Name:__________________________________________________ Period:____________ Date:____________________
First Semester Literary Terms
Below is a list of literary terms that you will use throughout high school. You will be expected to know, identify, apply,
and analyze the use of these literary terms in countless texts we will read and work with. This is a very important
handout. You should have it with you at all times!
LITERARY TERM
Alliteration
Allusion
Antagonist
Assonance
Character
a. dynamic
b. flat
c. round
d. static
characterization
a. direct characterization
b. indirect characterization
climax
Conflict
a. external conflict
b. internal conflict
connotation
Consonance
Denotation
Denouement/Falling Action
DEFINITION
Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. EX.—
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. (all
the d’s)
indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work
a principal character or force in opposition to the protagonist (main
character); usually another character, but can sometimes be a force of
nature, a set of circumstances, some aspect of society, or a force within
the protagonist
repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words. EX.— Only their
usual maneuvers, dear.
individual who participates in the action of a literary work
character undergoes important changes
character who is not highly developed and one sided; usually has one
outstanding trait, characteristic or role; minor character
character who is complex and highly developed; has variety of traits and
different sides to personality
character who remains the same
way a writer creates and develops characters’ personalities—a process
we are told DIRECTLY what a character is like
the writer reveals what a character is like through:
1. character’s physical appearance
2. character’s own thoughts, speech, and actions
3. pertinent thoughts, speech and actions of OTHER characters
point of maximum interest or tension. Usually a turning point after the
conflict.
struggle between opposing forces
character pitted against an outside force (nature, physical obstacle,
another character). Man vs. Man; Man vs. Animal; Man Vs. Supernatural;
Man Vs. Nature
conflict that occurs within a character and/or character’s mind. Man vs.
Self
attitude or feeling associated with a word.
EX.—apple pie All-American, comfort, grandma
repetition of consonant sounds within and at the end of words. EX.—
“lonely afternoon” and “a fat cat that sat on a hat”
dictionary definition. EX.—apple pie—pastry crust filled with fruit.
resolution, conclusion to plot
Dialect
Dialogue
Diction
End-stopped line
Epiphany
Exposition
Falling action
Fiction
Flashback
Foreshadowing
Hero/heroine
Hyperbole
Imagery
Irony
a. dramatic irony
b. situational irony
c. verbal irony
Metaphor
Mood
Narrative
Non-fiction
Novella
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron
Personification
Plot
Point of View
a. first-person POV
b. third-person limited POV
form of language spoken in a particular geographic area or by particular
social/ethnic group
written conversation between two or more characters
writer’s/speaker’s choice of words
a line of poetry that ends with a punctuation mark
sudden understanding/realization
first stage of plot that provides background and introduces the setting
and characters
follows the climax and shows result(s) of important action that occurred
prose (ordinary) writing that consists of imaginary elements
an account of a conversation, episode, or event that either interrupts a
story or happened before beginning of story
writer’s use of hints/clues to suggest events that will occur later in a story
main character/protagonist in story. In older literary works, heroes are
typically courageous, strong, honorable & intelligent
a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or
humorous effect
descriptive words/phrases that re-create sensory experiences for reader.
Appeals to one or more of five senses.
Contrast between appearance and reality.
reader/viewer knows something that a character does not know.
contrast between what a reader/character expects and what actually
exists or happens
someone knowingly exaggerates/says one thing and means another
figure of speech that makes a comparison between two
things that are basically unlike but have something in common. They do
NOT contain the word like or as.
feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates. SO, the READER’S feeling!
a spoken or written account of connected events; a story
writing that tells about real people, places, and events; mainly written to
convey factual information, although writers of nonfiction shape
information in accordance with their own purposes and attitudes
a short novel or long short story
the use of words whose sounds echo their meanings. EX. – buzz, whisper,
gargle, and murmur
two contradictory terms. They MUST be right next to each other. EX.—
black light, cool fire.
a figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object,
animal, or idea
sequence of events in a story
method of narration used in a short story, novel, narrative poem, or work
of nonfiction. (Position from which story is told.)
narrator IS a character in the story (pronoun “I” is used).
narrator (not part of story) tells what only ONE character thinks, feels,
and observes. (3rd person pronoun he, she, it”)
c. third-person omniscient
Protagonist
Resolution
Rhyme
a. internal rhyme
b. end rhyme
c. slant rhyme or off rhyme
Rhyme scheme
Rising action
Run-on line
Setting
Simile
Stanza
Style
Suspense
Symbol
Theme
Tone
“all-knowing” narrator sees into the minds of ALL the characters. (3rd
person pronoun “he, she, it”)—the narrator is NOT in the story!
the main character in a work of literature – the character who is involved
in the central conflict of the story
denouement
The occurrence of similar or identical sounds at the end of two or more
words. EX. – suite, heat, and complete
rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry
rhyme that occurs at the ends of lines of poetry
end rhyme that is NOT exact but approximate. See example in book.
a pattern of end rhymes in a poem. This is done by assigning a letter
beginning with “a” to each line. Lines that rhyme are given the same
letter.
stage in which the conflict develops and story events
build
line of poetry that does not end with a punctuation mark
time and place of the action of story
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things
using the words “like” or “as”
group of two or more lines that form a unit in a poem. Lines within the
stanza may be the same or vary
particular way in which a work is written—not what is said but how it is
said
the excitement or tension that readers feel as they wait to find out how a
story ends or how a conflict is resolved
person, place, object, or activity that stands for something beyond itself.
Ex. White dove = peace; flag = country; Longhorn = UT
underlying message about life or human nature that a writer wants the
reader to understand. Themes are not topics or subjects (one or two
words), but are a perception about life or human nature expressed in a
complete sentence
attitude a writer takes toward a subject which reflects the feeling of the
writer. This is communicated through choice of words and details.