Introduction to literature literary terms

Introduction to Literature
Literary Terms
English 8
Mrs. Cowan


 I. Literature is the author’s
written form of expression that
reflects his views or opinions on life
and living.


II. There are three main divisions of literature.
A. Prose – any writing that is not poetry; written in sentences
and paragraphs (essays, short stories, novels, newspaper
articles, and letters)
B. Poetry – beautiful thought, image, or emotion, often
expressed in rhythmical language and often written according to
patterns of lines


 C. Drama (play) – written by a playwright; tells a group of actors
what to do or say on stage


 III. There are two kinds of writing in
 literature.

 A. Fiction – literature that is not
true
1. Short story – a form of prose

fiction that can be read in a single sitting
and produces a single effect; few
characters; one setting

2. Novel – a long work of fiction that
contains more characters, settings,
complicated plots, and subplots


B. Non-fiction – literature that is
true
1. Biography – a story about a
person written by someone else
2. Autobiography – a story about a
person written by the person
3. Essay – a short prose
composition about a particular
subject
4. Article – a prose composition
5. News writing – prose writing
about recent events


 IV. There is a key (or point of emphasis) to each major type of
literature.

A. Novel – unfolding plot
B. Short story – single character
C. Play – Struggle or conflict
D. Biography – personal growth

E. Poem – imagination, emotion,
rhythm


 V. The following list of words are literary terms that we will be
using when discussing or analyzing literature in this class.

A. Plot – the events (action) of the
story
1. Exposition (opening situation; conflict or problem) – the
beginning events; introduces us to the characters, setting, etc.
2. Rising action (complications) – the events in the central
part of the story where various problems arise; leads to the
climax


 3. Climax – the event that changes
the main character; the turning point
 4. Falling action – the event(s) that
follow the climax; the action or
dialogue necessary to lead to the
resolution; helps the reader solve
the conflict
 5. Resolution (Denouement) – the
event that happens at the end to help
us solve the conflict


 6. Plotline – a visual that shows the
main events (action) of the story

B. Conflict – a struggle between
opposing forces; problems and
complications in the story
1. Internal conflict (man vs.
himself) – conflict within the character


2. External conflict – a struggle with an outside force or
problem
a. Man vs. Man – one against one


b. Man vs. Society – one against a
social issue or problem
c. Man vs. nature – one against an
element or animal


 d. Man vs. Supernatural – one
against ghosts, fantasies, etc.


C. Characterization – the description of
people in a story
1. static character – remains the same
2. dynamic character – changes during the story; grows and
develop
3. stereotype (consistent) – acts like you would expect

him/her to act
4. protagonist – hero; main character; good guy
5. antagonist – person (force) against the protagonist; the
villain; bad guy


D. Flashback – info about the past
E. Foreshadowing – clues (hints) of what is to come
F. Point-of-view – who is telling the story

1. First person – one of the characters in
the story is telling the story
2. Third person omniscient – the narrator
knows the feeling and thoughts of all the
characters


3. Third person limited omniscient - narrator knows the
feelings and thoughts of one character
4. Third person objective (camera view) – we know what the
characters are doing, not what they are thinking or feeling


G. Setting – time and place of events
1. Time – when events take place
a. Day
c. Season
b. Year
d. Historical Time
2. Place – where events take place

H. Theme – the central message
about life or human nature; a universal
truth


I. Symbol - an object that stands for an
idea or belief

J. Irony – a statement, action, or
situation that is the opposite of what it
normally means or what is expected


a. verbal irony - say the opposite of what is meant
 b. situational irony - something happens that is the opposite of
what is expected
 c. dramatic irony – the reader knows something a character
doesn’t know


K. Mood – the feeling a reader gets
from reading an author’s words (the
overall feeling of a work)
- frightening - joyful
- gloomy

- romantic

- happy

- suspenseful

L. Moral – the lesson taught by a story
M. Style – how the author writes; his
choice and arrangement of words; his
use of language


N. Dialect – a non-standard sub-group of a language that
often reveals region, economic, or social class
O. Suspense – a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the
outcome of events
P. Realism – actual or possible experiences in a story
Q. Tone – the writer’s attitude toward a subject, character, or
audience (the way feelings are expressed)

- serious - humorous - angry - ironic - formal


R. Diction – a writer’s choice of words
S. Syntax – the arrangement of words
in a sentence; how the writer
constructs a sentence
T. Imagery – descriptive words and
phrases that appeal to the senses


U. Connotation – not the original
(dictionary) definition of a word; a

cultural meaning

V. Denotation – the dictionary
definition of a word


W. Idiom – a word or expression peculiar to certain language;
means something different that the literal meaning

It’s raining cats and dogs.

X. Blank verse – unrhymed poetry
written in iambic pentameter
Y. Free verse – poetry that has no
regular pattern of rhythm or rhyme;
generally arranged in lines.