Literary Terms You Need to Know

Events are told by a character in the story

The narrative will read, “I sat at my wooden desk, looking up at that huge circle with its eternally trapped hands, and cried.” from The Year of Fog, Michelle Richmond

FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW

The events of the story are told by someone outside of the story

The narrative will read, “Armpit sighed as he set the phone back in its cradle. Maybe he was crazy.” from Small Steps, Louis Sachar

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW

A quality or qualities of a particular character that identify what the character is like

For example in Charlotte’s Web, the reader comes to understand that Charlotte is kind, not because the author says so, but because over and over again, the reader sees her treating the other animals with kindness.

CHARACTER TRAIT

The most exciting point of a story, where is action is at its greatest point and the story begins to turn

The climax of the novel Holes is when the characters realize that Camp Green Lake is not a legitimate juvenile facility.

CLIMAX / HIGH POINT / TURNING POINT

The problem or struggle faced by the characters in a story

External conflict- a conflict between character and an outside force- another character, a group, nature, society, fate- for example- character vs. nature

Internal conflict-a conflict or problem within a character- character vs. self

CONFLICT

An author’s use of hints or clues to give the reader an ideal of what may happen next

FORESHADOWING

Use of extreme exaggeration

For example, “My car is a million years old.” OR

“I walked five-thousand miles to school.”

HYPERBOLE

A static character is one who remains unchanged throughout a book or story. Scar was a static character in The Lion King.

A dynamic character is changed in the course of a book or story. Simba changed a great deal in The Lion King, so that makes him a dynamic character.

STATIC AND DYNAMIC CHARACTERS

The theme of a literary work is the central message or idea that is expressed in a written work. The theme should go beyond a one word answer. The theme of Romeo and Juliet is NOT love. Rather, the thoughtful student would state that the theme of Romeo and Juliet is, “Love matters beyond all else!”

THEME / THEME /THEME

Words or phrases used to appeal to one or more of the senses, in order to create a more vivid reading experience

“The scent of roses-wild roses- mingled with a strange briny scent: waves crashing on rocky shores, dolphins diving.” from Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

IMAGERY

A conclusion reached by the reader, based on the available information in the text

We can infer that the three bears were very trusting since they left their house open and their bowls of porridge out on the table.

INFERENCE

A situation where the opposite of what is expected to occur DOES in fact happen.

“The ambulance driver rushed to the scene of the accident, but in his haste, he ran over the victim because the victim had crawled into the middle of the street in the darkness of night.”

IRONY

A comparison of two unlike things

Simile uses the words like or as- “Her cheeks were like red apples.”

Metaphor omits the like or as- “Her cheeks were red apples.”

METAPHOR / SIMILE

The narrative is the writing or speech that tells a story.

The narrator is the person who actually tells the story.

NARRATIVE / NARRATOR

A figure of speech that contains contradictory words or phrases

Examples: Dark light, almost exactly, clever fool

OXYMORON

Giving human characteristics to a non-human subject

“The cat grinned at me and began her wicked plan.”

“The daisy lifted its face to the sun.”

PERSONIFICATION