literature terms

Forms of Prose Fiction

novel - an extended piece of fiction normally at least 40, 000 words long. most have multiple characters, a central plot building up to an important climax near the end, and two or more subplots.

novellas - the word is applied to a story somewhat longer than a short story but not long enough to be considered a novel.

short story - a small prose fiction which concerntrates on few characters or often one single character which lacks a complicated plot and leisurely description.

Elements of Prose Fiction

narrative technique - this is simply the technique in having narrative skills and the style of writing used by the author.

point of view - this referas to the way in which a narrator approaches his or her material (characters, actions, settings) and the audience.

characterization - the way in which the writer creates characters in a play, novel or story to attract or repel our sympathy.

setting - the time, place, environment and surrounding circumstances of an event of a story or play.

theme - the abstract subject of a work i.e. its central idea/ideas, which may or may not be obvious.

plot - the arrangement or plan of incidents in literary works (novels, plays, drama).

style - the characteristic manner in which a writer expresses him/herself or the particular manner of an individual literary work.

Literary Devices
 
imagery - the formation of mental images, figures or likeness of things or of such images;  a figurative description or illustration.

satire - the use of irony, sarcasm, ridiculeor the like in exposing, denouncing or deriding vice, folly etc.

symbol - something used for or regarded as representing something else. e.g the color red represents blood, love etc

allusion - a reference to a famous person or event in life or literature.

irony - the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.

Structural Devices  

stream of conciousness - an attempt to convey all the contents of a characters mind e.g feelings, thoughts.

interior monologue - an attempt to convey in words the process of conciousness or thought (as a means of narrating a story).

flashback - a sudden jump back in time to earlier episode or scene in a story, play or film.

foreshadowing - the use of hints that suggest events that are to come.

time frame - a period of time during which something has taken or will take place

motif - some aspect of literature (a type of character, theme, image) which re-occurs frequently.

juxtaposition - an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp for comparison or contrast.

The Types of Fiction  

novel - an extended piece of fiction normally at least 40, 000 words long. most have multiple characters, a central plot building up to an important climax near the end, and two or more subplots.

novella - a mid-length work of fiction, shorter than a novel but longer than a  short story. it is typically between 20,000 and 35,000 words.

short story - a short work of fiction usually under 20,000 words. It is traditionally based on a single plot, event, character, or set of characters and typically leads quickly to a climax and resolution.

short short story - a very brief story, usually 1,500 words or less. Most short- shorts are based entirely on a simple plot and in a surprise, irony or joke.

vignette - a brief piece of fiction that vividly depicts or describes a person, place or event. Vignette need not (and typically do not) have a climax or much plot.

prose poem - a very brief piece of fiction, usually under 500 words, that emphasizes imagery, rhythm, and other elements of poetry.

anti-story - a work of fiction that takes the form of an essay or other non-fiction work.

novelette - not a literary form at all, but simply a designation used by some magazines for short stories longer than 75,000 or 10,000 words.

Literary context       

literary context - anything beyond the specific words of a literary work that may be relevant to understanding the meaning. context may be economic, social, cultural, historical, literary,biographical etc.