Appendix 4. Glossary of literary terms

allusion – a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature. Verb: to allude to.

ambiguity – a statement having different and sometimes contradictory meanings; something difficult to understand or explain because it involves many different aspects. Adj.: ambiguous.

analogy – a comparison that demonstrates the similarity(-ies) between two things or concepts.

antithesis – strong contrast, opposition.

aphorism – a short and often witty statement that contains an important opinion or general truth. E.g. Art is long, life is short.

atmosphere – the mood, feeling or quality of life in a story conveyed by the author’s choice of language and organization which evokes certain emotions in the reader. The atmosphere may be pleasant, peaceful, gloomy, violent etc. The depiction of landscape or interior often contributes to the atmosphere.

character – a personage in a story or narrative.

• dynamic character – a character that undergoes significant development or change.

• static character – a character that remains unchanged throughout the story.

• flat character – a character with little depth or complexity who may be described in one or two phrases. Flat character is often a type or a caricature.

• round character – a character with a complex (often contradictory) personality who defies simple description or analysis.

chronological order – simple temporal order in which the actions are presented as they actually occurred.

climax – structural element of a text, the moment when the conflict is most intense. The climax is preceded by rising action.

conflict – the problem that drives the plot of a story forward towards its conclusion.

• external conflict – a character is involved into struggle with the environment or other characters.

• internal conflict – a character struggles with himself/herself.

context – 1) the text surrounding a word that gives this word its meaning; 2) historical and cultural factors surrounding the events in the story and giving them significance. Adj.: contextual.

contrast – comparing two things by noting their differences.

defeated expectancy (anticlimax; bathos) – an abrupt and often humorous descent from something serious or intense to something trivial.

dénouement [deɪ'nu:ma:ŋ] – (solution) structural element of fictional texts in which the conflict is solved.

dialogue – written conversation between characters.

didactic – intended to teach a lesson. This lesson is called a moral.

epithet – an adjective or adjective phrase used to define a characteristic quality of a person or thing and usually evoking a vivid image.

euphemism – an indirect word or phrase that is used to refer to something embarrassing or unpleasant, sometimes to make it seem more acceptable than it really is. E.g. “to pass away” instead of “to die”.

exposition – the introduction of a story where the author presents the characters in their setting, suggests the theme and hints at the central conflict that will drive the story forward.

fable – usually a short fictional narrative with animals that represent human types. A fable has a clear didactic function.

fiction – narrative writing that is not factual (novel, short story, fable).

flashback – an interruption of the chronological sequence by the introduction of an event that occurred earlier. It may be presented as a dream, a memory or in a dialogue.

foreshadowing – the introduction of clues early in a story that help predict the outcome. Verb: to foreshadow.

genre – type of literature distinguished from other types by form, technique or subject matter (e.g. short story, novel, fable).

hyperbole [haɪ'pɜ:bəlɪ]– obvious and deliberate exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. It is not meant to be taken literally, but is used figuratively to create humour or emphasis. E.g. I told you a thousand times not to do that.

initiation story – a story which shows a young character experiencing a significant change of knowledge about the world and himself/herself, a change of character through a confrontation with the realities of adult world.

imagery (image) – the use of words or figures of speech to create a mental picture. Imagery exploits all the senses to produce powerful impression. Imagery can be visual, auditory, kinetic, olfactory, gustative and tactile.

implied reader – a hypothetical figure to whom the text is addressed.

inversion – the reversal of the normally expected order of words for the purpose of emphasis.

irony – some sort of contradiction between appearance and reality.

• verbal irony – speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

• dramatic irony – a circumstance in which characters fail to understand their own situation and make wrong fateful choices.

• situational irony – a situation which demonstrates a contradiction of what the reader considers appropriate and what actually occurs.

• cosmic irony – a situation in which some unknown force brings about dire and dreadful events.

leitmotif – see “motif”.

literal meaning – the face value of words and ideas.

metaphor – element of imagery linking two seemingly unrelated things in the form of implicit comparison. E.g. the snow of his hair.

moral – lesson taught by a text with a didactic function.

motif (leitmotif) pl. motifs – a theme, idea or image that appears repeatedly throughout a story and characterizes it.

narrator (point of view) – one who tells the story. Narrators vary according to the degree of participation in the story and their reliability.

• omniscient narrator (neutral or selective/limited) – tells the story in the third person. The narrator knows everything about the characters, including their thoughts and intentions. Through an omniscient narrator the reader has access to all information about the characters.

• observer-narrator – the narrator confines himself/herself to the role of an observer telling only those things that can be perceived from the outside. He/she has no access to the thoughts of other characters.

• first-person narrator – a character in the story who tells what happens to himself/herself in the first person.

• unreliable narrator – one who gives his or her own understanding of a story (which can be highly subjective or misguided), instead of the explanation and interpretation the author wishes the audience to obtain.

neologism – a new word introduced by the author.

non-fiction – writing that is based on fact (e.g. biographies, news stories, encyclopedia articles, research papers).

open ending – structural element of a fictional text opposed to solution, or dénouement. In a story with an open ending the conflict is not solved, the final interpretation is left up to the reader.

parable – a short and simple story which illustrates a moral or religious lesson.

paradox – an apparent contradiction.

paraphrase (n, v) – a statement that expresses the same thing once again using different words.

parody – a composition which imitates the distinctive features of a serious piece of writing for comic or satiric purposes.

personification – the technique of representing animals, inanimate objects or abstract ideas as if they were human beings.

plot – the sequence of events in a story; the simple story line.

point of view – the perspective from which the story is told (3d person omniscient or limited, 1st person) cf. narrator.

pun – a play on words, often resulting in a humorous effect.

repetition – repeated use of particular sounds, syllables, words, phrases, sentences etc. for the purpose of structuring the text.

rhetorical question – a question to which the answer is obvious and therefore not expected.

sarcasm – a sharp, bitter remark; words that appear to praise, but are intended to insult.

satire – the use of irony, sarcasm or ridicule to expose and criticize human vices.

setting – the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a situation occurs. Settings include the background, atmosphere or environment in which characters live and move, and usually include physical characteristics of the surroundings. Expr.: The story is set in…

simile ['sɪmɪlɪ] – an explicit comparison of two things, using the words “like” or “as”. Cf. metaphor, an implicit comparison.

subtext – any meaning which is implied rather than explicitly stated in a literary work.

suspense – the feeling of tension or expectation aroused in a reader by the development of the action.

symbol – a symbol is a word or object that stands for another word or object and suggests something greater than itself. E.g. a book may be a symbol of wisdom and knowledge; a bird or a flower may be a symbol of spring etc. Verb: to symbolize; adj. symbolic.