1

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.

2

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.