Lit terms

Apostrophe

spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Figurative Language

words or phrases that are not intended to be interpreted literally

hyberbole

a delibrate and purposeful exaggeration

metaphor

a comparison of two unlike things that does not use comparative words

metonymy

one word is substitued with another with which it is closely associated

mixed metaphor

when two or more incongruous vehicles are used to describe the same tenor

oxymoron

a kind of paradox that links seemingly contradictory elements that turn out to make sense together

Paradox

a statement that appears contradictory or impossible/absurd but turns out to express a striking truth ex: i must be cruel if only to be kind

Parallelism

repetition of the syntactical structure of a line or phrase

Pathetic Fallacy

a type of personification in which inanimate aspects of nature are given human qualities or feelings Usually reflects/foreshadows events and contributes to tone

Personification

non-human things or abstract ideas are given human attributes

Rhetorical Question

A question is asked not to get answered but to emphasize an already implied conclusion

Simile

a comparison of two seemingly unlike things that uses comparative words

Synecdoche

a part is used to designate the whole of the whole is used to designate the part

Tenor

the aspect of a comparison(metaphor/simile, etc) that is the literal subject, the thing that is being described

Vehicle

the aspect of a comparison that conveys intended understanding of the subject, the thing being used to describe the subject

Understatement 

a form of irony in which a point is expressed as lesser in some way than it really is

Allusion

a passing reference to another work, a historical or mythical event, person, etc

Analogy

Comparison of a subject to something that is similar in order to clarify the nature of the subject

Atmosphere

vibe/mood established through setting imagery diction, (overall feeling/environment created by author

Diction

word choice

Dramatic Irony

the audience knows something that one or more of the characters do not know

Situational irony

That which is expected is not what occurs

Verbal Irony

implying a different meaning from, and often opposite of, what is actually stated. Can be misconstrued as sincere

Formal Diction

Use of sophisticated and/or esoteric vocabulary; can include complex sentence structure

Informal Diction

Use of more casual, conversational language(mimics everday speech

Imagery

descriptive language that relies on one of the five senses

Inversion

a change in what would be considered normal syntax

Rhetorical Strategies

techniques that help shape or enhance a literary work

Sarcasm

The use of irony to mock or convey contempt (more crude than verbal

Symbol

anything that represents itself but also stands for a more abstract idea

Syntax

the order arrangement of words in a line of poetry (or in a sentence)

Verisimiltude

the appearance of being true or real qualities that make the story believable- not necessarily aligned with our true reality but believable in terms of authenticity

Theme

the central idea that a work conveys; that which the author intended the reader to understand, think about, or know as a result of having read the work(what you interpret the work to mean, based on literary elements)

Bildungsroman

a story in which a character goes from immaturity to maturity, childhood to adulthood, naivety to awareness, etc

Intrusive narraration

the narrarator steps outside the story to directly address the reader/audience in a clear effort to offer opinion or explain meaning

Mood

how the reader feels based on the writer’s ability to provide tone, atmosphere

Motif

a recurring idea/symbol/image found in a work- established through plot and symbols-contributes largely to the theme

First Person POV

indicated by the pronouns I, me, we, etc- narrator or speaker tells a story in which they are a character

2nd person POV

indicated by the pronouns you- narrarator tells a story in which the reader is a character

3rd person objective POV

indicated by pronouns they, he, she, it etc. Narrator is not a character in the story and knows only what is visible, does not know any thoughts or feelings of characters

3rd person omniscient pov

indicated by pronouns they, he, she, it etc. narrator is not a character in the story and knows everything about all the characters and events including inner thoughts, full backgrounds, etc

unreliable narraration

the narrator interprets events and intentions in their narration and thus influences(intentionally or unintentionally)the perception and attitudes of the audience first person narrators are more likely to be unreliable. tone is meant to be seen as exaggerated or misleading

tone

the attitude that a character or narrator takes toward a given subject

speaker

the voice that “speaks” a poem; as opposed to the narrator of a book or story. Note: in poetry, the speaker is never equated with the writer/poet, unless specified as so.

caesura

a purposeful, mid-line pause in a poem; usually uses punctuation

end-stoppage

a line of poetry in which the reader is meant to pause at the end of the line

enjambment

a line of poetry which is not end-stopped, in which the thought continues into the next line without pause

meter

arrangement of accented and unaccented syllables in a line of poetry

prosody

the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry( the technical aspects of verse)

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds

assonance

repetition of internal vowel sounds

consonance

repetition of final consonant sounds

end rhyme

rhyme that occurs at the end of lines of poetry; denoted with letters of the alphabet to signify which lines rhyme

eye rhyme

rhyme in which words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently

half-rhyme

“almost” rhyming; aka imperfect, slant, approximate, or off rhyme

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs in the middle of lines of poetry

Onomatopoeia

words that sound like the idea or thing they represent

perfect rhyme

when the end sounds of nearby words match perfectly

repetition

the reiterating of a word or phrase within a poem

rhyme

the repetition of the end sounds of nearby words

rhyme scheme

the controlling pattern or sequence in which rhyme occurs in a poem

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

cinquain

five lines

couplet

two lines with end rhyme

free verse

poetry that does not use consistent meter or regular rhyme scheme

heroic couplet

two lines of rhyming iambic pentameter

lyric poetry

a poem in which a speaker expresses what they feel, percieve, or think; can be very diverse in topic, style, or form;usually short; usually first person speakers

octave

eight lines

quatrain

four lines

refrain

a repeating stanza or line

septet

seven lines

sestet

six lines

stanza

a grouping of lines of poetry, indicated by an empty space before the next one begins

tercet/triplet

three lines

volta

aka “turn”- a rhetorical shift or dramatic change in thought, emotion, or argument, particularly within a sonnet