LITERARY TERMS

FORMS OF PROSE FICTION

novel -a fictitious  story that fills a book

novella- a piece of fiction that is shorter than a novel but usually longer than a story

short story-a piece of fiction  that is shorter and usuallly less complicated in plot tan a novel(usually under 10,000 words )

ELEMENTS OF PROSE FICTION

NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES:

point of view- the way in which a narrative approaches his or her material ( characters,action ,setting,etc.) and the audience

characterization -the way in which a writer creates characters in a narrative so as to attract or repel our sympathy.

setting -a background,scene,surroundings or environment ( e.eg the music for a song )

theme -the subject about which a person speaks,writes or thinks.

plot -the plan of a literary  work ,especially of dramas and novels.

style -the way something is done,made saidor written.

LITERARY DEVICES

imagery -a writer's or speaker's use of words to produce or create pictures in the mind of the reader or hearer

symbol -objects that represent something else

irony -saying the opposite of what you mean in order to emphasize it

satire -using humour or exaggeration to show what is bad or weak about a person or thing

allusion -a passing reference in a work of literature to something outside itself.

STRUCTURAL DEVICES

stream of consciousness -the attempt to convey all the contentsof a character's mind  e.g memory,feelings

interior monologue -an attempt to convey in words , the process of consciousness or thought

flashback -going back in a story to something that happened earlier

foreshadowing -a sign of something that is to come

time frame - a given interval of time especially in relation to a particular event or process

motif -some aspect of literature (a type of character, theme or image ) which recurs frequently

juxtaposition -side by side or close together

TYPES OF FICTION

1. Novel

2. Novella

3. Short story

4. Short-short story

5. Vignette

6. Prose Poem

7. Anti-story

8. Novelette

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

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

prose poem -a very brief piece of fiction usually under 500 words