Literary Terms

Question	Answer
Allegory	Narrative where characters/events symbolise underlying moral/ethical ideas or concepts.
Alliteration	Noticeable repetition of consonant sound at beginning of words.
Allusion	Reference to aspects outside a text (such as legends, other books, biblical stories) to illustrate key points.
Anachronism	Inclusion of object/allusion to something more modern than period text is set.
Androgynous	Not pertaining to either make or female gender.
Antagonist	Negative character in text (against protagonist).
Archetype	Character/symbol/theme which recurs in literature texts.
Atmosohere	Mood created by language of text.
Audience	Person (reader/listener/spectator) responding to text.
Ascribed Roles	Traditional gender influenced roles of characters.
Assonance	Repeating same vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds.
Avant-Garde	New/experimental ideas/methods in art/music/literature
Bathos	Excessively sentimental writing sometimes for comic relief.
Binary Opposition	Pair of polar opposite words/ideas.
Burlesque	Comedy type which uses exaggeration and parody to ridicule it's subject.
Black Comedy	Drama where humanity presented in state of disillusion, negatively or without hope.
Blank Verse	Flexible form of poetry without rhyming but with regular metre (usually iambic pentameter).
Caesura	Definite pause in line of verse (shown with punctuation).
Canon	A list of works of art of great value to society (E.g. Bible, Koran, Shakespeare's works).
Carnivalesque	Writer/producer engages imagination and ideological positions to shape texts
Catharsis	Release of emotion experienced by audience towards end of a tragedy.
Chorus	Group of people in ancient Greek plays sho provide background info/plot through song/dance.
Cinquain	Poem/stanza of five lines with particular form: first word names object of poem whilst second line consists of two adjectives which describe the subject etc.
Class Structue	Way of identifying social stratification (hierarchical structure).
Classical Drama	Plays originating in ancient Greek/Roman societies which saw a revival in 16th century.
Cliches	Overused expressions which often provide tone of dullness (can add humour).
Climax	Main point of interest in narratives where conflict peaks.
Colloquial	Informal language/jargon used for effect.
Couplet	Two successive lines in poetry with similar length and rhyme.
Conflict	Point of contention in texts (internal/external/environmental).
Connotation	Additional meaning implied; secondary meaning.
Construction	How texts created; aspects which collectively contribute to shaping author's thesis.
Consonance	Poetic device of recurring/simular sounds in words to create pleasing/harsh effect.
Context of Production	Time in history, social, political and economic situation in which a text is created.
Cultural Identity	Distinguishes cultures from one another, defining their practices/beliefs/values.
Deconstruction	Meaning made from texts; readers identify construction techniques applying different theoretical positions and personal context to determine meaning.
Denoument	Resolution following climax of plot.
Deus Ex Machina	Unexpected solution saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device.
Discourse	Ways of speaking adopted by particular group, implying attitudes/values/beliefs.
Dramatic Irony	Audience has greater awareness of situation portrayed on stage than characters.
Dramatic Monologue	Recited by one person, it reveals character's innermost thought (can be poetry/prose).
Dystopia	Setting presenting characters suffering due to lack of human rights/ totalitarian government.
Eledgy	Poem/dramatic monologue/prose expressing grief over someone's death.
Empathy	Ability to understand/ share feelings of another.
Enjambement	Run-on lines in a poem.
Enlightenment	Seen in 17th/18th century Europe characterised by conviction of reading/knowledge leading humankind to glorious future.
Epic	Long story (poem/novel/film) produced on elaborate scale.
Epiphany	Moment of revelation/insight; often marks turning point in plot.
Epitaph	Words to be inscribed on tomb/headstone.
Epithet	Name/title describing characteristics of person.
Exposition	Beginning of text where characters/setting/conflict introduced.
Farce	Comedy using exaggeration, slapstick and absurd situations.
Figurative Language	Language that exceeds literal meaning of word to achieve certain effect (includes metaphors, similes, analogies amd cliches).
Free Verse	Poetry does not adhere to strict conventions of rhythm or rhyme.
Gaps	Places where readers expected to make connections using own knowledge.
Silences	Not said by text; reader NOT invited to examine.
Gender	Cultural construct defining ideas of masculinity/femininity.
