English literary terms

Alliteration

The repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of multiple words in a sentence or a phrase.

consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds, typically at the end of words, with stressed syllables within words.

parallelism

using similar words, clauses, and grammar structures to emphasize similar ideas within a sentence.

allusion

making a brief, indirect reference to a person,place, event, or idea that exists outside of the context of the text.

contrast

The act of comparing two or more elements to highlight differences, often used to emphasize a particular theme or idea in a literary work.

pastoral

literature that portrays rural life in an idealized and romanticized way free from the complexities and challenges of city life

anachronism

anything that is out of place or time for that period

couplet

A pair of sometimes consecutive rhyming lines, typically in poetry, that often express a complete thought or idea.

pathos

a quality that evokes pity or sadness in literature, often used to appeal to the audience's emotions.

hyperbole

an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally, often used for emphasis or humorous effect.

personification

the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, often used in literature to create vivid imagery.

anapest

a metrical foot in poetry consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable.

denotation

the literal or primary meaning of a word, as opposed to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

iamb

a metrical foot in poetry consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

denouement

the final part of a story, following the climax

dialogue

used to convey when a character speaks in a story

anaphora

the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines to create a sonic effect

antagonist

opposite to protagonist, one that contends with or opposes another

diction

author’s choice and use of words in a literary work

in media res

the practice of beginning a story at a later point in the narrative.

protagonist

the main character of the story; or the principal character in a literary work

anti-hero

a protagonist or main character that does not embody typical heroic qualities but still invokes sympathy in the reader. some characteristics include: conflicted, flawed, and complex.

inversion

also known as “anastrophe” in which the normal order of words is reversed, in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis or meter.

antithesis

a contrast of two opposing ideas with a parallel structure to make a point or create emphasis.

dramatic irony

irony used for creating situations in which the audience knows more about the situations, and the causes of conflicts than the leading characters or actors. ex: radhika

quatrain

four lines of verse, compatible with different rhythmic patterns and rhyme schemes.

apostrophe

poetic phrase or speech that is addressed to a subject that is not literally present in the literary work.

dynamic character

undergoes changes throughout the narrative.

juxtaposition

a literary device that implies comparison or contrast. Placing two entities side by side to create dramatic or ironic contrast. ex: light and darkness

archetype

a character is based on a set of qualities or traits that are specific and identifiable for readers.ex: the hero

metonymy

one object or idea takes place of another with which it has close association

ethos

a device used to establish the speaker or writers credibility and trustworthinesses

caesura

a pause or break within a line of poetry that creates a dramatic effect and influences rhythm.

logos

a persuasive technique that appeals to an audience’s sense of logic and reason

enjabment

a line of poetry that carries its idea or thought over to the next line without a grammatical pause

assonance

the rep of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase

rhetoric

used in speech and writing to make an impact on the readers; usually through figures of speech

paradox

a statement that seems to contradict but has some underlying logic

foil

a character that serves to highlight the traits of another character through the contrast

connotation

refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from what its describing

sonnet- Italian

14 lines divided into an octave and sestset using iambic pentameter. usually presents a problem, emotional tension, and resolution

sonnet- English

a 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. three quatrains and a final couplet used to explore themes of love and philosophy

soliloquy

a character speaks to themselves in a play or drama

colloquial

the use of informal and /or conversational language

extended metaphor

a metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose.

situational irony

a form of irony in which something takes place that is different or the opposite of what is expected to happen. ex; plot twist

motif

a recurrent image idea or symbol that develops or explains a theme

catharsis

the process of releasing emotions in a way through which one can acheive a state of moral or spiritual renewal

fallacy

a faulty argument or part of an argument that is often based on false/invalid reasoning. Often used to try to persuade as. part of an argument, and they often appear to be logical at first.

Appeal to Tradition

logical error where an idea or practice is considered correct or better because it is old or has been done for a long time (ancient medicine, my dad is an engineer so I should be an engineer)

Cause and Effect (False Cause Fallacy)

A logical error where one incorrectly assumes a cause and effect relationship between two events just because they are correlated or occur sequentially. (tylenol and autism)

Post Hoc Fallacy

a logical fallacy where event B immediately happens after event A. Therefore, event A is the cause of event B. Can be seen for things like anti-vaccine individuals claiming that having a seizure after vaccination means vaccination caused the seizure.

Appeal to Common Practice

Logical error claiming that an action is correct or justified simply because it is popular. Ex: it’s ok to cheat because everyone else cheats.

Ad Hominem

The Attack against someone’s personal aspects instead of finding actual issues with their argument. Broken up into four parts: (Abusive, Circumstantial, Tu Quoque- not consistent with past actions or words, Guilt by Association)

Slippery Slope

A logical error where a claim suggests a minor step will lead to a chain of increasingly dire consequences, without enough evidence to support each step. ( If one student wants to turn in the assignment late, everyone else will also want too and no one will turn in an assignment on time again) A to Z

Special Pleading

A logical fallacy where someone claims an exception to a general rule without justifying that exception; a double standard, and rules to not apply to their case while it does to others. Hypocrisy and unjustified exception for one self over others.

Hasty Generalization

A logical fallacy when an argument is based on a sample of evidence that is too small. Commonly seen in media representations of medical studies, a key factor is using a limited sample size and confirmation bias

Straw Man (Weak Man vs.Hollow Man vs. Iron Man)

To misrepresent an opponents argument in order to make it easier to attack

Appeal to Ignorance

This fallacy claims that a statement must be true because there is no evidence against it. Shifts the burden of proof to other parties, innocent until proven guilt.

Red Herring

A clue, idea or argument that is used to take attention away from the main issues. Plot twists rely on this fallacy to capture the readers attention before applying the twist forcing them to re-evaluate the story.

False dilemma

Oversimplifying a complex option into two choices, and for political slogans it usually involves framing one side as better than the other through rhetoric.

propaganda

when one uses biased and mislead information to publicize or promote a certain point of view

Name Calling

Attaching a negative label, used in order to avoid supporting their own opinion with facts and tear the opponent down on a personal basis instead, similar to the fallacy of Ad Hominen

Glittering generalities

utilizes important sounding “feel good” words that are subjective and general and cannot be proved or disproved. Usually, we accept little evidence if rhetoric appeals to pathos and stirs up emotions.

Transfer

an attempt is made to transfer the connotation of a positive symbol or negative symbol to a person or thing. uses symbols images or ideas with already strong emotions and link them to a product or person to support.

Testimonial

“Big nam” personalities using their name to endorse a big product, could be sponsorships or political campaigns. Ex: Taylor Swift for Kamala Harris.

Plain Folk

Uses a “folksy” approach to convince us to support someone or something, usually ads depicting ordinary people doing common things for relatibility, and humbleness. Product for the common man

Card Stacking

used to slant a message. Key words or statistics may be omitted so audiences only receive half-truths

Bandwagon

“Keeping up with the Joneses or FOMO” where if everyone is doing it you should do it too or you’ll be left out- connections to peer pressure and sort of related to Appeal to common Practice, especially if the individual can’t find any justification for their action other than that is popular”