Literary
The main character of a novel, play, or story. This is who the story revolves around.
Protagonist
A major character who opposes the protagonist in a story or play. They prevent the protagonist from getting what s/he wants.
Antagonist
The problem that drives a story. The conflict can be internal (within one character) or external (among or between characters, society, and/or nature).
A technique in which an author gives clues about something that will happen later in the story.
Foreshadowing
A huge exaggeration. For example, “Dan’s the funniest guy on the planet!” or “That baseball card is worth a zillion dollars!”
Hyperbole
Language that conveys a certain idea by implying the opposite of what is actually said.
Giving inanimate objects human characteristics or describing them in human terms. For example, “The sun hid behind the clouds.”
Personification
The author’s attitude toward his or her subject. For example, a tone could be pessimistic, optimistic, or angry.
The emotional atmosphere of a given piece of writing. What characters or readers feel.
The use of description that helps the reader imagine how something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or taste. Most of the time, it refers to appearance. For example, “The young bird’s white, feathered wings flutter as he made his way across the nighttime sky.”
Imagery
A comparison that uses “like” or “as.” For example, “I’m as hungry as a wolf,” or “My love is like a rose.”
Simile
A comparison that doesn’t use “like” or “as”—such as “He’s a rock” or “I am an island.”
Metaphor
The use of one thing to represent an idea that is greater than itself. For example, a dove is a symbol of peace.
Symbolism
The central idea of a work. The author’s message.
An indirect reference to something or someone from pop culture. For instance, if you were trying to instill confidence in a friend and said, “May the force be with you.”
Allusion
A recurring element in a literary work. Motifs can be visual, aural, or ideational.
The use of a word in a way that plays on its different meanings. For example, “I SEE(sea) that my students are ready to SHELL out money for our trip to the aquarium.”
The means by which an author establishes character. An author may directly describe the appearance and personality of the character or show it through action or dialogue.
Characterization
A legend that embodies the beliefs of people and offers some explanation for natural and social phenomena.
The use of words that sound like what they mean such as “buzz.”
Onomatopoeia
A humorous, exaggerated imitation of another work.
Writing organized into sentences and paragraphs. In other words, normal writing—not poetry.
A monologue in which a character expresses his or her thoughts to the audience and does not intend the other characters to hear them.
Soliloquy
A section of poetry separated from the sections before and after it; a verse “paragraph.”
Stanza