Literary Terms

1.​ Allegory: ​​ A literary work that has an underlying meaning beneath the literal meaning.​
​ ​ ​ Allegory relies heavily on symbolism to teach a lesson or illustrate an idea.​
​ ​ ​ Characters often represent abstract concepts. ​

2.​ Alliteration: ​ the repetition of initial consonant sounds

​ ​ ​ ​ Example: Becky’s beagle barked and bayed becoming bothersome for Billy.

3.​ Allusion: ​ ​ a reference to a person, a place, an event or a literary work which a writer expects​
​ ​ ​ the reader to recognize and respond to. An allusion may be drawn from history,​
​ ​ ​ geography, literature or religion.​
​ ​ ​ Example: You’re a regular Einstein.

4.​ Analogy: ​​ a comparison between two things that are similar in some way; often used to help​
​ ​ ​ explain something or make it easier to understand.
Example: Just as a caterpillar comes out of its cocoon, so must we come out of our
comfort zone.

5.​ Anaphora: ​ the repetition of the same word/group of words at the beginning of successive​
​ ​ ​ clauses. ​
​ ​ ​ Example: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds,​
​ ​ ​ we shall fight in the fields and in the streets …

6.​ Anecdote: ​ a brief story about an interesting, amusing or strange event. Writers tell anecdotes​
​ ​ ​ to entertain or to make a point.

7.​ Aphorism: ​ a concise, pointed statement that purports to reveal a truth or principle
Example: All you need is love.

8.​ Apostrophe: ​ a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or​
​ ​ ​ abstraction
Example: Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining!

9.​ Aside: ​ ​ a short speech delivered by an actor in a play expressing the character’s thoughts. ​
​ ​ ​ Typically, this is directed to the audience and is presumed to be inaudible to the​
​ ​ ​ other actors.

10.​Bildungsroman: ​a piece of literature that deals with the movement from childhood to adulthood.

11.​Characterization: the act of creating and developing a character. Generally, a writer develops a​
​ ​ ​ character in one or more of the following ways:
1.​ by showing the character in action
2.​ by revealing the character’s thoughts, and by letting the character speak
3.​ by giving a physical description of the character
4.​ by telling what others think of the character
5.​ by analyzing the character or by giving a direct evaluation of the character

​ ​ ​ Types of Characters:
➢​ Protagonist: the most important character in the story
➢​ Antagonist: a major character who opposes the protagonist
➢​ Round character: fully developed character who shows many different traits
which include virtues as well as faults.
 ➢​ Flat character: not a fully developed character; may only see a few traits.
➢​ Dynamic character: develops and grows during the course of the story; will
show a change in behavior or belief during the course of the story.
➢​ Static character: does not develop and grow during the course of the story;
will not change during the course of the story.
➢​ Foil: a character who is contrasted with another character.​

12.​Comic Relief: ​ momentary release from the build-up of tragic tension in a narrative, usually a​
​ ​ ​ drama, through the use of comic scenes ​

13.​Conceptual ​ related to or based on mental concepts; not the literal, surface-level meaning of a
Meaning:​ ​ piece of work, but the deeper meaning.​

14.​Conflict: ​​ struggle between opposing forces:

➢​ internal conflict: when the main character is in conflict with himself ​
Example: man vs. self
➢​ external conflict: when the main character struggles against an outside force
Example: man vs. nature, man vs. man, man vs. supernatural, man vs. technology​

15.​Connotation: ​ all the emotions and associations that a word or phrase may produce.
Example: Confident - Bold - Presumptuous - Egotistical (The words move to a
more negative connotation, but they all mean “self-sufficient”)​

16.​Couplet:​ ​ two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.

​ ​ ​ Example: I do not life green eggs and ham; I do not like them, Sam I am.

17.​Critique:​ ​ critical examination of a literary work with a view to determining its nature and​
​ ​ ​ assessing its value according to some established standards

18.​Denotation: ​ the literal or “dictionary” meaning of a word.​

19.​Dialect: ​ ​ a form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group. Dialects​

​ ​ ​ differ in pronunciation, grammar, and word choice. Writers use dialect to make​
​ ​ ​ their characters seem realistic.​

20.​Dialogue: ​​ the conversation between people in text.

21.​Diction: ​ ​ a writer’s or speaker’s choice of words, particularly for clarity, effectiveness and​
​ ​ ​ precision. A writer’s diction can be formal or informal, abstract or concrete.​

22.​Drama: ​ ​ a story written to be acted out in front of an audience.

➢​ Acts: the large sections of a play
➢​ Scenes: the smaller sections of a play found within an act

23.​Dystopia​ ​ opposite of utopia; usually set in the future, describing a nightmarish society in​
​ ​ ​ which few would want to live​

24.​Ellipsis: ​ ​ the omission of a word or several words necessary for a complete construction​
​ ​ ​ that is still understandable; indicated by three “dots” within a sentence or four​
​ ​ ​ “dots” between two sentences.
25.​Epic: ​ ​ a long narrative poem describing the deeds of a hero and reflecting the values of a​
​ ​ ​ culture from which it originated.

