Vocabulary of Literature

alliteration

the repetition of initial consonant sounds

allusion

a brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place or event-real or fictional

ambiguity

the presence of two or more possible meanings in a word, symbol, phrase, or passage

anecdote

a brief narrative within a text to capture an audience’s attention or to support a generalization of a claim

apostrophe

addressing someone or something that is absent

aside

a short passage that directly addresses the audience or expresses a character’s inner thoughts (other characters do not hear this)

assonance

the repetition of vowels in neighboring words

consonance

the repetition of consonant within words

diction

word choice

epigraph

a short quotation or passage at the beginning of a book, chapter, or poem, intended to suggest the work’s theme

euphemism

the substitution of of an inoffensive term for one considered offensive

extended metaphor

a comparison of two unlike things that continue through a poem, story, novel , or play

figurative language

language that uses words or expressions with a meaning different from the literal interpretation

flashback

a shift in narrative to an earlier event that interrupts the normal chronological development of the story

foreshadowing

the presentation of details, characters, or incidents in a narrative so that later events are prepared for

hyperbole

a statement using extreme exaggeration for emphasis or effect

imagery

vivid descriptive language that appeals to the five senses

metaphor

a comparison (stated or implied) between two unlike things to emphasize some shared quality between them

metonymy

the substitution of one word or phrase for another with which it  is closely associated

monologue

a long address given by a character to other characters on stage

motif

an element or idea (usually symbolic) repeated throughout a  work that points to the text’s larger theme

onomatopoeia

the use of words that describe sounds or that imitate the sounds associated with them

oxymoron

the use of incongruous or contradictory words side by side

paradox

a statement that seems to contradict itself but reveals a truth

personification

the endowment of human qualities or abilities in animals, inanimate objects, or abstract ideas

pun

a play on words that sound the same but have different meanings  or on words with multiple meanings

rhetorical question

a question asked merely for effect with no answer expected

sarcasm

a remark that means or implies the opposite of what is said (verbal irony)

simile

the comparison of two fundamentally unlike objects using the words “like” or “as”

soliloquy

a long address given by a character alone on stage

symbol

a person, place, action, or thing that represents something other than itself

synecdoche

using a part to represent the whole

understatement

deliberately making a situation seem less important or serious than it is

allegory

extending a metaphor so that objects, persons, and actions in a  text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text

antagonist

a character who actively opposes or is hostile to the protagonist;  an adversary

anticlimax

an event that causes disappointment because it is less exciting  than was expected

archetype

a primordial image, character, story, symbol, situation, or pattern  that recurs throughout human culture consistently enough to be considered a universal concept or situation

characterization

describing (analyzing) a character in literature; can be direct (stated in the text) or indirect (inferred by the reader)

cliche

a trite, obvious, or overused remark

climax

the culmination of a series of events

connotation

all the feelings, ideas, and emotional attachments of a word

denotation

the direct or dictionary meaning of a word

denouement

the final part in a narrative in which the strands of the plot are  drawn together and matters are resolved

dramatic irony

situational irony where the audience knows something to be true  that a character believes to be false (or vice versa)

epic hero

the hero of an epic; usually imbued with superhuman traits

eulogy

a formal expression of praise forsomeone who has recently died

exposition

the early parts of a work of literature that indicates setting,  introduces main characters, and suggests theme

foil

a character who is presented as a contrast to a second character  so as to emphasize some aspect of the second character

frame narrative

a story within a story

hero

an archetype who is the chief character in a work and who is generally identified with good qualities

in medias res

beginning a narrative in a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events; the situation is an extension of previous events  and will be developed in later action

infer

to deduce or conclude from evidence

irony

the difference between the expected and actual result

mood

the emotion of a text as experienced by the reader

narrative

a rhetorical strategy that recounts a sequence of events, usually  in chronological order

point of view

the perspective of a literary work

prose

written language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure

protagonist

the main character in a literary work

satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, wit, or ridicule to expose  vice, foolishness, orstupidity in order to change it

structure

the grammar and style of a literary work

syntax

the arrangement of words within a text (one aspect of grammar

theme

the universal meaning of a work (the "So What?")

tone

the speaker's/narrator's attitude toward the subject, characters, and audience; the emotion of a text as conveyed by the author

tragic flaw

a character trait normally thought to be a beneficial characteristic, but when displayed in excess brings about a fall

tragic hero

the protagonist of a tragedy who has a fall brought about by some tragic flaw

voice

author's style and/or the characteristic speech and thought patterns of a first-person narrator