SPM Literature in English 2206 key terms

The arranged sequence of events in a narrative, showing cause and effect rather than mere chronology; it includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

A secondary storyline running alongside the main plot, often involving minor characters, which comments on or complicates the central action and themes.

The point of greatest tension or turning point in a narrative, where the central conflict reaches its peak and the outcome begins to become clear.

The final stage of a narrative in which loose ends are settled and the consequences of the climax are shown, also called the denouement.

The methods an author uses to create and develop characters, including description, dialogue, action, and what other characters say about them.

When the narrator or another character explicitly states a character's traits, for example calling someone cruel or generous outright.

Revealing character through actions, speech, thoughts, appearance and others' reactions, so the reader infers traits rather than being told them.

A complex, fully developed character with varied and sometimes contradictory traits who can change over the course of the work.

A character built around a single dominant trait or function, remaining largely unchanged and often serving a supporting or thematic role.

A character whose qualities contrast with those of another, usually the protagonist, highlighting particular traits by comparison.

The central character whose fortunes the narrative follows and whose decisions drive the main action, not necessarily a morally good person.

The character, force or circumstance that opposes the protagonist and generates the central conflict of the work.

The time and place in which a narrative unfolds, including social and historical context, which shapes mood, character behaviour and thematic meaning.

A central idea or insight about life explored through a literary work, conveyed indirectly through events, characters and imagery rather than stated as a moral.

A recurring image, phrase, object or situation that gains significance through repetition and supports the work's themes.

An object, person or event that stands for something beyond its literal meaning, deriving its force from context and repetition within the work.

A situation in drama where the audience knows something a character does not, so the character's words or actions carry a meaning they cannot perceive.

A speech delivered by a character alone on stage, revealing private thoughts and feelings to the audience rather than to other characters.

A brief remark spoken by a character directly to the audience, unheard by other characters on stage, often revealing hidden motives or reactions.

An extended speech by one character, addressed to others present or to the audience, that develops character or advances the action.

Instructions in a play script describing movement, gesture, lighting, sound or tone, guiding performance and often revealing character relationships.

The devices playwrights use to shape audience response, including dialogue, staging, timing, contrast, dramatic irony and structural pacing.

The struggle between opposing forces in a literary work, whether person against person, society, nature or self, which drives the action forward.

A struggle within a character's own mind, such as a clash between duty and desire, often revealed through soliloquy and imagery.

Descriptive language appealing to the senses that creates vivid mental pictures and often carries emotional or thematic associations.

A figure of speech stating that one thing is another, transferring qualities without using 'like' or 'as', to illuminate meaning through comparison.

A comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as', making a description more vivid or an abstract idea more concrete.

Giving human qualities to non-human things, such as objects, animals or abstract ideas, to create vividness or emotional effect.

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words, used to create rhythm, emphasis or a particular mood.

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words, producing internal rhyme, musicality or a lingering emotional effect.

The running on of a sentence past the end of a line of poetry without a pause, creating momentum or tension against the verse form.

A deliberate pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation, used for emphasis, dramatic effect or a change of thought.

The pattern of end rhymes in a poem, usually labelled with letters such as ABAB or ABBA, contributing to structure and tone.

A group of lines forming a unit in a poem, separated by spacing, functioning like a paragraph and shaping the poem's structure and pace.

The persona or perspective from which a story is told, including the narrator's knowledge, reliability and attitude towards events.

The position from which a narrative is presented, such as first person, third-person limited or third-person omniscient, shaping what readers can know.

A narrator whose account cannot be fully trusted because of limited knowledge, bias, self-interest or distortion, prompting readers to read critically.

A technique blending third-person narration with a character's thoughts and idiom, giving access to inner life without quotation marks or first-person pronouns.

A moment of sudden insight or realisation experienced by a character, often transforming their understanding of themselves or their situation.

The writer's attitude towards the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice, imagery and sentence structure, distinct from the mood felt by readers.

The emotional atmosphere a text creates in the reader, built through setting, imagery, diction and rhythm, sometimes called atmosphere.

The writer's choice of words and phrases, including register and connotation, which shapes tone, character voice and precision of meaning.

The associations and emotional overtones a word carries beyond its literal meaning, which writers exploit to create nuance and attitude.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, as distinct from the associations and emotional colouring it may also carry.

A gap between what is said or expected and what actually happens or is meant, creating critical or comic effect.

Specific quotations, paraphrases or references to a text used to support an interpretation, ideally brief, accurate and explained rather than merely dropped in.

Careful analysis of a short passage's language, structure and imagery to build an interpretation grounded in precise textual detail.

A reasoned argument about what a text means and how it achieves its effects, supported by evidence and acknowledging alternative readings.

The historical, social, cultural and biographical circumstances surrounding a text's production and reception, which can illuminate but must not override textual analysis.