literary terms

drama

Literature intended for performance.

classical drama

Adhering to the traditions of ancient Greece and Rome.

comedy

Light and humorous plays with happy endings.

tragedy

Serious and somber plays leading to a catastrophic ending.

tragicomedy

A mix of tragedy and comedy, combining serious and lighthearted elements.

historical drama

Drama set in a specific historical period.

irony

Expressing meaning through contradiction or opposite statements.

parody

Comedic imitation of another work.

satire

Critique of society, politics, or human folly using humor.

cynicism

Distrusting or mocking human sincerity and motives.

anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

antithesis

Contrast between two opposing ideas.

asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or).

polysyndeton

Excessive use of conjunctions to slow down the rhythm.

allegory

Symbolic story where characters and events represent deeper meanings.

anthropomorphism

Giving human traits to animals, gods, or objects.

personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things.

synaesthesia

Mixing sensory experiences.

metaphor

Direct comparison without using like/as.

simile

Comparison using like/as.

metonymy

Replacing a word with something closely related to it.

hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for effect.

litotes

A double negative or understatement to emphasize something.

understatement

Making something seem less important than it is.

wordplay/pun

A joke using meanings of a word or similar-sounding words.

onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds.

oxymoron

A phrase combining two contradictory words for dramatic effect.

paradox

A self-contradictory statement that seems absurd but reveals a truth.

rhetorical question

Question asked for effect, not to be answered.

volta (turn)

A shift in tone or argument, often in poetry or speeches.

caesura

A pause within a line of poetry.

myth

Stories explaining natural or social phenomena, often involving deities.

legend

Traditional stories with historical roots but often exaggerated.

urban legend

Contemporary folklore, often fictional yet presented as true.

folktale/fairy tale

Stories with magical or moral themes.

essay

Short non-fictional prose on a specific topic.

short story

Brief fictional narrative.

novella

A short novel.

novel

Extended fictional work with various subgenres.

character

The person or being in a story.

hero/heroine

Brave, noble, and morally upright main character.

antihero

A main character who lacks traditional heroic qualities.

protagonist

The main character in the story.

antagonist

The opposing force to the protagonist.

flat character

A simple, one-dimensional character.

round character

Complex, multi-dimensional character who develops.

chronological order

Events are told in the order they happened.

flashback

A scene that takes place in the past.

flashforward

Scene that jumps forward in time to show future events.

literary space

Setting or environment where the story takes place.

in media res

Story starts in the middle of an action rather than the beginning.

plot

Sequence of events in a story.

exposition

Introduction to a story.

rising action

Conflict builds.

climax

Turning point in a story.

resolution

Conclusion of a story.

cliffhanger

Suspenseful ending that leaves the reader wanting more.

open ending

Story leaves questions unanswered.

closed ending

Everything gets resolved.

suspense

The tension or excitement that keeps the reader engaged.

point of view

The perspective from which a story is told.

I-narrator

Narrator using I or we.

monologue

A long speech by one character.

dialogue

A conversation between two or more characters.

poem

A piece of writing that expresses feelings and ideas.

ballad

A narrative poem that tells a story, often about love or tragedy.

ode

A lyrical poem that praises a person, event, or thing.

elegy

A poem of mourning, often written for someone who has died.

haiku

A short Japanese poem with three lines (5-7-5 syllables).

limerick

A humorous, five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme.

sonnet

A 14-line poem, often about love or deep emotions.

rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhymes in a poem.

enjambement

When a sentence continues beyond the line break without a pause.

metonomy

replacing a word with something closely related to it.

narrating time

how long it takes to tell the story

narrated time

the time span inside the story

leading motif

recurring theme or symbol

personal narrator

a limited third person narrator, following one character’s perspective

auctorial narrator

a god-like narrator who knows everything about every character

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds within words

end rhyme / tail rhyme

rhyming words at the end of lines

line

a single row of words in a poem

stanza

a group of line froming a unit in a poem (like a paragraph in prose)