The
Vocabulary
of Literary Analysis
In most
disciplines there is a special vocabulary that is used to discuss it.
Literary analysis or literary criticism is no different. There are
lots and lots of special words used to describe particular aspects of the
writer's craft in drama, fiction, and poetry. In this class we're
going to use just a small number of them. As
you study each genre, you'll be asked to learn a few words that relate to
it. Because
you'll be using them in your essays throughout the course, it should not be difficult to
learn them. In fact, you may already know many of them. You may use any
sources you wish to learn the terms, since they should all have the same
meaning if not the same words to explain the concepts. I'll be giving you some websites and
webpages to look at each time we begin a new genre, but feel free to use
books or search the internet for other sources yourself. The
terms you'll need to know for this class and Exam on the Vocabulary of
Literary Analysis follow:
|
theme |
plot |
setting |
character |
| protagonist |
antagonist |
flat character |
conflict |
| irony |
tone |
round
character |
resolution |
| foreshadowing |
point of
view |
limited
point of view |
omniscient
point of view |
Definitions and explanations of most of
the terms can be found at one of the following websites:
Close this page to
return to Course Information. |