26.​Extended​ ​ a metaphor where the several comparisons dealing with the same image function
metaphor:​​ as the controlling image of the whole work

27.​Euphemism: ​ the substitution of an inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest​
​ ​ ​ something unpleasant; substituting a mild term for one that is considered harsh.
Example: You might tell someone they’re getting a little thin on top instead of
telling them that they’re going bald. ​

28.​Flashback: ​ when the events in a story momentarily stop, so a sequence of past events can be​
​ ​ ​ related.

29.​Foreshadowing: ​ when the author gives the readers hints about events to come. It is used to create​
​ ​ ​ interest and build suspense.​
​ ​ ​ Example: “The evening was still. Suddenly, a cool breeze started blowing and​
​ ​ ​ made a windy night. (Foreshadows thunderstorm)​

30.​Humours:​​ In medieval physiology, four liquids in the human body affecting behavior. Each ​
​ ​ ​ humour was associated with one of the four elements of nature. In a balanced​
​ ​ ​ personality, no humour predominated. When a humour did predominate, it caused​
​ ​ ​ a particular personality. Here is a chart of the humours, the corresponding​
​ ​ ​ elements and personality characteristics:

➢​ blood: air - hot and moist: sanguine, kind, happy, romantic

➢​ phlegm: water - cold and moist: phlegmatic, sedentary, sickly, fearful
➢​ yellow bile: fire - hot and dry: choleric, ill-tempered, impatient, stubborn
➢​ black bile: earth - cold and dry: melancholy, gluttonous, lazy, contemplative

The Renaissance took the doctrine of humours quite seriously--it was their model​
​ of psychology--so knowing that can help us understand the characters in the text.​

31.​Hyperbole: ​ a figure of speech using exaggeration or overstatement for special effect.

Example: It was so cold I saw polar bears wearing hats and jackets.

32.​Imagery: ​ ​ vivid words or phrases that create pictures or images in the reader’s mind that​
​ ​ ​ pertain to the five senses. Typically, images are visual; however, it can include
the use of any of the five senses.

33.​Inversion: ​ Reversal of the normal word order of a sentence.

Example: Shocked, I was instead of I was shocked. ​

34.​Irony: ​ ​ involves differences between appearances and reality.

➢​ Verbal irony: words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant; lying;
sarcasm
➢​ Dramatic irony: contradiction between what the character(s) thinks and what
the audience or reader knows to be true.
➢​ Situational irony: an event which occurs that directly contradicts the
expectations of the characters, the reader or the audience​
​
35.​Juxtaposition: ​ a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their​
​ ​ ​ actions are placed side by side in a text for the purpose of developing ​
​ ​ ​ comparisons and contrasts; a larger piece of text which shows contradiction.
Example: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch
of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness.

36.​Literal ​ ​ surface meaning of a literary work derived by an emphasis on denotation,

Meaning:​ ​ summary, and paraphrase. ​

37.​Memoir: ​ ​ a form of autobiographical writing that deals with the writer’s memory of​
​ ​ ​ someone or a significant event. ​

38.​Metaphor: ​ saying one thing in terms of something else.

Example: The snow was a white blanket.

39.​Monologue: ​ a long and tedious speech by one person during a conversation.​

40.​Mood: ​ ​ the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. Connotative words,​
​ ​ ​ sensory images, and figurative language contribute to the mood of the selection,​
​ ​ ​ as do the sound and rhythm of the language.​

41.​Motif: ​ ​ a recurring, unifying element in an artistic work, such as a recurring image,​

​ ​ ​ symbol, character type, action, idea, object, or phrase.

42.​Motivation: ​ the presentation of reasons and explanations for the actions of a character in any​
​ ​ ​ work of fiction. It results from a combination of the character’s temperament and​
​ ​ ​ moral nature with the circumstances in which the character is placed​

43.​Narrator: ​ a speaker or character who tells a story. ​

44.​Ode:​ ​ a long lyric poem, formal in style and complex in form, often written for a special​
​ ​ ​ occasion; originally a Greek form; written to idolize a person, place, thing, or idea​

45.​Onomatopoeia: ​ the use of words whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning.
​ ​ ​ Example: water plops into pond; splish-splash downhill; warbling magpies in
tree; trilling, melodic thrill; whoosh, passing breeze; flags flutter and flap; frog croaks,
bird whistles; babbling bubbles from tap

46.​Oxymoron: ​ a self-contradictory combination of words; two words which show contradiction ​

​ ​ ​ Example: deafening silence; painfully beautiful; walking dead​

47.​Paradox: ​​ the linking of ideas or feelings which are seemingly contradictory but which​
​ ​ ​ actually express a basic truth when they are put together and the implications are​
​ ​ ​ formulated; a sentence which shows contradiction.
Example: Everything that kills me makes me feel alive.

48.​Parody: ​ ​ an imitation of a literary work that usually mock the basic characteristics of the​
​ ​ ​ original.
​
49.​Parallel ​ ​ the balancing of equal parts of a sentence, the repetition of a sentence pattern, or
structure/​​ the repetition of words at the beginning of lines of poetry; expressing similar or
Parallelism​ related ideas in similar grammatical structure.
Example: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We should never
forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything
the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal.”

