Literary Terms 21-30

Litotes

A conscious understatement made through negative phrasing that achieves the opposite effect of the words themselves.

Example: In Romeo and Juliet, when Mercutio is fatally stabbed, he looks at the wound and says, “A scratch, a scratch.”

Malapropism

The misuse of a word for humorous effect.

Example: In The Rivals, Mrs. Malaprop says, “He is the very pineapple of politeness,” substituting pineapple for pinnacle.

Oxymoron

A word or phrase that is self-contradictory.

Example: In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare writes, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Soliloquy

A dramatic device in which a character is alone onstage and delivers a speech revealing their private thoughts or feelings, as if thinking out loud.

Example: In Macbeth, Act I, Scene 7, Macbeth reveals his fears and hesitations about killing King Duncan.

Dramatic Monologue

A dramatic device in which a character delivers a speech to either the audience or other characters onstage.

Example: Mark Antony delivers a dramatic monologue after Julius Caesar's assassination, beginning, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

En Media Res

Literally means “in the middle of things.” A narrative technique in which a story begins in the middle of the action, usually at an important point.

Example: Homer's Odyssey begins with Odysseus held captive on Calypso's island, and his backstory is revealed later.

Foil Character

A character with opposite traits to another character, often the main character. Their contrast helps readers better understand both characters.

Example: In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby represents new money while Tom Buchanan represents old money.

Chiasmus

A scheme in which words or concepts are introduced in a particular order and then repeated in reverse order, creating a crisscross pattern.

Example: John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Hamartia

A tragic flaw, especially a misperception, lack of insight, or blindness that ironically results from one's own strengths and abilities.

Example: In Othello, jealousy is Othello's fatal flaw, leading him to believe Iago's lies and murder Desdemona.

Motif

A repeated image, idea, or symbol that helps reveal a text's theme.

Example: Light and darkness can serve as recurring motifs in literature, emphasizing the conflict between good and evil.