Gothic	Texts presenting gloomy/mysterious/horrific atmospheres (characters shaped by supernatural beings, women controlled/imprisoned, settings threatened).
Hegemony	Group/s coming together to wield power over others.
Hubris	Pride causing downfall of tragic hero.
Humanism	Philosophy that emphasises basic goodness of humankind.
Iambic Pentametre	Poem's lines consist of five feet (two syllables per foot) with an emphasis on each second syllable.
Identity	Sense of self.
Ideology	Set of values/thoughts/beliefs which underpin behaviour of social groups.
Illusion	False impression created through range of stylistic devices.
Imagery	Use of figurative language to develop understanding and position audience to respond emotionally.
Irony	Form of criticism by saying opposite of what is meant.
Juxtoposition	Two different things presented for audience to compare.
Marginalise	Disempowering/exclusion of certain groups based on factors denoting difference from mainstream society.
Marxist	Political position suggesting working class are marginalised by capitalist class.
Metaphor	One thing described as another.
Metonymy	Name of one thing substituted for name of something else it is commonly associated with (eg: crown for monarchy).
Modernism	Early 20th century writing challenging conventions/experimenting with literary forms.
Motif	Element/idea/theme recurring frequently.
Misogynist	Character demonstrating hatred of female characters.
Narrator's position	Point of view of text.
Naturalise	Make idea/principle seem natural/obvious.
Onomatopeia	Words representing sound.
Ode	Lyric poem using varied/irregular metre, typically addressing certain subject.
Oxymoron	Two opposites combined for striking effect (eg: cruel kindness).
Pastiche	Combination/imitation of different styles/texts/subjects.
Patriarchy	Social structure tracing power through male lineage.
Peripeteia	Reversal of fortunes as in a tragedy where the hero is plunged into misfortune/misery.
Persona	Personality/mask adopted by writers.
Personification	Gives inanimate objects human qualities.
Phallocentric	Cebtred on the Phallus; social order with power in domain of men.
Picareque	Novel telling tale of a rogue; usually satirises society in which they live.
Pplyphonic	Multi-voiced narration.
Post Modern	Late 20th century - current writing characterised by self-consciousness of writing process/experience of it/products of process.
Privilege	Advantage over others.
Protagonist	Main character in a text (morally good).
Reader Positioning	Way text manipulates reader to look at something with particular attitude.
Realism	Attempt to represent real world in text.
Representation	Construction in text that tries to reflect part of real world.
Resolution	Conflict resolved.
Rhetoric	Art of persuasive speaking.
Romance	Fiction in which imagination is unrestricted; originally narrative dealing with love.
Romanticism	Late 18th century literature movement encouraging revolt against tradition.
Satire	Critical tone which ridicules events/public figures (often used in political cartoons).
Science Fiction	Set in future speculating on scientific development.
Setting	Place/historical time/context in which text is set.
Simile	One thing described as being like another (comparison).
Soliloquy	Monologue spoken when character is alone, revealing thoughts to audience but not to other characters.
Sonnet	(Love) poem of fourteen lines using iambic pentameter.
Stream of Conciousness	Interior monologue; narration capturing character's flow of thoughts/mental process.
Structure	Way of organising text: - chapters/parts - Acts/Scenes - forms/couplets/stanzas
Structualism	Method of readimg texts focussimg on structural elements.
Style	Way language used (tone/imagery/diction).
Surrealism	Movement popular between two world wars; creative potential of unconscious mind.
Suspension of Disbelief	Process by which audience willingly enters into aesthetic experience of text.
Aesthetic	Concerned with beauty (or set of principles underlying work of particular artist/ artistic movement).
Symbol	Object standing for something else.
Synergy	Cooperative actions of characters in workplace environment.
Theatre of The Absurd	Plays presenting characters that talk at cross purposes; often inert/powerless.
Theme	Main message/point in text.
Theoretical Position	Position from which different meaning can be derived from particular reading of same text.
Thesis	Encompassing statement summarising main argument in essay.
Tragic Hero	Characterised by doomed future.
Tragedy	Play dealing with tragic events, having unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.
Universality	Qualities of text transcending setting/style/cultural context.
Voice	Presentation of character through speech/first person narration.
Volta	Transition between octave and sestet in sonnet; pause between new thought of second stanza.

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	Created by Lucy Cerys over 7 years ago