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LITERARY TERMS GLOSSARY for Short Stories / Novels

Pre-IB and Pre-AP English 9
Allegory An allegory is a narrative, either in
verse or prose, in which character, action, and
sometimes setting represent abstract concepts
apart from the literal meaning of a story. The
characters are often personifications of abstract
ideas such as charity, hope, greed, and so on.
AllusionAn allusion is a brief reference to a
person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a
work of art.
Atmosphere (Mood)similar to tone, it is the
pervasive feeling given by a piece of literature,
often through the use of setting, imagery, and
symbolism.
Audiencethe target population addressed by
a literary work, although not necessarily the
population that the artist intended to address.
The people who would be potentially receptive
to a text.
Character-- the person or animal who takes part
in the action in a literary work. Characters are
round- if the reader sees many different traits
(faults and virtues) in the character
flat- if the reader sees only one trait (only seen
one way) in the character
dynamic- if the character develops and grows
throughout the literary work
static- if the character does not change
throughout the literary work
Characterization-- the act of creating and
developing a character through what the
character says about him/herself, what the
character does, what others have to say about
the character

Conflictinternal or external struggle between

two opposing forces (such as character, society,
fate, etc) that is usually resolved by the end of
the story.
ConnotationThe emotional implications that
words may carry, as distinguished from their
denotation, or specific meaning. Connotations
may be (1) private and personal, the result of
individual experience, (2) group (national,
linguistic, or racial), (3) general or universal,
held by all or most people. Connotation
depends on usage in a particular linguistic
community and climate. A connotation cannot
exist for a single personit must be shared with
others in some way to be considered a
connotation.
HyperboleUse of conscious exaggeration
without the intent of literal persuasion. It may
be used to heighten dramatic effect or to
produce comic effect.
Imagery---Language that appeals to the senses.
While many people first think of imagery, they
think of visual descriptions in poetry. But
imagery is more than just the visual; it can also
involve descriptions that appeal to hearing,
touching, tasting, smelling. Also, imagery is not
limited to poetry; it can be found in all types of
literature.

Ironya mode of speech in which words

express a meaning different to the intended
meaning, by intention or by ignorance. Sarcasm
is a form of irony. In literature, another form of
irony occurs when there is a distance between
intention and consequence in a characters
actions, as in the case of someone trying to win
the heart of his beloved, but in the course of
doing so chasing her away. Specific types of
irony include verbal, situational and dramatic.
Personificationattributing human
characteristics to nonhuman things.
Plotarrangement of events that make up a
story. Diagrammed with Freytags Pyramid:
Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action,
and Resolution.
Point of View- The two most common are 1st
person and 3rd person. 1st person point of view
occurs when a character in the story narrates
the story. The reader sees only what this
character sees. The 1st person narrator may or
may not be reliable. 3rd person point of view
occurs when a voice outside the story narrates
the story. The two approaches to 3rd person
point of view are omniscient and limited.
*omniscient- means "all knowing." This type of
narrator can tell readers what any character
thinks and feels. *limited- This type of narrator
can see the world through one character's eyes
and reveals only that character's thoughts and
feelings.

Satirea technique that ridicules both people

and societal institutions, using irony, wit, and
exaggeration. Satire differs from parody on one
major pointin a satire, the topic that is being
ridiculed or mocked MUST be one that poses a
threat in some way to the community or to
community standards. Thus, a satire is almost
exclusively hostile toward its subject, while a
parody has no mandatory position on its topic.
Setting / Situation the time and place in
which the events of a poem, short story, play,
or novel occur.
Speakerthe voice of a work. The speaker may
act as a narrator, but where there is no
narrative, speaker is a better term to use to
describe the figure from whom the words on
the page come. Note that the speaker is not
always the poet/writer.
SymbolA symbol is something concrete, such
as an object, place, person, or event, that
stands for or represents something abstract
(such as an idea, quality, concept, or condition).
The Red Cross logo is an example of a symbol of
neutrality and medical assistance.
Theme/ central ideathe notion or concept at
the center of a piece of work. More simply, the
one thing that the poet or writer wants you to
understand after you read the poem.
Tonethe voice the writer has chosen to
project in order to relate to readers (serious,
lighthearted, childish, etc.) Tone is produced by
the combined effect of word choice, sentence
structure, and purpose, and reflects both the
narrator/speakers and the writers attitude
toward the subject.