Like any other subject, the study of literature requires the knowledge of some of its specialized features. Understanding just a few dozen literary elements and their definitions will go a long way in facilitating the understanding and enjoyment of plays, prose, and poetry. The next time you have to write an english paper the only thing you need to worry about is finding cheap printer ink.

ACT — a major division of a play consisting of several scenes

ANTAGONIST — the character in a story that is working against the aims of the protagonist

AUTOBIOGRAPHY — a record of the life of a person told by the person whose life is recorded

BIOGRAPHY — a record of the life of a person told by somebody other than that person

CHARACTER — an individual represented in a story through either dialogue or dramatic action; does not have to be a human being

CHARACTERIZATION — the author’s use of a character’s action, dialogue, or description to give the reader a sense of what that character is all about

CLIMAX — the peak or high point of a story in which the problem or situation becomes most intense

COMEDY — traditionally, any kind of story or play in which the characters have a happy ending; in recent centuries, comedies are usually geared to be funny to an audience

COMING-OF-AGE STORY — story in which a teenage protagonist becomes an adult through life experience and/or disillusionment with himself, family, friends, or others

DRAMA — a poetic or prose story, poem, or play that involves character conflict and some kind of force, be it internal or external.

EPIC — a poem with a long narrative about a serious topic focusing on a hero representing the values of a particular group and whose success determines the destiny of the group.

ESSAY — short prose piece on a given topic usually written to prove a point or provide an opinion

EXPOSITION — author’s explanation or summary of background data that occurs in large chunks, often at the beginning of a story

FABLE — story told to teach a moral point in which animals are used to personify commendable and detestable human traits

FAIRY TALE — a story about magical beings like witches, elves, dragons, and so on that is set in the distant past

FALLING ACTION — events that occur between the climax of a story and its resolution

FLASHBACK — occasion in which the narrative is temporarily interrupted so that a character or narrator can provide information about past events

HISTORICAL FICTION — genre wherein fictional characters play a role in real historical events and interact with real people from the past

HORROR STORY — fictional work written to create the feelings of fear, disgust, or horror in the reader

HUMORS — ancient Greek conception of four liquids (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) that must be in balance for a person’s health

IRONY —?the basic process of saying one thing while meaning another; it can be expressed verbally, dramatically, and situationally

NARRATOR — the person who is telling the story, could be a character within the story or in the third person by the author outside the story

NOVEL — a long, fictional narrative that focuses on a group of primary characters but may have many secondary characters as well

MOCK EPIC — long, comical story that imitates the features of the classical epic that will often star ridiculous objects, people, and situations

MYSTERY NOVEL — suspenseful novel in which characters attempt to solve a mystery like a kidnapping, theft, or murder, usually featuring a very observant protagonist

MYTH — traditional story with much cultural significance; it does not necessarily have to be historically false

PERSONA — the way in which characters or narrators present themselves that may or may not be true to the person’s real self

PLAY — a drama written to be performed before others on stage

POETRY — genre that is defined by rhythmical patterns of language such as meter, rhyme, alliteration, or others

POINT OF VIEW — describes the way a story is told and the one who narrates it; most often first person (narrator is a character in the tale and uses “I”) or third person (narrator is outside the story referring to all characters in the third person)

PROTAGONIST — main character in a literary work who is featured in most of the narrative

RESOLUTION — final result of the events that occur in a narrative that is usually the end of the story

RHYME SCHEME — describes the pattern of rhyme that is exhibited in a poem

RISING ACTION — events that take place between the exposition and the climax of a story

ROMANCE NOVEL — modern genre in which tales of the establishment and growth of a romantic relationship are told

SATIRE — work in which one or more instances of stupidity, vice, and religious, moral, political, and social standards are critiqued humorously

SCENE — portion of an act in a play wherein the action occurs in one locality

SCIENCE FICTION — genre featuring robots, aliens, time travel, altered laws of science, and other similar elements

SETTING — the geographical, temporal, and societal milieu in which a story takes place

SHORT STORY — brief work of fiction that is considerably shorter than a novel

SONNET — fourteen-line poem usually written with iambic pentameter in a certain definite pattern

WESTERN — story set in the American Western Frontier during the nineteenth century

More Resources on Literary terms:

• Elements of Poetry — introduction to the features and elements of poetry

• Glossary of Rhetorical Terms — defines rhetorical terms and literary elements especially important to the study of classical literature

• Literary Terms and Definitions — comprehensive listing of literary terms and their definitions

• Name that Genre — descriptions of different genres and a test for identifying them based on children’s books

• Ten Story Elements — important story elements especially in the case of plays and stage dramas

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