Literary Terms and Devices

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering literary terms, rhetorical devices, and stylistic elements based on the lecture transcript.

Allegory

is a story, picture, or video where the characters and events stand for a hidden or deeper meaning, usually about politics, society, or human nature.

ex: animal farm

Alliteration

The repetition of initial sounds in successive neighboring words; specifically, the repetition of identical initial consonant sounds or any vowel sounds in closely associated syllables.

ex: She sells seashells by the seashore.

Allusion

A reference to something literary, mythological, or historical.

ex: calling a smart person Einstein

Anecdote

A brief personal narrative which focuses on a particular incident or event.

Analogy

A comparison between two different things which are similar in some way.

ex: Finding a good friend is like finding a needle in a haystack

Apostrophe

The act of speaking directly to an absent or imaginary person, a nonexistent character, or some abstraction or abstract quality.

ex: O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

Bildungsroman

A genre focusing on the coming-of-age or the physical, psychological, moral, and emotional growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood.

so basically, seeing someone grow as the years pass on an ex: harry potter series.

Cliche

A trite expression, often a figure of speech, whose effectiveness has been worn out through overuse and excessive familiarity, such as "Live and learn."

ex: “time heals all wounds”

Climax

Mounting by degrees through words or sentences of increasing weight and parallel construction, emphasizing the high point or culmination of a series of events or experience.

ex: Frankenstein kills elizabeth

Colloquialism

Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing, characterized by slang, contractions, and conversational rhythms.

ex: gonna or y’all

Conceit

A fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor; it designates fanciful notions and may be a brief metaphor or the framework of an entire poem.

This is supposed to be striking ad amaze the reader for its creativity.

Connotation

The implied or associative meaning of a word, including emotional implications and associations shared by a linguistic community, as distinguished from dictionary meanings.

ex: curious (sounds positive and innocent) while nosy (sounds negative and intrusive).

Metaphor

A direct comparison of two different things which suggests they are somehow the same; traditionally, an implied comparison between two unlike things that have something important in common.

creates a direct comparison with words like “is”.

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word, independent of its emotional coloration or associations.

ex: the denotation of snake is quite literally a reptile while the connotation can infer betrayal.

Diction

Refers to the word choices made by a writer, which may be described as plain, fancy, archaic, or current.

ex: would you care to partake in the talent show? (formal diction)

Ellipsis

The omission of one or more words that are grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the text or supplied by the listener/reader.

removing words:

• Original: "I walked to the store, and then I bought a big red apple."

• With ellipsis: "I walked to the store ... and bought a big red apple."

suspense:

• Hesitation: "I am not sure ... if we should go."

• Suspense: "She opened the box and saw ... nothing."

trailing off:

Unfinished thought: "If only I had known..."

Enjambment

In poetry, the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

ex: "So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be."

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

ex: Isaac Newton after he saw an apple fall from a tree.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant, such as using "pass away" instead of "die."

Foil

A character who, through contrast, underscores the distinctive characteristics of another person.

ex: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy

Genre

A major category or type of literature, such as western, mystery, or romance, rather than just fiction or nonfiction.

Hyperbole

Intentional exaggeration or an extravagant statement used for the purpose of emphasis, heightened effect, or to create a specific effect.

ex: I am so hungry I can eat a horse

Imagery

Concrete, sensory details which contribute to the themes or ideas of a work.

Visual (Sight)

• The crimson sun sank fast.

Auditory (Sound)

• Thunder rumbled far away.

Olfactory (Smell)

• Sweet scents of fresh cinnamon rolls.

Gustatory (Taste)

• Sour lemon juice bit her tongue.

Tactile (Touch)

• Rough tree bark scraped his palm.

Irony

A situation or statement where truth is opposite to appearances (situational), use of words to convey the opposite of literal meaning (verbal), or when the audience is aware of something characters are not (dramatic).

situational: A fire station burns down to the ground.

verbal: Stepping out into a terrible hurricane and saying, "What lovely weather we're having."

dramatic: In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is just asleep, but Romeo thinks she is dead.

Juxtaposition

The act of placing two or more elements—such as ideas, images, or characters—side-by-side to compare, contrast, or create a specific effect. (focuses on contrast and differences)

ex: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Motif

A standard theme or dramatic situation which recurs in various works.

ex: in the picture of Dorian Gray, the ever-changing portrait that represents Dorian’s changing morality.

Onomatopoeia

A word formed by the imitation of natural sounds.

ex: animal sounds (moo), collisions (Bang), water (splash), frying food (sizzle), etc.

Paradox

An apparently contradictory statement which actually contains some truth, such as George Orwell's "War is peace."

Parody

A humorous imitation of a serious work.

ex: Julie’s “strange addiction” video

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

ex: I came, I saw, I conquered.

list of verbs: she likes hiking, biking, and walking.

list of things: we need eggs, bread, and jam.

Personification

Endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics.

ex: SpongeBob (a sponge who has human tendencies)

Pun

A play on words based on the similarity of sound between two words with different meanings.

ex: never trust an atom, they make up everything

Rhetorical Question

A question proposed for its persuasive effect and not requiring a reply; it is used to make a deeper impression because the answer is obvious.

ex: do you think money grows on trees

Satire

A work or manner that blends humor and wit with a censorious attitude to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions for the purpose of improvement.

ex: a modest proposal

Simile

A stated comparison, usually formed with "like" or "as," between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common.

ex: it is as hot as your breath

Symbol

A literal object in a story that is something in itself, yet is used to represent something metaphorical beyond the text.

ex: dove=love

Style

The overall manner in which an individual writer expresses ideas, which can be described by types (journalistic, scientific) or characteristics (abstract, concrete, rhythmic, dull).

Syntax

The manner in which words are arranged by a writer into sentences; it is the level of language that most distinguishes poetry from prose.

subject first, then verb, then object

ex: Sara (subject) ate (verb) an apple (object)

Tone

The writer's implied attitude toward the subject or audience, such as formal, informal, intimate, solemn, playful, or ironic.

friendly: “Please let me know if you need any help at all.”