Literary Terms
By Paragkumar Dave
(M.A. English)
| Question | Answer |
| Allegory | a story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people, events or abstract ideas or qualities- It’s Symbolic echoes some abstract comprehension. |
| Allusion | a reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics |
| Analogy | a comparison made between two things to show how they are alike |
| Anti-Hero | the unconventional central charater who lacks the virtues fo the traditional hero, but for whom we are to feel sympathy nonetheless |
| Atmosphere, milieu | the mood or feeling created in a piece of writing, Social background of the particular age- |
| Catalogue | a list of things, people, events |
| Character | an individual in a story or play |
| Climax | that point in the plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, interest |
| Crisis | the turning point in the story, may be a recognition, a decision, a resolution; the character understands what he/she has not understood before |
| Comedy | in general, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character(s) |
| Conflict | the struggle between opposing forces |
| Denouement | conclusion or resolution for a story |
| Description | a form of discourse that uses words that appeal to the senses in order to create mood or emotion |
| Dialect | a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group of inhabitants of a certain geographical area- Eastern Midland Dialects which Chaucer transformed in our Eng. Lang. |
| Dialogue | what characters say |
| Diction | a speaker or writer's choice of words |
| Epiphany | a sudden realization or insight, can be on the part of a character or on the part of the reader |
| episode | an incident within a larger narrative; has its own beginning, middle, end; but still advances the main plot |
| Exposition | the technique used to give the information the reader needs to understand the story |
| Fable | a very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life- Panchtantra |
| Farce | a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in rather silly, far-fetched situations |
| Flashback | a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened in an earlier time |
| Foil | a character who acts in contrast to another character |
| Genre | categories of literature, like poetry, short stories, novels; also specific categories like science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, etc. |
| Hero | the traditional term for the main character, not as commonly used in contemporary literary conversation |
| Hyperbole | a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement |
| Imagery | the use fo language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation or a person, a thing, a place, or an experience |
| Immediacy | when readers feel that they are present, that the narrative is happening right in front of them; comes from sharp description, crisp dialogue, vivid action- immediate effects- |
| Incongruity | the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other |
| Interior monologue | lets the reader know what the character is thinking, getting into the character's mind to allow the reader to know him from the inside |
| Irony | in general, a discrepancy or contrast between appearances and reality (verbal, situational, dramatic) |
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Lit Terms-02
| Question | Answer |
| Melodrama | an exaggerated depiction of dramatic events designed to arouse a strong emotional response- sensual |
| Metaphor | a comparison between two unlike things without the use of "like" or "as" |
| Motif | recurring element (i.e. an image) in a work; the more often something is mentioned the more important it becomes |
| Motivation | the reasons for a character's behavior |
| Narrative | the form of discourse that tells about a series of events, the story line |
| Oxymoron | a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase (deafening silence)- true lies , |
| Parable | a relatively short story that teaches a moral or lesson about how to lead a good life- |
| Paradox | a statement that appears self-contradictory but that reveals a kind of truth |
| Parody | a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspects of the writer's style- |
| Parallel Structure | the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures |
| Personification | attributing human characteristics to an inanimate thing or abstract idea |
| Plot | the series of related events in a story, novel, or play; sometimes called the storyline; triangle of exposition, complications, (rising action), turning point, falling action, climax, denouement |
| Poetic justice | characters in the story get what they deserve |
| Point of View | the vantage point form which a writer tells a story: 1)first person, 2) third person limited, 3)omniscient, 4)objective |
| Protagonist | the central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action; may or may not be the hero |
| Pyramid | the traditional structure outline of a story or novel: exposition, rising action, turning point, falling action, climax, denouement or resolution |
| Realism | the believable, plots grow naturally out of the possibilities and dangers of the real world |
| Regionalism | literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and that reproduces the speech, behavior, and attitudes of the people who live in that region |
| Resolution or Denouement | the conclusion of a story when all or most of the conflicts have been settled |
| Rhetorical question | a question asked or an effect, and not actually requiring an answer |
| Romance | in general, a story in which an idealized hero or heroine undertakes a quest and is successful |
| Romanticism | a revolt against rationalism marked by the conviction that imagination and emotion are superior to reason, that contemplation of nature reveals truths behind mere reality- Romanticism is from Germany while Neo-classicism from France. |
| Round Character | a character who develops in a literary work, who changes or grows |
| Satire | a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring aobut change |
| Scene | significant events in a narrative |
| Sentimentality | overly wrought emotion in a literay work |
| Setting | the time and location where a story takes place |
| Simile | a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as" |
| Static or flat character | a character who is not fully developed, and shows little change or growth |
| Stereotype | a fixed idea or conception fo a character or idea which does not allow for any individuality, often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices |
| Story within a story | a shorter narrative, within the whole, which characterizes the teller, advances the plot or introduces ideas |
| Stream of Consciousness | a style of writing that portrays the inner (sometimes chaotic) workings of a character's mind- psychoanalytic |
| Structure | overall design of the work |
| Style | the distinctive way a writer uses language |
| Suspense | a feeling of uncertainty about what wil happen next in a story |
| Symbol | a person, place, thing, or event hta thas meaning in itself, and that also stands for something more (i.e. the journey which can stand for a search for truth, or redemption from evil) |
| Tension | a felling created by conflict, intriguing situations, interesting characters, dealing with challenges |
| Theme | the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work |
| Title | the heading or name of a literary work or part of a work i.e. a chapter |
| Tone | the attitude the writer takes toward the subject, characters, etc. |
| Tragedy | in general, a story in which a heroic character either dies or comes to an unhappy end |
| Transitions | getting characters form one period to another, one place to another in a literary work |
Suggestions and Contribution are most welcome-
Dear Friends , all are invited to expand the present ‘Treasure of Lit. Terms’ please email me your new comprehensive Lit. Terms on my mail
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