Literary Terms and Devices

Front

Aside

Back

Words spoken by an actor on stage that is intended to be heard only by the audience and not by the characters on the stage.

Front

Author’s craft

Back

Intentional and deliberate use of organizational patterns, text and graphic features, syntax, devices, and diction to create an effective written work; author’s craft may vary by genre.

Front

Author’s purpose

Back

The reason an author writes about a particular topic (e.g., to persuade, to entertain, to inform, to explain, to analyze, etc.); the reason an author includes particular details, features, or devices in a work.

Front

Character foil

Back

A secondary character who contrasts with the protagonist in order to highlight aspects of the main character’s personality. Foils may be sidekicks (e.g., Han Solo to Luke Skywalker) or enemies (e.g., The Joker to Batman).

Front

Characterization

Back

The method in which an author constructs a character by explicitly stating aspects of his/her personality and appearance (direct characterization) or by revealing aspects of a character through their actions, thoughts, speech, other characters, etc. (indirect characterization).

Front

Conflict

Back

In literature, the opposition of persons or forces that brings about dramatic action central to the plot of a story. Conflict may be internal, as a psychological conflict within a character, or external (e.g., man versus man, man versus nature, or man versus society).

Front

Connotative meaning

Back

The emotions or set of associations attached to a word that is implied rather than literal (e.g., feeling blue).

Front

Context

Back

The words, sentences, or passages that precede or follow a specific word, sentence, or passage.

Front

Denotative meaning

Back

The dictionary definition of a word; the literal or cognitive meaning.

Front

Dialogue

Back

The lines spoken between characters in fiction or a play; Dialogue in a play is the main way in which plot, character, and other elements are established.