General Literary Terms Explained — Key Definitions Every Student Should Know (JAMB/WAEC)
General literary terms are the specialized vocabulary used to discuss and analyze literature – words like plot, theme, setting, and characterization, and understanding them is essential before tackling specific set texts or literary devices.
This topic is foundational in JAMB and WAEC Literature-in-English, usually tested directly through “define the term” questions and indirectly through how you’re expected to discuss any prose, drama, or poetry text.
This lesson covers the most important terms with clear, exam-ready definitions.
Quick takeaways
- This lesson covers over 20 literary terms, from foundational ones (plot, theme, setting) to more advanced ones (bildungsroman, peripeteia, iambic pentameter).
- Plot is the sequence of events in a story; theme is the underlying message or central idea the work explores.
- Some terms describe narrative technique (foreshadowing, stream of consciousness), others describe tone (pathos, bathos, comic relief), and others describe form (bildungsroman, epistolary novel, canto).
- Poetic technical terms like foot, iambic foot, and iambic pentameter describe rhythm and are frequently tested in poetry analysis questions.
- Exam questions frequently ask you to define a term AND identify it within a specific set text, so learn each term with a general definition plus how to apply it.
What is plot, theme, and setting?
- Plot is the sequence of events that make up a story, typically structured around a conflict that builds to a climax and resolution.
- Theme is the underlying message, idea, or insight about life that the work explores – for example, themes of betrayal, ambition, or love.
- Setting is the time and place in which the story’s events occur, which can significantly shape the mood and meaning of a work.
These three terms are often confused with one another, but they answer different questions: plot answers “what happens,” theme answers “what is this really about,” and setting answers “where and when.”
What is characterization, and what are protagonist and antagonist?
Characterization is the process by which an author develops and reveals a character’s personality, motivations, and traits, either directly (through explicit description) or indirectly (through the character’s actions, speech, and interactions with others).
The protagonist is the main character around whom the story revolves, while the antagonist is the character or force that opposes the protagonist, creating the story’s central conflict.
What is point of view, and why does it matter?
Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is narrated:
- First-person point of view — the narrator is a character in the story, using “I” (e.g., a character telling their own experience)
- Third-person point of view — the narrator is outside the story, using “he,” “she,” or “they,” and can be limited (focused on one character’s thoughts) or omniscient (aware of all characters’ thoughts and feelings)
Point of view shapes how much information the reader has access to and how much they can trust the narrator’s account of events.
What other key literary terms should you know?
Several additional terms come up regularly across set texts:
- Conflict — the central struggle or problem driving the plot, which can be internal (within a character) or external (between characters, or between a character and their environment)
- Climax — the turning point or moment of highest tension in the story
- Resolution — the point where the main conflict is resolved, usually near the end of the story
- Irony — a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or between what is said and what is meant
More literary terms covered in this lesson
Beyond the foundational terms above, this lesson also covers a wider set of literary terms grouped here by category for easier revision.
Narrative devices and plot-related terms
- Foreshadowing — a hint or clue an author plants earlier in a story about events that will happen later
- Suspense — a feeling of excitement, tension, or anxiety about what will happen next in a story
- Peripeteia — a sudden reversal of fortune or circumstances for the protagonist, often marking a turning point in the plot
- Denouement — the final resolution of the plot, where remaining loose ends are tied up after the climax
- Stream of consciousness — a narrative technique that presents a character’s continuous flow of thoughts and feelings, often without conventional structure
Tone, emotion, and comic devices
- Pathos — a quality in a work that evokes pity, sadness, or sympathy in the audience
- Bathos — an abrupt, often unintentional shift from a serious or elevated tone to something trivial or ridiculous, creating unintended humor
- Comic relief — a humorous character, scene, or moment inserted into an otherwise serious work to ease tension
- Lampoon — a piece of writing that satirizes or mocks a person, group, or institution, often harshly
- Humour — elements of a work intended to amuse or provoke laughter
Symbolic and thematic terms
- Allegory — a story in which characters, events, or settings symbolically represent broader moral, political, or spiritual ideas beyond their literal meaning
- Epitaph — a short statement or inscription honoring a deceased person, sometimes used within literary works to comment on a character’s life or death
Genre and form-related terms
- Anthology — a collected volume of literary works, such as poems or short stories, often gathered around a common theme or by multiple authors
- Bildungsroman — a novel focused on the psychological and moral growth of its protagonist from youth into adulthood, often called a “coming-of-age” novel
- Epistolary novel — a novel told through a series of documents, most commonly letters, diary entries, or similar written records
- Fable — a short story, often featuring animal characters, designed to convey a specific moral lesson
- Gothic novel — a genre blending horror, romance, and mystery, typically set in dark, atmospheric locations such as old castles or mansions
Poetic and technical terms
- Canto — a major sectional division within a long poem
- Enjambment — the continuation of a sentence or thought from one line of poetry to the next without a pause or punctuation break
- Foot — the basic unit of rhythm in a line of poetry, made up of a specific pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
- Iambic foot — a metrical foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable
- Iambic pentameter — a line of poetry made up of five iambic feet, totaling ten syllables per line, alternating unstressed and stressed
Common mistakes students make with literary terms
- Confusing plot (what happens) with theme (the deeper message)
- Mixing up protagonist and antagonist, especially in more complex or morally ambiguous texts
- Giving a general definition without applying it to the specific set text a question refers to
- Overlooking distinctions within point of view, such as limited versus omniscient third-person narration
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the difference between plot and theme?
Plot refers to the actual sequence of events in a story, while theme refers to the underlying message or idea the story explores, such as love, betrayal, or ambition.
Q: What is the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist?
The protagonist is the main character the story centers around, while the antagonist is the character or force that opposes the protagonist, creating the central conflict.
Q: What are the main types of point of view in literature?
The main types are first-person (narrated by a character using “I”) and third-person, which can be limited (focused on one character’s thoughts) or omniscient (aware of all characters’ thoughts).
Q: What is literary irony?
Irony is a literary device involving a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or between what is stated and what is truly meant.
Q: What is the difference between pathos and bathos?
Pathos evokes genuine pity or sadness in the audience, while bathos is an abrupt, often unintentional shift from a serious tone to something trivial, creating unintended humor rather than emotional impact.
Q: What is a bildungsroman?
A bildungsroman is a novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its protagonist from youth into adulthood, often referred to as a coming-of-age novel.
Q: What is iambic pentameter?
Iambic pentameter is a line of poetry made up of five iambic feet, totaling ten syllables per line, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables.
Q: What is foreshadowing?
Foreshadowing is a literary device where an author plants a hint or clue earlier in a story about events that will happen later, building anticipation for the reader.
New to Literature-in-English? Start with our “What is Literature?” lesson → or explore figures of speech →
This is one topic from our full JAMB & WAEC Literature-in-English course — see everything covered →
