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Done: Allegory, archaism, couplet, euphony, foreshadowing, gothic novel, masculine rhyme, rhetorical question, theme, melodrama
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Abstract (style)
Writing that discusses ideas or concepts rather than specific people, places, or things. It is often theoretical and lacks physical details.
Academic (style)
Formal, objective writing focused on analytical or scholarly discussions. It adheres to standard grammar and citation rules, often used in essays, articles, or academic publications
Accent
The emphasis or stress placed on a syllable in poetry or prose, which contributes to the rhythm of a line or sentence.
Aesthetic/Aesthetics
principles of beauty and taste in art and literature; the study of these principles, exploring how beauty is perceived and appreciated
Allegory
A narrative in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. The story has both a literal and symbolic meaning, often to convey a deeper message.
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close proximity
Allusion
A reference, often indirect, to a person, place, event, or literary work that the author expects the reader to recognize
Anachronism
An element in a story or text that is out of its historical time period, like a character in ancient Rome using a smartphone
Analogy
A comparison between two things that are alike in some respects, often used to explain a complex idea or situation by relating it to something simpler or more familiar
Anecdote
A brief narrative or story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event, often used to make a point.
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. For example, in "Jane lost her book," "Jane" is the __________ of "her."
Anthropomorphism
The attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, such as animals or objects, often to make them more relatable (e.g., the animals in Animal Farm).
Anticlimax
A disappointing or trivial turn of events in a narrative, where the tension or excitement built up leads to a less significant outcome than expected.
Antihero
A protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities like bravery or morality, often displaying flawed characteristics.
Aphorism
A concise statement that expresses a general truth or principle, such as "Actions speak louder than words."
Apostrophe
A rhetorical device in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or an inanimate object, as in "O Death, where is thy sting?"
Archaism
The use of old-fashioned language, often to evoke a sense of antiquity or tradition.
Aside
A remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by the other characters.
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds within close proximity, as in "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain
Atmosphere
The overall feeling or mood created in a piece of writing, often influenced by setting, tone, and diction
Ballad
A narrative poem that is typically arranged in quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme and often tells a story about love, death, or adventure
Black Humor
Humor that makes light of serious or morbid subjects, often to highlight the absurdity of life or the inevitability of death
Bombast
Language that is overly rhetorical or pompous, often without meaningful content or substance.
Burlesque
A form of satire that exaggerates or distorts a serious subject by treating it humorously or ridiculing it through absurdity.
Cacophony
Harsh, discordant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose to create a jarring effect.
Cadence
The rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words, often used in poetry or oratory.
Canto
A major division in a long poem, much like a chapter in a book
Caricature
A portrayal of a person in which certain features or mannerisms are exaggerated for comic or satirical effect.
Catharsis
The emotional release felt by the audience at the end of a tragic drama, where tension is resolved and a sense of relief is achieved
Chorus
In classical Greek drama, a group of characters who comment on the action of a play without directly participating in it.
Colloquialism
A word or phrase used in everyday conversation or informal writing but inappropriate in formal settings (e.g., "y’all" instead of "you all")
Conceit
An extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem, often comparing two vastly different things.
Connotation
The implied or associated meaning of a word beyond its literal definition, often carrying emotional or cultural implications
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds, typically at the end of words, as in "pitter-patter" or "tick-tock."
Couplet
Two consecutive lines of poetry that typically rhyme and have the same meter, often used to summarize or conclude a thought.
Decorum
The appropriate style, tone, or behavior for a particular setting or character, ensuring that literary elements align with the expectations of the audience or genre.
Denotation
The literal or dictionary definition of a word, without any emotional or cultural associations.
Diction
The choice of words and style of expression used by an author. Can be formal, informal, colloquial, or poetic, depending on the tone and context of the work
Dirge
A mournful or somber song, poem, or speech, usually performed at funerals to express grief or sorrow.
Dissonance
A disruption of harmonic sounds or rhythms; the use of harsh or jarring sounds, often to create a sense of discomfort or tension in writing
Doggeral
Crude or irregular verse, often with a comic or satirical tone, lacking in artistic quality.
Dramatic irony
A situation in which the audience knows something that the characters do not, creating tension or humor as the characters remain unaware of their circumstances
Dramatic monologue
A poem or speech in which a single speaker addresses another character or the audience, revealing their thoughts, feelings, and motivations, often unintentionally
Elegy
A reflective poem that laments the death of someone or something, often ending in consolation
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence or phrase beyond the end of a line of poetry, without a pause or break, to maintain the flow of thought. (“I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills”)
Epic
A long narrative poem, often written in elevated language, that recounts the adventures of a hero whose actions determine the fate of a nation or people (e.g., The Iliad, The Odyssey)
Epitaph
An inscription on a tombstone or a brief poem written in memory of someone who has died.
Euphemism
A mild or indirect word or phrase used to replace a harsh or blunt one, often to avoid offending or to soften difficult topics (e.g., "passed away" instead of "died").
Euphony
A pleasing or harmonious arrangement of sounds, often achieved through the use of soft consonants and vowels.
Farce
A type of comedy that uses exaggerated, improbable situations, slapstick humor, and absurdity to entertain
Feminine Rhyme
A rhyme that matches two or more syllables, with the stress not on the final syllable (e.g., "motion" and "ocean").
