Glossary - The Literary Text

Text Forms
allegory	fictional text whose characters are personifications of abstract ideas
drama/play	text to be performed on stage or to be filmed
fable	text in which animals represent and act like human beings
novel	long narrative prose text
parable	short text which makes a general statement about existence or teaches a moral or religious lesson
satire	text intended to criticize by deriding society, certain events or people
short story	short narrative text limited in setting, theme, plot and the number of characters
Action
external action	action that takes place in the active, physical world
internal action	action that takes place in the reflective, mental world
plot	arrangement of the events in a fictional text according to cause an effect; usually contains an element of suspense
setting	place and time in which an action  takes place
Narrator and perspective
first-person narrator	narrator who is a character in the story and who has a limited point of view
third-person narrator	narrator who stands outside the story
omniscient narrator	third-person narrator with an unlimited point of view
intrusive author/narrator	a) author who makes occasional comments on the narration b) narrator who comments on the characters and/or the action
limited/unlimited point of view
stream of consciousness/interior monologue	presentation of a character's thoughts without apparent intervention by the third-person narrator
scenic presentation	action shown in detail
panoramic presentation	action told as condensed series of events
acting time	time from the beginning to the end of an episode
narrating time	time it takes to relate the events in a narrative text
Characters and characterization
round character	character whose attitude or values change in the course of the action
flat character	minor character who does not develop in the course of the action
direct/explicit characterization	presentation of a character by telling and describing
indirect/implicit characterization	presentation of a character through actions and dialogue