Meaning & use
literary figure
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Meanings
nouncountable
a well-known writer or an important person in the world of literature.
Grammar: Countable: a literary figure, two literary figures.
Patterns
- a literary figure
- a major literary figure
- a literary figure of the time
The festival invited several literary figures to speak about their new books.
She became a literary figure after her first novel won a national prize.
In the 1920s, Paris attracted many literary figures from around the world.
nouncountablespecialist
a character in a story, poem, or play, especially one that is well known.
Grammar: Countable and often used when discussing characters in a text.
Patterns
- a literary figure in a novel
- a famous literary figure
Hamlet is one of the most discussed literary figures in English drama.
The teacher asked us to compare two literary figures from different novels.
Word forms
| plural | literary figures |
|---|
Common combinations
- a major literary figure
- The poet is now seen as a major literary figure of the twentieth century.
- a leading literary figure
- She was a leading literary figure in her country for over thirty years.
- literary figure of the day
- He was a literary figure of the day, known by everyone in the city.
- a celebrated literary figure
- The university hosted a celebrated literary figure for a public reading.
Synonyms and how they differ
- writer
- Writer is the general word for anyone who writes; literary figure suggests fame and importance in literature.
- author
- Author is a neutral word for the person who wrote a book; literary figure is a more public, respected role.
- man of letters
- This is an older, formal phrase for a literary figure, and it is much less common today.
Word family
- literature noun
- written works such as novels, poems, and plays.
- literary adjective
- connected with literature or with serious writing.
Commonly confused: literary figure or literal figure?
literary figure vs literal figure
Literal means exact or factual, so 'literal figure' would mean a number or shape, not a famous writer.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'literary figure' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A literary figure is someone important in literature, so the novelist fits. The scientist wrote only a report, a number is not a person, and a football team is not literature.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “literary figure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.