Abbreviated Glossary of Literary Terms

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These definitions were borrowed from Laurie Henry's wonderful book, "The Fiction Dictionary" which should be on your bookshelf if you're serious about writing about writing.

characterization - "The technique the writer uses to portray the people who perform the actions in the story. Many contemporary writers consider characterization the most important element of fiction...because it is often how the events that take place in a story affect the characters--how they think and fell about those events--that really matters...")

imagery - the writing method used to "create a sensory picture in the mind of the reader...frequently used to describe the pictures created through the use of figurative language like similies and metaphors."

mood - "A word generally used as a synonym with atmostphere, to describe the story's prevailing ambiance. Mood also includes the idea of tone, the attitude of the author toward the subject of the work."

plagiarism - "The unauthorized use of someone else's material, which is then presented as being the result of the plagiarist's own primary research, creative impulse, or insight."

protagonist - "A story's or novel's central character."

setting - "The time (both the approximate year and the hour of the day) and location during which a story takes place. Some writers also consider the spychological stae of mind of the protagonist part of the setting."

symbol - "An object in fiction that represents something else, either because it genuinely resembles the other thing, or because it brings about an association in the reader's mind."

theme - "The central idea of the story or novel, a concept that is represented through the plot and through interaction among the characters. Theme is related to the idea that even though fiction is not a reflection of literal reality, it still may communicate a kind of truth about the way human beings act, think, or feel in a way that word-for-word truth cannot."

thesis - The central argument of your essay.