Foil
A character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, in order to highlight particular qualities of the main character.
Foot
The basic unit of measurement in poetry, consisting of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables
Foreshadowing
A literary device where hints or clues are provided about what will happen later in the story, often building suspense.
Free verse
Poetry that does not follow a regular meter or rhyme scheme, allowing greater flexibility and freedom in expression.
Gothic novel
A genre characterized by dark, mysterious settings and supernatural elements, often featuring gloomy castles, haunted landscapes, and intense emotions (e.g., Frankenstein or Wuthering Heights).
Hubris
Excessive pride or self-confidence that leads to the downfall of a character, particularly in Greek tragedy
Hyperbole
Deliberate and obvious exaggeration used for effect or emphasis (e.g., "I’m so hungry I could eat a horse").
Interior monologue
A narrative technique that reveals a character’s thoughts and feelings in real-time, as though the reader is privy to their inner world.
Inversion
The reversal of the normal word order in a sentence, often used for emphasis or poetic effect (e.g., "In the night sky shimmered the stars").
Irony
A contrast between what is expected and what actually occurs. There are three types:
Verbal: Saying the opposite of what one means
Situational: When the opposite of what is expected happens.
Lampoon
A written satire that ridicules or criticizes a person, group, or institution, often in a humorous or mocking way.
Lyric
A short poem that expresses personal emotions or thoughts, often written in the first person.
Masculine Rhyme
The final syllable of the first word rhymes with the final syllable of the second word.
Melodrama
A dramatic work that emphasizes exaggerated emotions, sensationalism, and a simplistic moral dichotomy between good and evil (A form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villain mean and rotten, and the heroine oh-so-pure.)
Metaphor
A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things, suggesting that one is the other, without using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Time is a thief")
Metonym
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted with a related word or concept (e.g., "The White House" for "the President").
Nemesis
A character’s ultimate opponent or downfall, often representing a force of justice or retribution.
Objectivity
The presentation of a narrative or argument without personal bias or subjective influence, relying on facts rather than opinions.
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that imitate the sounds they describe
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which two contradictory terms are placed together for effect (e.g., "deafening silence")
Parable
A simple, short story that teaches a moral or religious lesson, often using human characters (e.g., many stories in the Bible).
Paradox
A statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but reveals a deeper truth (e.g., "This is the beginning of the end").
Parallelism
The use of similar grammatical structures or word order in two or more sentences or phrases to create a sense of balance and rhythm (e.g., "She likes cooking, jogging, and reading").
Parody
A humorous or satirical imitation of a serious work, often exaggerating its style or subject matter for comedic effect.
Pastoral
A literary work that idealizes rural life and landscapes, often portraying shepherds or country folk in a peaceful, simplistic setting
Pathos
The emotional appeal in literature that aims to evoke feelings of pity, sadness, or compassion from the audience
Persona
The voice or character assumed by the author in a literary work, often different from the author's real voice or personality.
Personification
A figure of speech in which inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas are given human qualities or characteristics
Plaint
complaint or sad cry, often found in poetry.
Protagonist
The main character in a story, play, or novel, around whom the plot revolves. The character with whom the audience sympathizes
Pun
A play on words that exploits the different meanings of a word or words that sound alike but have different meanings (e.g., "I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough").
Refrain
A repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song, often at the end of a stanza, used to emphasize a key idea or create rhythm.
Requiem
A poem or musical composition written in honor of someone who has died, often solemn and reflective in tone.
Rhapsody
An emotionally intense, enthusiastic, or passionate piece of writing or music, often expressing wild or uncontrolled feeling.
Rhetorical Question
A question asked for effect or emphasis, not intended to be answered because the answer is implied (e.g., "Who doesn’t love a good story?").
Satire
A genre that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize human vice or folly/society, often with the intent of inspiring change.
Simile
A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Her smile was like the sun").
Soliloquy
A speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud while alone on stage, revealing their innermost feelings or plans, often found in drama
Stanza
A grouped set of lines in a poem, usually separated from other _______ by a blank line or indentation, similar to a paragraph in prose.
Stock characters
Stereotypical characters that are easily recognizable because they appear frequently in literature (e.g., the evil stepmother, the mad scientist).
Subjectivity
A perspective influenced by personal feelings, opinions, or biases, rather than objective facts or universal truths.
Subjunctive Mood
A verb mood used to express wishes, hypotheticals, or conditions contrary to fact (e.g., "If I were a bird, I would fly away").
Summary
A brief retelling of the main points or events in a story or piece of writing, without added commentary or analysis.
Symbolism
The use of symbols (objects, characters, or actions) to represent abstract ideas or concepts (e.g., a dove representing peace)
Theme
The central idea, message, or underlying meaning of a literary work, often a universal insight about life or human nature.
Thesis
A central argument or main point that an author develops in a piece of writing, especially in an essay or critical analysis.
Tragic flaw
A character trait, usually a flaw like hubris or jealousy, that leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy.
Travesty
A grossly distorted or absurd imitation of something, often mocking or reducing the subject (that is traditionally viewed as respectable) to a ridiculous level.
Truism
A statement that is obviously true and says nothing new or interesting (e.g., "The sun rises in the east").