Allegory - narrative form in which the characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait (i.e. greed, vanity, or bravery) and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning to life. Although allegory was originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to parallel story and theme.
Character - representation of a person, place, or thing performing traditionally human activities or functions in a work of fiction
Connotation - implied meaning of word. BEWARE! Connotations can change over time.
Denotation - dictionary definition of a word
Literature is everything that has ever been written. Literature is more than just printed words.