Literary Terminology/Devices for Poetry and Prose Analysis

Allegory

the representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form

Allusion

A reference to a canonical work of literature, usually the Bible, Shakespeare, or mythology

Alliteration

Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of successive words or phrases

Anachronism

an error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or phrases

Antagonist

The protagonist's adversary, not always "the bad guy or the villain," but typically so

Anti-Hero

Character who was characteristics opposite to that of a conventional hero

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of two opposing elements through parallel grammatical structure

Apostrophe

When a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond

Assonance

Repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry

Asyndeton

Omission of conjoining conjunctions when not grammatically necessary for emphasis or to maintain meter

Bildungsroman

A novel of coming of age, formation, growth, change

Blank verse

Poetic lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter

Caesura

A brief pause in a line of poetry caused by enjambment or punctuation anywhere in the line

Catharsis

The emotional release of the audience by experiencing vicariously the suffering of the characters

Cacophony

A harsh discordant mixture of sounds

Chiasmus

words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form

Colloquialism

Informal, conversational language; can also be phrases or sayings that are indicative of a specific region

Conceit

Establishes a comparison between two very different concepts or objects; a specific use of extended metaphor

Connotation

Idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds in a phrase or line of poetry

Couplet

Two rhyming lines in poetry

Denotation

dictionary definition

Diction

specific word choice

Denouement

Final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot

Double entendre

Word/phrase open to two interpretations

Elegy

Poem/song composed especially as lament for a deceased person

Enjambment

Continuation of reading one line of a poem to the next with no pause

End-stopped line

Metrical line ending at a grammatical boundary or break

Epic

Extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language

Epigraph

Introductory quote at beginning of novel or play

Epilogue

A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a play, or in a novel the epilogue is a short explanation at the end of the book which indicates what happens after the plot ends.

Epistolary

Describes a novel that tells its story through letters written from one character to another

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word or phrase at end of sentence or clause

Euphemism

Substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more accepted or positive one

Euphony

Succession of words which are pleasing to the ear

Fable

Short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point; often employs animals as characters

Feminine ending

An unstressed extra syllable at the end of a line of poetry

Figurative language

Departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning

Flashback

When a character remembers a past event that is relevant to the current action of the story

Flat character

Character whose personality can be defined by one or two traits and doesn't change over the course of the text

Foil

Character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another

Foreshadowing

Clues in the text about incidents that will occur later in the plot

Free verse

Verse that contains a variety of line lengths, is unrhymed, and lacks traditional meter

Hamartia

Greek word describing the tragic flaws of a character

In medias res

Story that begins in the middle of things

Inversion

In poetry, it's an intentional digression from the ordinary word order, which is used to maintain regular meter

Irony

When one thing should occur, is apparent, or in logical sequence but the opposite actually occurs

Masculine ending

Stressed extra syllable at the end of a line

Meter

Measured arrangement of words in poetry, by accented rhythm, number of syllables grouped by stressed syllables, or the total number of syllables in a line

Metaphor

Figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison

Metonymy

Use of word or phrase to stand in for something else which is often associated

Motif

Symbolic image or idea that occurs frequently

Novella

Short novel usually under 100 paged

Ode

Lyric poem of considerable length, usually of a serious or mediative nature and having an elevated style

Paradox

Statement which seems to contradict itself

Parody

Work that imitates the characteristic style of an author/work for comic effect or ridicule

Polysyndeton

Use of multiple joining conjunctions when not grammatically necessary for emphasis or to retain meter

Prologue

An introduction or preface, especially a poem recited to introduce a play

Prose

Ordinary speech or writing without metrical structure, written in paragraph form

Pun

Play on words, when two words have multiple meanings and spellings and are used in a humorous manner.

Rhyme scheme

Pattern of end rhyme in a poem

Satire

A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit; the goal is to change the behavior/issue

Soliloquy

A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener.

Sonnet

Traditionally, a poem of fourteen lines of rhyming iambic pentameter

Style

Combination of distinctive features of literary expression

Symbol

Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible

Syncecdoche

Figure of speech in which a part is referred to by the whole or the whole refers to a part

Tragedy

A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow especially as the consequence of a tragic flaw

Tone

Reflects how the author feels about the subject matter or the feeling the author wants to instill in the reader through the use of specific diction