First Semester Literary Terms

Short Story – A fictional writing in prose form that has a limited number of characters, brings forth a single
emotional effect, and can usually be read in a single sitting.

Character – A person who appears in the story.

Characterization – The process the author uses to present the character so that we can determine his physical
appearance and personality.

Direct Method – Method that the narrator uses to describe a character by directly showing the readers a
character’s traits.

Indirect Method - Method that the narrator uses to describe a character by telling the readers a character’s
appearance, what the character does and says, and how other characters react to him/her.

Narrator – The person telling the story.

Conflict – The element that makes the story interesting to the reader. Conflicts are classified as:
1) man vs. man 2) man vs. nature 3) man vs. himself 4) man vs. God

Internal Conflict – The character’s struggles within himself.

External Conflict - The character’s struggles with outside forces.

Setting – The time period and place that the story takes place.

Flat Character – One- dimensional and never changes.

Round Character – Characters who are well-developed in the story and have many sides.

Climax – Turning point of the conflict.

Allusion – When a familiar piece of literature, Bible story, person, or historical event is referenced in literature.

Foreshadowing – Method used by the author to give hints or suggestions to the reader of coming events.

Irony – A literary device that reveals a reality other than what seems to be true.

Plot – The sequence of events and actions that take place in the story. Every good plot contains five main
elements.

Exposition – Introduces the characters, explains the background of the story, the setting, and the present
situation.

Rising Action – Consists of a series of problems and struggles which build toward a climax.

Falling Action – When the action of the turning point or high point is worked out and a resolution is at hand.

Resolution – The part of the story in which the solution comes to a conclusion, and the problem is solved.

Plot Line – A graphic representation of the elements of a plot.

Theme – The idea or statement which a story is about.

Symbol - Using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning.

Realism – Describes a story in which the author gives a realistic view of life.

Romanticism – Based more on an imaginary view of life, with heroes and happy endings.

Mood – Based on how a piece of literature makes the reader feel.

Point of View – One element of a short story which is difficult to analyze.

First Person Point of View – Limited to one character and the pronoun “I” is used.

Second Person Point of View – Rarely used. The author addresses the reader throughout the story and the
pronoun “you” is used.

Third Person Point of View – Told from an all-knowing outside source. The pronouns “he” and “she” are used.

Context Clues – The other words that appear in the sentence or sentences surrounding the difficult word that
help us understand its meaning.

Editorializing – When the author adds his own interpretation of the events of his story.

Third Person Objective – Allows the author to merely report the characters and events like a journalist. The
author does not analyze or provide information other than the facts.

Third Person Omniscient – Allows the author to have a God-like position over the story. He not only tells us
what the characters do and say, but he tells us what they think and why they act a certain way.

Third Person Limited Omniscient – Any view which would fall in-between the omniscient and objective points of
view.

Rough Draft - Your first attempt, at a formal paper.

Final Copy – A paper that has been critiqued and then improved on until you are satisfied with it. Then it
becomes your final draft.

Idiom – A phrase or expression that is recognized to have a different meaning from what it literally means.

Allegory – A story that has a double meaning, one literal and the other figurative.

Dialect – The language and expressions that the author uses that are peculiar to a certain group of people.

Suspense – A sequence of events in a story to increase a reader’s feeling of uncertainty regarding the outcome
of the story.

Imagery – A literary device used by an author to create a picture in the mind of the reader through descriptive
words and phrases.

Compare - To examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences; to
compare two pieces of literary work.

Contrast - To compare in order to show unlikeness or differences; note the opposite natures, purposes, etc.

Personification – Literary device in which animals or objects are given human personality characteristics.