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abstract – An abstract term is a general term that refers to a broad concept, as opposed to a term that refers to a specific, particular thing; opposite of concrete.

a general term that refers to a broad concept, as opposed to a term that refers to a specific, particular thing; opposite of concrete.

Example: freedom

abstract

act

– A major subunit into which the action of a play is divided; acts are usually divided into scenes.

Example: Act II of a play

allegory – A literary work that portrays abstract ideas concretely, often through characters that personify those ideas.

Example: Animal Farm

alliteration – The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words or syllables.

Example: “Peter Piper picked…”

allusion – A reference to another literary work, piece of art, historical event, or well-known person or place.

Example: Referencing Romeo and Juliet

analogy – A comparison between two things used to explain or clarify one or both of them.

Example: “The brain is like a computer”

anapest – A metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable.

Example: inter-VENE

anaphora – The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines.

Example: “I have a dream…”

annotation – Notes written directly on a text to record observations, questions, or ideas for analysis.

Example: Writing in the margins

antagonist – A character who opposes the protagonist and creates conflict in the story.

Example: Voldemort

antithesis – The juxtaposition of contrasting or opposing ideas, often in parallel structure.

Example: “Best of times, worst of times”

B

ballad – A poem, often originally sung, that tells a dramatic or emotional story.

Example: A tragic folk song

Beat movement – A 1950s literary movement that rejected conformity and traditional values, emphasizing freedom of expression and nonconformity.

Example: Jack Kerouac – On the Road Allen Ginsberg – Howl William S. Burroughs – Naked Lunch Lawrence Ferlinghetti – A Coney Island of the Mind Gregory Corso – Gasoline

bildungsroman – A novel that focuses on the growth and maturation of the protagonist from youth to adulthood.

Example: The Catcher in the Rye

blank verse – Unrhymed iambic pentameter, commonly used in English drama and poetry.

Example: Shakespeare’s plays

C

cadence – The rhythm and flow of spoken language created by pitch, stress, and timing.

Example: The sound of a speech

caesura – A pause within a line of poetry, sometimes marked by punctuation.

Example: “To be, || or not to be”

caricature – A character with exaggerated traits to the point of being ridiculous.

Example: A cartoonish villain

carpe diem – A literary theme encouraging readers to enjoy the present moment.

Example: “Live for today”

catharsis – The emotional release experienced by the audience when conflicts are resolved.

Example: Crying at the ending

character – A person, animal, or being portrayed in a narrative.

Example: Elizabeth Bennet

dynamic character – A character who undergoes significant change throughout the story.

Example: Scrooge

flat character – A character with limited traits who does not develop.

Example: A one-note bully

secondary character – A supporting character who helps advance the plot.

Example: Mercutio

stock character – A stereotypical character that fits a familiar role.

Example: The “mean girl”

concrete – Refers to specific, physical, or tangible things.

Example: A red apple

conflict – The struggle or tension that drives the plot of a story.

Example: Man vs. society

connotation – The emotional or cultural associations attached to a word beyond its literal meaning.

Example: “Home” feeling warm

consonance – The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the ends of words.

Example: “pitter patter”

couplet – A pair of consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme.

Example: A rhyming ending

critical lenses – Different approaches used to interpret literature.

Example: Feminist or psychological analysis

cultural lens – An approach that examines how culture, race, class, or politics shape a text.

Example: Analyzing social class

formalist lens – An approach focusing only on the text’s structure, language, and literary devices.