Lit

Allegory

A story in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts to reveal an abstraction or truth.

Anecdote

A short account of an interesting event.

Aphorism

A short, astute statement of a general truth.

Archetype

A recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology.

Aside

A remark by a character in a play intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters.

Bildungsroman

A novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education, often a "coming of age" story.

Canon

A list of literary or artistic works considered to be of the highest quality.

Catharsis

The release of emotions of pity and fear by the audience at the end of a tragedy.

Dialogue

Conversation between two or more people in a book, play, or movie.

Emblem

A thing serving as a symbolic representation of a particular quality or concept.

Epic

A long narrative poem telling the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures.

Epigram

A brief, witty statement.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

Fable

A short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral.

Farce

A comic dramatic work using buffoonery and improbable situations.

Flashback

A narrated scene that informs the reader about events that took place before the current narrative.

Frame story

A story within a story.

Foreshadowing

A warning or indication of a future event.

Generalization

A statement about a class based on an examination of some of its members.

Genre

A category of artistic composition characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

Interior monologue

A piece of writing expressing a character's inner thoughts.

Invocation

The action of appealing to something or someone for assistance or authority.

Melodrama

A sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events.

Monologue

A long speech by one actor in a play or movie.

Motif

A repetition of imagery or figurative language in a story that enhances the theme.

Narrative

A spoken or written account of connected events—a story.

Parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes.

Prose

Written or spoken language in its ordinary form without metrical structure.

Reversal

An adverse change in fortune for a character in a literary work.

Rhetorical question

A question posed for effect that requires no answer but provokes thought.

Setting

The time and place of a fictional work.

Soliloquy

An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers.

Stereotype

A generalization about a group that has become a cliché.