50.​Personification: ​human-like qualities which are given to non-human things.

Example: Because I could not stop for Death - He kindly stopped for me.

51.​Persuasion: ​ used in writing or speech to convince the reader or listener to adopt a particular​
​ ​ ​ opinion or course of action.

52.​Plot: ​ ​ the sequence of events or actions in a short story, novel, narrative poem, or play. ​
​ ​ ​ Plots may be simple or complicated, loosely constructed or close-knit; every plot​
​ ​ ​ is made up of a series of incidents that are related to one another.
➢​ Exposition: the part of the literary work or drama that introduces the
characters, the setting and the basic situation.
➢​ Rising Action: all of the events and conflicts that lead up to the climax.
➢​ Climax: the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense in a
narrative. The climax usually marks a story’s turning point.
➢​ Falling Action: all of the events after the climax
➢​ Dénouement/Resolution: that part of a work in which conflicts are resolved ​
or unraveled and the plot’s mysteries and secrets are explained.

53.​Point of View: ​ perspective; how the story is told.

➢​ First person: The narrator is a character in the story, narrating the action as he
or she understands it. first person POV is indicated by the pronoun “I.”
➢​ Third person: a third person narrator is not a participant in the action and
thus maintains a certain distance from the characters. Third person POV is
indicated by the use of the pronouns “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.”
➢​ Third person omniscient: the narrator is all-knowing about the thoughts and
feelings of characters. The writer can reveal the emotional responses of all the
characters and can comment at will on the events taking place.
➢​ Third person limited: this narrator only sees the world through one
character’s eyes, thus does not know what the other characters are thinking
and feeling.​

54.​Pun: ​ ​ play on the multiple meanings of a word or two words that sound alike but​
​ ​ ​ have different meanings.
Example: The grammarian was very logical. He had a lot of comma sense.

55.​Repetition: ​ repeating a word, sound, phrase, idea; used for emphasis; an excellent technique​
​ ​ ​ in persuasive speeches. Always pay attention to repetition in writing. The author​
​ ​ ​ is trying to tell the reader something.​

56.​Rhetoric:​ ​ the art of persuasion through speaking and writing Rhetorical appeals
➢​ Ethos: the character or quality of the speaker
➢​ Pathos: the quality that stimulates pity, tenderness, or sorrow in the reader
➢​ Logos: the speaker’s use of logic​
57.​Rhetorical ​ a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than
Question:​​ to get an answer.​
58.​Rhyme Scheme: ​ a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem. The rhyme scheme is indicated by​
​ ​ ​ lower case letters; each rhyme is assigned a different letter of the alphabet. ​
59.​Satire: ​ ​ a literary manner that blends a critical attitude with humor or wit for the purpose​
​ ​ ​ of improving society. Satire can be gentle/sympathetic, or it can be angry/bitter.
60.​Sentence​ ​ analyzing sentence structure asks that you look at sentence length; simple,​
structure:​​ compound, complex, compound-complex, unusual phrases, repetition, altered​
​ ​ ​ word order.​
61.​Setting: ​ ​ the time and place of the action. The setting includes all the details of place and​
​ ​ ​ time—the year, time of day, even the weather. The place may be a specific​
​ ​ ​ country, state, region, neighborhood, community, building, institution or home.​
​ ​ ​ Details such as dialect, clothing, customs, and modes of transportation are often​
​ ​ ​ used to establish setting.
62.​Simile: ​ ​ a comparison of two things using “like” or “as.”
Example: You explanation is as clear as mud.

63.​Soliloquy: ​ a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage. The character​
​ ​ ​ reveals his or her private thoughts and feelings to the audience and reader. ​
64.​Sonnet: ​ ​ a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes; in​
​ ​ ​ English typically having ten syllables per line.​
65.​Stage​ ​ notes included in drama to describe how the work is to be performed on stage.​
Directions: ​ Stage directions are usually in italics and enclosed within parentheses or brackets. ​

66.​Stanza: ​ ​ a group on poetic lines arranged into a pattern generally suggested by a rhyme​
​ ​ ​ scheme. Stanzas are roughly the equivalent of paragraphs. ​

67.​Style:​ ​ the way in which a literary work is written; the message or material the author​
​ ​ ​ communicates to the reader, along with how the author chooses to present it

68.​Symbol: ​ ​ when something stands for something else or when something takes on another​
​ ​ ​ abstract meaning.

69.​Syntax: ​ ​ the physical arrangement of the words in the sentence; sentence structure

70.​Theme: ​ ​ is the central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work. It is a​
​ ​ ​ generalization about human beings or about life that the literary work​
​ ​ ​ communicates. It is not a plot summary.

71.​Thesis: ​ ​ the sentence which encapsulates the controlling idea of a document.

72.​Tone: ​ ​ the attitude the author takes, or the way the author feels, toward his or her​
​ ​ ​ subject, characters and readers. Through tone, an author can amuse, anger, or​
​ ​ ​ shock the reader. Often the reader must figure out a writer’s tone in order to​
​ ​ ​ understand a literary work.​

73.​Utopia:​ ​ a work describing an ideal place that does not exist in reality