Literary Terms

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Literary Terms

• Review

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-comparison of two things without using like or
as or saying 1 thing is or was something else.
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metaphor
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-a literary device in which the author elevates
an animal, object, or idea to the level of a
human-giving an animal or object human
characteristics.
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personification
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-a comparison of 2 things using the words like
or as.
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simile
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-an extreme exaggeration
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hyperbole
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-the author goes back to an earlier time in the
story and explains something that will help the
reader understand the whole story better.
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flashback
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-is the part of a story which follows the climax
or turning point it contains the action or
dialogue necessary to lead the story to a
resolution.
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Falling action
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-is the part of a play or novel (usually at the
beginning) which explains the background and
setting of the story and introduces the
characters.
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exposition
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-is language used in a special way to create a
special effect. It is made up of words and
phrases which dont mean what they first appear
to mean.
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Figurative language
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-is a piece of writing which gives the authors
ideas or point of view about a subject. It
usually contains an introduction, body, and
conclusion.
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essay
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-is the form of literature commonly known as a
play.
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drama
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-is a writers choice of words. Walter Dean
Myers uses slang in many of his stories and books.
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diction
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-is the conversation between characters in a
story or play-refers to the talking that goes on
between characters.
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Dialogue
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Refers to everything that goes on or happens in a
story.
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action
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-they are stock characters (commonly used and
sometimes too often)-they are used to strengthen
the believability of the main characters.
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Minor characters
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-is the dictionary meaning of a word.
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denotation
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-is the authors special way of explaining the
people in the story-telling us about their
personalities and reasons for doing things.
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characterization
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-refers to the problems and complications in a
story.
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conflict
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-is the feeling or emotion a word bring to your
mind.
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connotation
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-is the highest point (turning point) in the
action of a story. -the highest point of
excitement.
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climax
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-is writing that deals with life in a light,
humorous way, often poking fun at the mistakes of
people.
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comedy
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-are characters that center around one idea,
never surprise, and can be summed up in one
sentence. They are two dimensional like most
minor characters.
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Flat character
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-is the writers story or account of another
persons life.
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biography
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-characters that are vital to the development and
resolution of a story.
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Major characters
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-are major character whose motivations are
believable and who are capable of surprising the
reader.
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Round characters
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-is the person or thing fighting against the main
character in a story.
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antagonist
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-is a brief story used to make a point.
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anecdote
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-is a comparison of two or more similar object
which implies that since these objects are alike
in some ways, they will probably be alike in
other ways as well.
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analogy
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-is the writers story of his own life.
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autobiography
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-is a person in a story or play.
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character
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-is the angle from which the story is told.
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Point-of-view
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-is the person or character who is telling the
story.
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narrator
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-is a book length prose story.
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novel
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-is the action of the story.
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plot
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-is the reason a character does what he does.
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motivation
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-is a story that tries to explain a certain
belief, especially having to do with nature or
religion.-a story that tries to explain the
origin of something and may include gods and
goddesses.
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myth