imagery
Archetype
reference to a person, place, thing, or
event from literature, mythology, history,
the Bible, or the arts
words or phrases used to describe
people, objects, actions, feelings, and
ideas by appealing to the five senses:
sight, sound, smell, taste, touch;
authors may also use animal imagery or
light/dark imagery
a character, image, situation, or
thematic pattern that occurs over and
over in literature
Tone
Mood
Epiphany
the writer’s attitude or feeling toward a
person, place, thing, event, or situation
the feeling created in the reader by a
literary work or passage
a sudden striking realization or
understanding of something;
an “ah-ha” moment
Motif
Anecdote
Symbolism
a recurrent element in a literary work
such as a pattern or strand of imagery
or symbolism
Theme
a brief account of an interesting event
intended to entertain or make a point
Irony
a person, place, thing, or event that has
meaning in itself but also stands for
something beyond itself
Aphorism
a central message or insight into life
revealed through a literary work; a
universal lesson about life or
human nature
a contrast between appearance and
reality; what actually happens is the
opposite from what is expected
 verbal
 dramatic
 situational
a short statement that makes an
important point: “A house divided
against itself cannot stand.”
Epigraph
Emphasis
Repetition
(Abraham Lincoln)
a quotation or motto at the beginning of
a text that is meaningful to the subject
matter
giving importance or special
significance to certain aspects of a
story; emphasis is created through
 repetition
 abundant detail
 contrast
 mechanical devices such as
capitalization, italics,
symbols, and/or different
colors of ink
a device in which words, sounds, and/or
ideas are used more than once to
enhance rhythm and to create
emphasis; repetition devices include
 alliteration
 assonance
 anaphora
 polysyndeton
Diction
Connotation
Denotation
an author’s specific word choice
the feelings associated with a word;
can be positive, negative, or neutral
the dictionary definition of a word
FIGURES OF SPEECH—any word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of something else;
involves some sort of imaginary comparison between seemingly unlike things; not meant to be
understood literally
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
a comparison of two unlike things or
ideas through the use of the words
like or as
a comparison of two unlike things in
which one thing is said to be another
thing; unlike similes, metaphors do
not use the words like or as
 dead
 mixed
giving human characteristics to
inanimate objects, animals, or abstract
ideas
Pun
Idiom
Paradox
a play on words that are identical or
similar in sound but have sharply
different meanings; used for serious or
comic effect
an accepted expression that has a
figurative rather than a literal meaning
a statement that seems to contradict
itself, but in reality expresses a
possible truth
Oxymoron
Hyperbole
Cliché
a form of paradox that combines a pair
of opposite terms into a single unusual
expression
a deliberate, extravagant and often
outrageous exaggeration used for
either serious or comic effect
a saying that is so common it is no
longer interesting; many similes,
metaphors, and idioms are clichés
ELEMENTS OF FICTION—basic structure and components needed to successfully create,
understand, and analyze a story
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
Exposition
Inciting Incident
Exposition
Inciting Incident
Resolution
Rising Action
foundation for the story consisting of
 setting
 characters and their
relationships
 situation as it exists before
conflict begins
an interruption of the peace and
balance; one or more of the characters
comes into conflict with another
character, outside force, or him/herself
the action and events that take place
and build up to the critical moment
when the main conflict is confronted
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
most critical moment in the story; the
point at which the main conflict is at its
highest and is then decided one way or
the other
events that occur after the climax and
lead to the resolution and conclusion of
the story
unraveling of the problem introduced by
the inciting incident that results in a
revelation of meaning
ELEMENTS OF FICTION continued…
Setting
Point of View
Plot
time and place of a short story, novel,
play, or narrative poem; contributes to
the plot and emotional effect of the
literary work
perspective from which a story is told
 first person
 third person limited
 third person omniscient
sequence of events or actions in a
short story, novel, play, or narrative
poem
Foreshadowing
Complication
Suspense
clues that suggest events that have yet
to occur
Characterization
methods an author uses to reveal a
character’s personality:
 character’s speech
 character’s behavior
 description of character’s
thoughts and feelings
 description of character’s
looks and clothing
 comments made about
character by other
characters
Dynamic Character
a character’s attempt to decide the
a feeling of uncertainty that makes the
conflict one way or the other but usually reader apprehensive or tense about the
fails; adds to the suspense of the story
events or outcome of the story
Protagonist
central character who is trying to
accomplish a goal or overcome an
adversity; has the ability to adapt to
new circumstances
Static Character
Antagonist
the character opposing the protagonist;
usually a person, but can be an idea or
force
Round Character
a character who undergoes a change in
actions or beliefs during the course of a
story
a character who does not grow or
change throughout a story; character
remains the same at the end of the
story as he/she was at the beginning
a character that is described in depth
throughout a story; stands in opposition
to the flat character
Stereotype/Flat Character
Motivation
Conflict
a type of character that is easily
recognized and possesses predictable
attitudes and characteristics such as
the bratty younger sibling, wise old
man, snooty cheerleader, etc.
a reason that explains a character’s
thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior

external: opposition or tension
between a character and an
outside force
character vs. character
character vs. society
character vs. nature
character vs. fate

internal: a struggle that takes
place within a character’s own
mind or conscience
character vs. self