Lit terms 1 H-English Mr Pisano DMHS

Allusion

An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things

commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.

Diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects

on meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise

than street slang. You should be able to describe an author's diction. You SHOULD NOT write in your

thesis, "The author uses diction...". This is essentially saying, "The author uses words to write." (Duh.)

Instead, describe the type of diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain).

Colloquial

Ordinary or familiar type of conversation. A “colloquialism” is a common or

familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism.

Connotation

Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a

word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning. (For example, “policeman,” “cop,” and “The

Man” all denote the same literal meaning of police officer, but each has a different connotation.)

Denotation

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

Jargon

The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity. Lawyers

speak using particular jargon, as do soccer players.

Vernacular

1. Language or dialect of a particular country. 2. Language or dialect of a regional

clan or group. 3. Plain everyday speech

Figurative Language

“Figurative Language” is the opposite of “Literal Language.” Literal language is

writing that makes complete sense when you take it at face value. “Figurative Language” is the opposite:

writing that is not meant to be taken literally.

Analogy

An analogy is a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables. When

a writer uses an analogy, he or she argues that the relationship between the first pair of variables is

the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables. “America is to the world as the

hippo is to the jungle.” Similes and metaphors are sometimes also analogies.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration. “My mother will kill me if I am late.”

Idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally. “I got

chewed out by my coach.”

Metaphor

Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words. “My feet

are popsicles.” An extended metaphor is when the metaphor is continued later in the written

work. If I continued to call my feet “my popsicles” in later paragraphs, that would be an extended

metaphor. A particularly elaborate extended metaphor is called using conceit.

Metonymy

Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept. “Relations

between London and Washington have been strained,” does not literally mean relations between

the two cities, but between the leaders of The United States and England. Metonymy is often used

with body parts: “I could not understand his tongue,” means his language or his speech.

Synecdoche

A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its

parts, or vice versa. “The cattle rancher owned 500 head.” “Check out my new wheels.”

Simile

Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very

different things. “My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles.”

Synesthesia

a description involving a “crossing of the senses.” Examples: “A purplish scent

filled the room.” “I was deafened by his brightly-colored clothing.”

Personification

Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human. “The tired old truck

groaned as it inched up the hill.”

Foreshadowing

When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.

Imagery

Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind. Usually this involves the five senses.

Authors often use imagery in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech.

Irony

When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.

Mood

The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction). Syntax

is often a creator of mood since word order, sentence length and strength and complexity also affect pacing

and therefore mood. Setting, tone, and events can all affect the mood.

Motif

a recurring idea in a piece of literature. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea that “you never really

understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view” is a motif, because the

idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.

Satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets

human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions. Good satire usually has three layers: serious

on the surface; humorous when you discover that it is satire instead of reality; and serious when you discern

the underlying point of the author.

Symbol

Anything that represents or stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete

such as an object, actions, character...that represents something more abstract. Examples of symbols

include the Whale in Moby D**k, the river and the jungle in Heart of Darkness, and the Raven in “The

Raven.”

Theme

The central idea or message of a work. The theme may be directly stated in nonfiction works,

although not necessarily. It is rarely stated directly in fiction.

Tone

A writer's attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and

organization. To identify tone, consider how the piece would sound if read aloud (or how the author wanted

it to sound aloud). Tone can be: playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, somber, etc.