1.      

acting time

The time from the beginning to the end of an episode presented in a fictional text. Usually it is longer than narrating time, because the writer can, in a few hundred words, describe the passing of years.

2.      

action

In fictional texts, everything that happens in the story. This can be on the level of physical reality (external), when the writer describes what the characters do, or it may take place in the minds of the characters (internal), when the writer shows the thoughts of the characters.

3.      

alliteration

the repetition of consonants at the beginning of words or within words.

4.      

assonance

the repetition of vowels in stressed syllables, used for emphasis.

5.      

catastrophe

The tragic denouement of a play or story, in which the outcome (usually the death of the hero) is presented.

6.      

conflict

A struggle or opposition between different forces which produces tension.

7.      

connotation

associations and emotions a word may evoke.

8.      

couplet

a stanza of two lines.

9.      

denotation

literal meaning of a word.

10.   

dramatized narrator

A character who tells the story in a fictional work or through whose eyes the events are witnessed. He/She may be involved in the action or be a passive onlooker, and may tell the story in an unobtrusive manner or seek to analyse the events and other characters.

11.   

euphemism

a more gentle expression used instead of the more usual one to express unpleasant, frightening of embarrassing facts, e.g. The old dog was put to sleep (i.e. killed).

12.   

exposition

the first part of a play or story. It gives the information necessary to understand the conflict and events which follow.

13.   

external conflict

In a fictional text, the clash between two or more characters, or one character and fate, nature or society.

12.   

falling action

A structural element of a fictional text, marked by a reduction in the suspense. Normally it follows the turning point or climax. In a tragedy, the protagonist’s fortunes are in decline, while in a comedy they are improving. It precedes the denouement.

15.   

figurative

using images and pictures that must be ‘translated’ to be understood.

16.   

foreshadowing

The technique of hinting at later events in a fictional text in such a way that the reader or spectator is prepared for them or can even anticipate them. In the exposition of a novel there is usually some idea of the theme and outcome of the story. This gives structural unity to a text as well as lending it a certain degree of tension. The term is also known as ”anticipation”.

17.   

frame story

A story which contains one or more quite independent stories within it. The main story provides the frame for the other stories.

18.   

free verse

a form of poetry which is ‘free’ of metre and does not usually rhyme.

19.   

hyperbole

a statement which is exaggerated for effect.

20.   

imagery

way of  expressing a thought indirectly, that is figuratively rather than literally.

21.   

interior monologue

A special kind of scenic presentation, in which a writer seeks to depict the thoughts or feelings passing through a character’s mind. Often it does not follow a chronological order, since when people think, their thoughts jump from one subject to another without necessary logic. In this way the random flow of thought is presented to the reader or listener. It was very popular around the 1920s.

22.   

internal conflict

A struggle between two opposing views or values which takes place in a character’s mind. It is an important part of characterization, since it reveals the character’s motives, fears and desires. In drama it is usually presented in the form of a soliloquy.

23.   

intrusive author /

narrator

An author who interposes occasional comments which draw attention to the fictional nature of the events – this is often used to achieve estrangement – or a narrator who comments on the characters and expresses his or her views about the events or about human life.

24.   

irony

saying one thing but meaning another.

25.   

limited point of view

The narration of a fictional text from the point of view of only a few, or just one, of the characters in the text. The narrator describes only the thoughts and experiences of those characters, who then become the focus of the narration. The reader thereby senses his or her participation in the action by following closely only the experiences of these characters.

26.   

literal

using words in their everyday meaning.

27.   

metaphor

a comparison between two objects or ideas, without a word of comparison (“like”, “as” of “as if”), e.g. “School is hell”.

28.   

metre

the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

29.   

mini-saga

a story of exactly 50 words.

30.   

mode of presentation

The way of relating a story. The author (or the narrator) can either tell the reader about events and their significance (panoramic presentation) or show the reader what is happening (scenic presentation). Usually a combination of both are used in a narrative. The mode of presentation is a means of influencing the reader’s reactions and highlighting parts of the narrative.

31.   

narrating time

The time it takes to relate a particular episode or events in a narrative text. It is dependent upon the mode of presentation and is the same as reading time.

32.   

open ending

A structural element of a fictional text in which the conflict remains for the most part unresolved and there is no final denouement. It is quite common in literature, because they it is held to be a reflection of real life, which lacks neat, easy solutions. Often it allows the reader to decide how the text would proceed if it continued.

33.   

panoramic presentation

A mode of presentation in which a story or part of a story is told as a condensed series of events. It provides an opportunity for the writer to convey information in a relatively short period of time.

34.   

parody

speech, text or music that imitates and exaggerates the style of a well-known text in order to be amusing.

35.   

personification

a kind of metaphor in which human characteristics or feelings are given to an object, an animal, an abstract idea or a plant, e.g. the door screamed.

36.   

point of view

the position or perspective from which the narrator presents the story to the reader.

37.   

reading time

The time it takes to read about an event or series of events in a literary text. It is usually the same as narrating time, but is almost always shorter than acting time, because in several minutes one can read the passing of years.

38.   

rhyme

similarity of sounds in two or more words.

39.   

rhythm

the flow of language created by the arrangement of unstressed and stressed syllables. It is mainly based on metre.

40.   

rising action

A structural element of a fictional text, marked by an increase in the suspense and the intensification of the conflict. It usually follows the exposition and precedes the climax.

41.   

sarcasm

irony which is cutting and meant to hurt.

42.   

scenic presentation

A mode of presentation in which the elements and action are shown in detail, thus encouraging the reader or listener to participate directly in the action.

43.   

simile

a comparison between two objects or ideas, using “like”, “as” or “as if”, e.g. “School is like hell”.

44.   

sketch

a short humorous scene often as part of a theatre or television show.

45.   

solution

See denouement.

46.   

sonnet

a very traditional poem consisting of 12 line. It is usually written in iambic pentameter (i.e. five beats per line, each beat consisting of an unstressed and stressed syllable).

47.   

speaker

the voice speaking to us in a poem. He/She is not necessarily identical with the author, even if “I” is used.

48.   

stanza

the usually regular number of lines which form a unit in a poem.

49.   

stream of consciousness

The presentation of experience through the mind of one character in a text. All action in a text is then presented from the point of view of that character and events are portrayed only in so far as they impinge on the consciousness of that character. Interior monologue is one technique used within the stream of consciousness.

50.   

subplot

In a fictional text, a subsidiary action which contrasts with or complements the main action.

51.   

surprise ending

A sudden and unexpected turn of fortune or action which ends a narrative text.

52.   

symbol

something concrete (an object, a place, etc.) which stands for an abstract idea, e.g. a rose is a symbol of love.

53.   

tension

The emotional strain in a text caused by the conflict of opposing forces.

54.   

understatement

opposite of hyperbole; s.th. that is represented as being less important than it really is.

55.   

unlimited point of view

The use of a non-personal narration, in which all the aspects of the characters’  personalities, histories and actions may be examined. It is used by an omniscient narrator.