Literary Terms 1
Passages that are stories, dramas, or poems.
Literary Texts
An overview of a text. It captures the main points but does not give every detail and does not include opinions.
Objective Summary
When an author describes an object as if it were a person.
A meaning beyond the explicit meaning of a word.
Connotative Meaning
The attitude of an author about a subject or an audience. The author chooses words and language to create this and express a viewpoint in a text.
Tone
To come to a reasonable conclusion based on evidence found in the text.
Infer
The specific order of a series of events that form a story.
Plot
A comparison using like or as.
Simile
A section of a poem. Poems are divided into these.
Where and when a story takes place.
Setting
An idea or message that is fully stated or revealed by the author. The author tells the reader exactly what he or she needs to know.
An Explicit Idea or Message
The solution to the problem or the end of the main dramatic conflict in a story.
Resolution
A direct comparison that states one thing is another. It isn't meant to be literal, but descriptive.
Metaphor
In literary writing, writers use this to convey meaning. It helps to break longer pieces of writing into smaller pieces that are grouped together because they happened around the same time or because they share a similar meaning.
Structure
The perspective from which a story is told. It depends on who the narrator or speaker is and how much they know.
Point of View
The lesson or meaning of a literary text.
Theme
The way an author develops a character over the course of a text.
Characterization
An exaggeration beyond belief.
Hyperbole
A section of a book. Books are often divided into these.
Chapter
The character who tells the story in a literary text from his or her point of view.
Narrator
The most important point or idea that the author is making in a text.
Central or Main Idea
The actual meaning of a word or phrase.
Literal Meaning
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.
Onomatopoeia
A section of a drama or play. Plays are divided into these.
Scene
The category of a text, such as fiction or nonfiction. Each of these has a particular style, form, and content.
Genre