French, a literary form or type; classification. e.g. tragedy, comedy, novel, essay, poetry.
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Hubris
Overwhelming pride or insolence that results in the misfortune of the protagonist of a tragedy. It is the particular form of tragic flaw that results from excessive pride, ambition, or overconfidence.
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Hyperbole
Conscious exaggeration used to heighten effect. Not intended literally, it is often humorous. Example: "And fired the shot heard round the world."
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Image
A word or group of words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the senses. Is always a concrete representation.
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Imagery
The use of images, especially in a pattern of related images, often figurative, to create a strong unified sensory impression.
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Induction
A form or reasoning which works from a body of facts to the formulation of a generalization; frequently used in science and history.
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Inversion
Variation of the normal word order (subject first, then verb, then complement) which puts a modifier or the verb as first in the sentence. The element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject.
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Irony
When a reader is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality. Generally speaking, a discrepancy between expectation and reality.
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Litotes
Opposite of hyperbole; it intensifies an idea understatement by stating through the opposite. E.g. saying "It wasn't my best day" instead of "It was my worst day."
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Metaphor
A comparison of two things, often unrelated. A figurative verbal equation results where both "parts" illuminate one another.
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Metonymy
Designation of one thing with something closely associated with it. E.g. calling the head of a committee a CHAIR, the king the CROWN, a newspaper the PRESS, or old people the GRAY HAIRS.
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Mood
An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the details selected.
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Moral
The lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story. A heavily didactic story.
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Motif
A frequently recurrent character, incident, or concept in literature.
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Novel
An extended piece of prose fiction.
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Onomatopoeia
The use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning. "Buzz," "hiss," "slam," and "pop" are commonly used examples.
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Oxymoron
A rhetorical antithesis. Juxtaposing two contradictory terms, like "wise fool" or "deafening silence."
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Parable
A short story from which a lesson may be drawn.
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Paradox
A seemingly contradictory statement or situation which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention.
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Parallelism
Sentence construction which places in close proximity two or more equal grammatical constructions.
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Parody
An exaggerated imitation of a usually more serious work for humorous purposes. The writer in such work uses the quirks of style of the imitated piece in extreme or ridiculous ways.
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Pathos
Qualities of a fictional or nonfictional work that evoke sorrow or pity.
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Periodic Sentence
Sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements—e.g. "Across the stream, beyond the clearing, from behind a fallen a tree, the lion emerged."
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Peripety
Reversal in the hero's fortunes.
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Persona
A writer often adopts a fictional voice to tell a story. Is usually determined by a combination of subject matter and audience.
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Personification
Figurative Language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form—e.g. "When Duty whispers..."
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