literary vocab

Allegory

A story with a deeper meaning beneath the surface—often moral or political.

Ambiguity

When something has multiple interpretations or meanings.

Apostrophe

Addressing an absent person or abstract idea (e.g., “O Death, where is thy sting?”).

Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions (e.g., “I came, I saw, I conquered.”).

Bathos

A sudden change in tone from serious to silly.

Circumlocution

Talking around a subject instead of directly addressing it.

Didactic

Intended to teach or instruct

Bildungsroman

A coming-of-age story that shows character growth.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural meaning of a word, beyond the dictionary definition.

Denotation

The literal definition of a word.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word for something harsh (e.g., “passed away” instead of “died”).

Foil

A character who contrasts with another to highlight traits.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for effect.

Juxtaposition

Placing two contrasting elements side-by-side.

Motif

A recurring element (symbol, phrase, image) that supports the theme.

Oxymoron

Two opposite words together (e.g., “bittersweet,” “deafening silence”).

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.

Satire

Criticizing something (like society) using humor, irony,