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Allegory
a story in which the characters, settings, and events stand for abstract or moral concepts
Alliteration
the repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to one another
Allusion
a reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known for literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science or popular culture
Analogy
a comparison of two things to show that they are alike in certain respects
Antagonist
the character or force that opposes or blocks the protagonist, or main character, in a narrative
Antithesis
a contrast of ideas expressed in a grammatically balanced statement
Apostrophe
a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something nonhuman as if it were present and capable of responding
! Archetype
recurring patterns (plot structures, symbol, character types, themes) that occur in mythology, religion, and stories across cultures and time periods
Aside
private words that a character in a play speaks to the audience or to another character and that are not supposed to be overheard by others on stage
Assonance
the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in words that are close together !!!
Atmosphere
the mood or feeling in a literary work
Autobiography
a written account of the authors own life
Ballad
a song or songlike poem that tells a story
Biography
an account of a persons life written by another person
Blank Verse
Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
Cadence
the natural rise and fall of the voice
Character
an individual in a story or play
Characterization
process in which the writer reveals the personality of a character
Cliche
an expression that was fresh and apt when first coined but is now so overused that os had become hackneyed and stale
Climax
the point of greatest emotional intensity or suspense in a plot
Comedy
in general, a story that ends happily
Conceit
a fanciful and elaborate figure of speech that makes a surprising connection between two seemingly dissimilar things
Conflict
a struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions
Connotation
all the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests
Consonance
the repetition of final consonant sounds after different vowel sounds
Couplet
two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
Denotation
the literal, dictionary definition of a word
Denouement
see plot
Deus Ex Machina
any artificial or contrived device used at the end of a plot to resolve or untangle the complications
Dialect
a way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people
Dialogue
conversation between two or more people
Diction
a writers or speakers choice of words
Dissonance
a harsh, discordant combination of sounds
Dramatic Monologue
a poem in which a character addresses one or more listeners who remain silent or whose replies are not revealed
Elegy
a poem that mourns the death of a person or laments something lost
End-stopped Line
a line of poetry in which the meter and the meaning conclude with the end of the line
Epic
a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society
Epiphany
in a literary work, a moment of sudden insight or revelation that a character experiences
Epithet
an adjective or other descriptive phrase that is regularly used to characterize a person, place, or thing
Essay
a short piece of nonfiction prose that examines a single subject from a limited point of view
Fable
a very brief story in prose or verse that teaches a moral, or practical lesson about life
Farce
a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in far-fetched, silly situations
Figure of Speech
a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another that is not meant to be understood on a literal level
Flashback
a scene in a movie, play, short story, novel, or narrative poem that interrupts the present action of the plot to ¨flash backward" and tell what happened in an earlier time
Foil
a character who sets off another character by strong contrast
Foreshadowing
the use of clues to hint at what is going to happen later in the plot
Frame Story
an introductory narrative within which one or more of the characters proceed to tell a story
Free Verse
poetry that has no regular meter or rhyme scheme
Hyperbole
a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect
Iambic Pentameter
a line of poetry made up of five iambs
iamb
a metrical foot, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
Imagery
language that appeals to the senses
IN MEDIAS RES
the technique of starting a story in the middle and then using a flashback to tell what happened earlier
Irony
A contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen, or between what appears to be true and what really is true
Kenning
In Anglo-Saxon poetry, a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly.
Lyric Poetry
poetry that focuses on expressing emotions or thoughts, rather than on telling a story
Maxim
brief statement that contains a little piece of wisdom or a general rule of behavior
Memoir
a kind of non-fiction writing in which a person details their own experiences
Metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things without using a connective word as like, than, or resembles
Extended Metaphor
a metaphor that is extended over several lines of writing
Dead Metaphor
a metaphor that becomes so common that we no longer notice it is a figure of speech
Mixed Metaphor
the incongruous mixture of two or more metaphors
Metaphysical Poetry
a term applied to the poetry of John Donne, Andrew Marvell, and other seventeenth-century poets who wrote in similarly difficult and abstract style
Meter
a generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry
Note 
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