Author's Craft/Literary Terms/Devices/Techniques

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

An author's reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character

cliche

an overused expression

cliffhanger

any situation, event, or contest in which the outcome remains uncertain, ending at a suspenseful or dramatic moment

Colloquialism

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces

Connotation

what a word implies or suggests; feelings or emotions that are associated with a word; often described as positive or negative

descriptive language

an author's use of words to give the reader or or listener a mental picture, an impression, or an understanding of a person, place, thing, event, or idea.

dialogue

the representation of conversation within a literary work (internal or external).

extended metaphor

An elaborately drawn out metaphor.

figurative language

Language used to express ideas though figures of speech: descriptions that aren't meant to be taken literally (includes simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification, etc.)

flashback

A break in a story's action that relates a past happening in order to give the reader background information about a present action in the story.

foreshadowing

The use of clues to create suspense by giving the reader or audience hints of events to come.

hyperbole

an obvious exaggeration, used for emphasis and not meant to be taken literally

idiom

A phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say; an expression whose meaning cannot be understood or inferred from the ordinary meanings of the words that make it up

imagery

Words and phrases that appeal to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

irony

an effect created by a sharp contrast or contradiction between what is expected and what is real.

verbal irony

irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.

dramatic irony

Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience/reader but not by the characters in the story.

situational irony

This is the irony most common in literature. It is the contrast between what happens and what was expected.

metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

narration

The process of telling a story.

narrator

The person, or voice, that tells the story.

onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

oxymoron

when two words are used together that contradict each other.

personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

first person point of view

the narrator is a character in the story telling the story from their own point of view, using pronouns such as 'I' or 'me'

third person omniscient point of view

an outside narrator knows everything in the story and reveals the thoughts of all the characters

third person limited point of view

the outside narrator focuses on the thoughts and feelings of only one character

protagonist

the main character in a literary work

pun

A play on words that relies on words having more than one meaning.

resolution

End of the story where loose ends are tied up

exposition

Background information presented in a literary work.

climax

Most exciting moment of the story; turning point

rising action

the series of conflicts or struggles that build a story toward a climax.

falling action

Events after the climax, leading to the resolution

setting

The time and place of a story

simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

suspense

A feeling of uncertainty, excitement, and curiosity about what will happen next in a story

symbol

an image, person, place, or thing that is used to represent the idea of something else.

theme

The underlying message, meaning, or moral of a work of literature. A universal statement about life.

tone

A writer's attitude toward his or her subject, such as serious, sarcastic, humorous, etc.

mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader