English 11H Lit Terms

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

Alliteration

The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words that are close together in a phrase or sentence.

Allusion

An indirect or passing reference to a person, place, event, or another literary work

Antagonist

The character or force that opposes the protagonist, creating the central conflict of the story

Direct Characterization

The author explicitly tells the audience about the character's personality

Indirect Characterization

The author shows the character's personality through their speech, thoughts, actions, appearance, and how other characters react to them

Climax

The most intense, exciting, or important point of a story; the turning point where the main conflict comes to a head

Connotation

The emotional or cultural association that a word carries, beyond its literal dictionary definition

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any associated emotion or idea

Exposition

The beginning part of a story that introduces background information about the setting, characters, and initial conflict

Flashback

A scene set in a time earlier than the main story, inserted to provide background or context

Foil

A character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) to highlight particular qualities of the other

Foreshadowing

A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story

Humor

The quality of being amusing or comic, used to entertain or lighten the mood

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect

Imagery

The use of descriptive language that appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch)

Inference

A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning from the text

Verbal Irony

A person says or writes one thing and means another

Situational Irony

An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected

Dramatic Irony

The audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as"

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it

Mood

The atmosphere or emotional feeling that a literary work evokes in the reader

Motif

A recurring image, idea, or symbol that develops or explains a theme

1st Person Narration

The narrator is a character within the story, using "I" and "me."

3rd Person Narration Limited

The narrator is outside the story and sees events through the eyes of one character

3rd Person Narration Omniscient

The narrator is "all-knowing" and can reveal the thoughts and feelings of any character

Parody

An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory but contains a deeper truth

Personification

Giving human qualities or abilities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas

Postmodernist

A literary movement characterized by fragmentation, paradox, unreliable narrators, irony, and a general distrust of grand theories and narratives

Protagonist

The main character of a story

Repetition

The action of repeating a word, phrase, or sentence for emphasis or to create a particular effect

Resolution

The end of the story where the conflict is resolved and the plot is concluded. Also known as the dénouement

Rhythm

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of prose or poetry, which creates a sense of beat or musicality

Rising Action

The series of events in a story that build suspense and lead to the climax

Satire

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's foolishness or vices, particularly in the context of politics and other topical issues

Simile

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two different things using the words "like" or "as"

Stream of Consciousness

A narrative technique that presents the continuous flow of a character's thoughts, feelings, and memories as they occur in their mind

Symbols

An object, person, or situation that has another meaning other than its literal one; it represents an abstract idea

Theme

The central idea, message, or moral of a story

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice and writing style