Definitions Needed for a Literary Review

Literary Terms

Alliteration- the repetition of a beginning consonant sound
Allusion - a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly

known, such as event, book, myth, place, or work of art

Biography-a story of someone’s life written by someone else
Character-the people (and sometimes animals) in a story
Flat Character- character in a story that has only one prominent trait, such as greed or

cruelty.

Round Character- character in a story that has many aspects to his or her personality.

The character may have a good side and a bad side; he or she may be unpredictable.

Static Character- character in a literary work that does not change his or her outlook in

response to events taking place.

Climax-the turning point of the story; point of highest interest or suspense
Conflict-the central source of tension and drama in a story; the problem.
Connection-when a story reminds the reader of a personal experience, a similar event

or another story.

Denouement-the events following the climax that lead to the resolution
Dialogue-written conversation between characters
Diary-when someone writes their personal thoughts; usually not created for others to read
Drama- a play
Comedy-a play with a happy ending
Tragedy-a play with a sad ending
Exposition-what is happening when the story begins; includes characters and setting
Flashback-taking the reader back to an earlier time.
Foreshadowing-when the author gives clues about what will happen later in the story
Hyperbole-an exaggeration; not meant to be taken literally (I am so hungry, I could eat a horse)
Idiom-a figurative expression no meant to be taken literally.(it rained cats and dogs)
Imagery-sensory details, words that make the reader see, hear, feel, taste
Infer (inference) - to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
Irony-the tone created when the reader says one thing but means another
Verbal Irony-a contradiction between shat is said and what is meant
Situational Irony-a twist of fate in which the results of a certain actions is not consisted with expected results.
Dramatic irony - facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the reader or audience and other characters in the work.
Metaphor-a comparison that does not use like or as.
Mood-the overall feeling a reader gets from a story.
Nonfiction-True or factual (Not False)
Onomatopoeia-the words that sound like the sound or action they describe (Bullets whizzed by)
Oxymoron- putting two terms together that are opposite: (jumbo shrimp)
Personification-giving human qualities to something that is not human.
Plot-the series of events in a story
Sub Plot-a minor plot; a story within a story
Poetry-writing in which the sound, rhythm, meaning and imagery are especially important.
Point-of-view-the prospective or position from which the story is told.
First Person-a character tells the story (I)
Third Person-an outside person/narrator tells the story (He/She)
Resolution-the solution to the conflict
Satire-making fun of a person, a weakness, or of certain human behavior.
Setting-the environment in which the story takes place: when and where.
Simile-a comparison using like or as.
Suspense- the quality that keeps the reader anxiously wanting to know what will happen next
Symbol-an image, object, character or action that stands for an idea. (the flag stands for freedom)
Theme-the message, lesson, or universal truth communicated by the author.
Thesis - in expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly express the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition.
Tone - similar to mood, describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both
Transition - a word or phrase that links different ideas
Soliloquy - recitation in a play in which a character reveals his thoughts to the audience but not to other characters in the play.