Key Literary Terms

This section looks at the Key Literary terms for analysing Golding’s language

Allegory

A story with a hidden meaning – usually a moral message

Paradise

A very pleasant or beautiful place or state

Juxtaposition

A technique of placing opposite ideas or images together to create effects

Symbolism

Anything that stands for or represents a deeper meaning beyond it.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two things that are not alike. A substitution.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things, usually using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Image/Imagery

A word that paints a picture. Linked with figurative language such as simile/metaphor

Civilisation

An advanced stage of development – usually referring to society

Motif

An aspect of the text that recurs frequently such as a word, phrase, image etc.

Context

Any additional information that helps to add meaning. For example, the writer’s experiences

Characterisation

The ways characters are portrayed or described by a writer

Vocabulary

The words selected or chosen.

Also, look out for Golding’s use of descriptive language