General Literary Principles and Terms

Literature is a creative art form that uses language to explore the human condition. To understand literature deeply, one must master the literary terms (the tools) and literary principles (the underlying rules and concepts) that govern the creation of prose, drama, and poetry.

1. Key Literary Terms

• Foreshadowing: A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. It creates suspense and prepares the reader for the outcome.
• Suspense: The intense feeling that an audience goes through while waiting for the outcome of certain events. It keeps the reader hooked.
• Theatre: This refers to the physical space where a play is performed or the entire world of dramatic performance.
• Monologue: A long speech by one character in a play or movie to other characters on stage.
• Soliloquy: A speech in a play in which a character speaks to himself or herself and to the audience, rather than to other characters. It reveals the character's innermost thoughts.
• Dialogue: A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie.
• Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities (e.g., a dove representing peace).
• Protagonist: The main character or 'hero' of the story.
• Antagonist: The character or force that opposes the protagonist.
• Satire: The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
• Stream of Consciousness: A narrative mode that portrays the individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, often in a disjointed or continuous flow.

2. Figures of Speech

These are expressions used to achieve special effects. Examples include Metaphor (direct comparison), Simile (comparison using 'as' or 'like'), Personification (giving human traits to non-human things), and Oxymoron (two contradictory terms together).

3. Literary Principles

Principles are the fundamental concepts that guide the creation of literary works.

• Direct Imitation (Mimesis): Especially in drama, this is the principle of mirroring real life through action and dialogue. Drama is an 'imitation of an action.'
• Versification: The art of making verses. This involves the study of meter, rhythm, and rhyme in poetry and verse-drama (like Shakespearean plays).
• Narration of Experiences: The way a story is told. It involves the choice of narrator (first person, third person) and how events are structured to convey meaning.
• Achievement of Aesthetic Value: Literature is not just about information; it is about beauty and pleasure. Writers use literary devices to create an artistic experience for the reader.

4. Relationship Between Terms and Principles

Literary terms are the specific techniques or 'building blocks' that authors use, while principles are the overarching rules or objectives. For example, a writer uses the term 'Soliloquy' to achieve the principle of 'Narration of experiences' by letting the audience know what a character is thinking.