Literary Terms Definitions Master List

Situational Irony—Irony that occurs when the actual outcome is the opposite of what was expected

Verbal Irony—Irony that occurs when a person says one thing and means another

Dramatic Irony—Irony that occurs when the reader knows something that a character does not

Point of View—A general term referring to the relationship of the narrator to the story. Point from which the writer tells the story.

First Person Point of View—Point of view in which the narrator, referred to as “I,” is a character in the story

Limited Third Person Point of View—Pont of view in which the narrator reveals the thoughts, feelings, and observations of only one character, referring to that character as “he” or “she”

Third Person Omniscient Point of View— An “all-knowing” narrator; the narrator is not a character in the story, but someone who stands outside the story and comments on the action

Foreshadowing—An author’s use of clues that hint at events that will occur later in the plot

Narrator—The person who tells a story; a speaker, character in the story, outside observer, or the author

Blank Verse—Unrhymed iambic pentameter