Literary Terms and Stylistic Devices

Flashcards covering literary genres, plot structure, character development, points of view, and various linguistic and stylistic devices.

Genre

A specific “type of writing” such as a novel, play, or short story.

Fiction

An imaginative form of storytelling where events are usually not real.

Tone

The author’s attitude toward a subject that is expressed through word choice.

Mood

Evokes certain feelings or “vibes” in readers through descriptions.

Atmosphere

The emotional setting that surrounds the reader.

Suspense

The feeling of excitement and curiosity that keeps a reader turning the pages.

Short story

A text of $10,000$ words or less, which usually consists of a single major incident with one major character.

Conflict

The element of literature that is the struggle or battle between two opposing forces.

Exposition

Exposes the setting, characters, and background information.

Inciting Incident

Specific event or decision that begins a story’s main conflict.

Resolution

The incidents that help or hinder the protagonist in finding a solution.

Climax

Turning point or the point of highest interest in a story.

Falling Action

The stage where suspense peaks and begins to fall as we see what happens to characters.

Denouement

A synonym for the "Resolution" where loose ends are tied and problems are solved.

Character V.S Supernatural

A conflict where a character struggles against a storm or a wildfire.

Character V.S Self

An internal struggle where a character battles its own conscience.

Character V.S Society

A character fighting against the laws or expectations of their community.

Setting

Includes two main components: time and location.

Character

Described as a being (person, animal, alien, etc) in a story.

Direct Characterization

When the author tells you exactly what the character is like.

Indirect Characterization

When a reader must infer traits based on a characters’ actions or surroundings.

First Person

Point of view that uses the pronoun “I” narrator and is told by the main character.

First Person Peripheral

A supporting character tells the story of the protagonist.

Second Person

Point of view that uses the pronoun “you”.

Third Person Limited

Focuses on only one character's thoughts and feelings.

Third Person Omniscient

The narrator knows everything and can see into the minds of all the characters.

Theme

Main idea or message about life or society that the author shows the readers.

Topic V.S Theme

Topic is a simple subject like ”Love” whereas theme is a specific message about it.

Stylistic/Literary Devices

Used to give the story texture, interest, depth, and clarity.

Foreshadowing

Provides a hint as to what might happen later in the story.

Flashback

A device where the author interrupts the present to recall the past.

Symbol

Something concrete that stands for something abstract.

Logos

Uses reason or logic to persuade an audience.

Pathos

Evokes pity, sadness, or compassion.

Ethos

Credibility or an ethical appeal.

Dialect

A form of language spoken by a particular group.

Antithesis

Pairs contrasting or opposing ideas in a sentence with a parallel structure.

Paradox

A statement that contradicts itself but carries a plausible truth.

Oxymoron

Pairs of contradictory terms, such as “sweet sorrow” and “clearly confused.”

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side to highlight their differences or contrast.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Situational irony

When the opposite of what the reader expects to happen occurs.

Verbal irony

A type of irony where sarcasm is an example.

Dramatic irony

The audience is aware of something that the characters are not.

Imagery

Involves figurative language that appeals to the 5 senses (sight, smell, taste, sound, touch).

Simile

Compares two things using the words “like” or “as”.

Metaphor

A device that makes an direct comparison, such as “life is a roller coaster.”

Personification

Giving human traits to something nonhuman.

Pathetic Fallacy

Attributing human qualities and emotions specifically to inanimate objects of nature.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds (e.g., Some Smug Slugs).

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds (e.g., “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.”).

Consonance

Refers to the repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

Onomotapeia

Uses words that imitate natural sounds (e.g., BOOM).

Cacophony

Harsh, discordant or un-medilious sounds.

Repetition

Using a word or phrase multiple times for emphasis.

Readers Role

To find meaning and purpose through analysis, language cues, and personal connections.