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Adventure novel
is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement
Age of Reason
a movement in Europe from about 1650 until 1800 that advocated the use of reason and individualism instead of tradition and established doctrine.
Alliteration
the repetition of beginning consonant sounds in multiple words in a single line, sentence, or phrase
Allusion
a reference to another work or famous figure assumed to be well known enough to be recognized by the reader
Anadiplosis
a word or phrase at or near the end of a clause is repeated at or near the beginning of the next clause
Anapest
a three-syllable metrical pattern in poetry in which two unstressed syllables are followed by a stressed syllable
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of each line of a poem, speech, or sermon
Anecdote
a brief narrative involving presumably real people and events.
Anglo-Saxon poetry
poetic works in the Old English language, which was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxon people
Antagonist
the opposing force that the main character, also known as the protagonist, faces
Antimetabole
a figure of speech in which a phrase is repeated, but with the order of words reversed
Antithesis
a literary device that positions opposite ideas parallel to each other
Aphorism
a short phrase that expresses an important truth about life
Apostrophe
refers to a speech or address to a person who is not present or to a personified object,
Archetype
a primordial image, character, or pattern of circumstances that recurs throughout literature
Aside
a speech or short comment that a character delivers directly to an audience
Assonance
a literary device where vowel sounds are repeated. It is a sound-based device that creates rhythm and mood.
Asyndeton
a literary device in which conjunctions—such as and, but, and or—between words, phrases, or clauses are intentionally omitted while maintaining proper grammar
Attitude
how an author or character feels about something in the novel
Author’s purpose
his reason for or intent in writing
Autobiography
are books that people write about their own lives
Ballad
a poem with a musical quality. It is sometimes set to music.
Ballad stanza
consists of a total of four lines, with the first and third lines written in the iambic tetrameter and the second and fourth lines written in the iambic trimeter with a rhyme scheme of ABCB
Biography
the subject of which is the life of an individual.
Blank verse
that refers to poetry written in unrhymed but metered lines, almost always iambic pentameter
Burlesque
in literature and drama that mocks or imitates a subject by representing it in an ironic or ludicrous way;
Caesura
a break or pause in the middle of a line of verse in an Angelo Saxon poetry
Canon
a set of texts that serve as a recognized standard of stylistic quality, cultural
Caricature
a device used in writing and visual arts that exaggerates someone's distinguishing personality or physical features
Character
any person, animal, or figure represented in a literary work
Chiasmus
a literary device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order
Climax
the central turning point of the story when the protagonist confronts the opposing force (conflict), thus making it the most intense aspect of the plot
Colloquial
a literary device often used by authors as a way to convey personality and authenticity to characters
Comedy
a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having a cheerful ending
Coming of age
the protagonist's journey from being a child to being an adult.
Conceit
a type of figurative language in which the writer establishes a comparison between two very different concepts or object in an exaggerated way
Conflict
thwarted, endangered, or opposing desire
Connotation
the use of a word to suggest a different association than its literal meaning
Consonance
a literary device that repeats the same consonant sounds in adjacent or nearby words
Contrast
a method to compare, show the difference, or emphasize meaning by providing the opposite
Couplet
a literary device consisting of a pair of consecutive lines of poetry, describing a complete thought or idea
Dactyl
a three-syllable metrical pattern in poetry in which a stressed syllable is followed by two unstressed syllables
Denotation
the literal dictionary definition of a word, without any emotional and/or implied meaning hidden beyond the literal
Denouement
the ending. It is the point where all conflicts have been resolved and leave the reader with closure
Description
a text that explains the features of something
Diacope
figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated with a small number of intervening words
Dialect
the use by characters in a narrative of distinct varieties of language to indicate a person's social or geographical status
Dialogue
a stylized written or spoken exchange between two or more people
Diary
form of autobiographical writing, a regularly kept record of the diarist's activities and reflections
Diction
the linguistic choices a writer makes to effectively convey an idea, a point of view, or tell a story
Drama
the portrayal of fictional or non-fictional events through the performance of written dialog (either prose or poetry)
Dramatic irony
when the audience understands more about a situation than some of the characters do
Dramatic monologue
long speeches given by a single character in a literary work
Dynamic character
a character who undergoes significant internal change throughout the course of a story
Elegy
a poem, and it has a particular kind of emotion driving it
Elizabethan sonnet
a sonnet consisting three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern
End rhyme
when the last syllables within a verse rhyme
End-stopped
A metrical line ending at a grammatical boundary or break—such as a dash or closing parenthesis—or with punctuation such as a colon, a semicolon, or a period
English sonnet
a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization
Enjambment
a poetic term for the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next with no punctuation
Epic
a long, often book-length, narrative in verse form that retells the heroic journey of a single person or group of persons
Epigram
a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought
Epistrophe
the repetition of word or phase at the final element of a structure
Epitaph
a short statement about a deceased person, often carved on his/her tombstone
Epithet
a literary device that describes a person, place, or object by accompanying or replacing it with a descriptive word or phrase
Epizeuxis
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated in immediate succession, with no intervening word
Essay
a piece of writing in which the author identifies a theme, or big idea, from a text by generating a thesis statement
Euphemism
a word or phrase that softens an uncomfortable topic
Exaggeration
a literary technique which involves over emphasising something to cause a more effective response in the reader
Exposition
an element of literature that introduces the key background information of a narrative.
Extended metaphor
a version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose or poetry
External conflict
a type of literary conflict in which the protagonist has to struggle against other characters (called antagonists), nature, or society
Fable
a brief, simplistic tale told to convey a moral, or lesson to the reader about how to behave in the world
Falling action
the period of time in a story that follows the climax and leads to the resolution
Fantasy
a type of story or literature that is set in a magical world, often involving traditional myths and magical creatures, etc
Farce
a comedy in which everything is absolutely absurd
Fiction
literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact, though it may be based on a true story or situation
Figurative language
the use of words in a way that deviates from the conventional order and meaning in order to convey a complicated meaning, colorful writing, clarity, or evocative comparison
First person point of view
the narrator is a person in the story, telling the story from their own point of view
Flashback
an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story
Flat character
the lack of an arc, either positive or negative
Foil
a character who contrasts with the protagonist, highlighting the protagonist's attributes
Folk ballad
a song that is traditionally sung by the common people of a region and forms part of their culture.
Folk tale
a traditional story or legend that's common to a specific culture and often passed along orally
Foot
an unit of measurement in poetry, comprised of patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables
Foreshadowing
a narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come are dropped or planted
Formal diction
the use of sophisticated language, without slang or colloquialisms
Frame
a narrative that the beginning and the ending is tied together
Free verse
a poetic style that does not feature a set meter or rhyme scheme
Genre
a specific type of music, film, or writing
Hero
a person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great
Heroic code
Possession of courage and strength, pride, individualism and dislike of humiliation, and a taste for revenge
Heroic couplet
a rhyming couplet, or pair of lines with end rhymes in iambic pentameter
Heroic quest
usually featuring one protagonist who goes on a dangerous mission against all odds to save a group of people or society
Historical writing
a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events
Humanism
a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings
Humor
a literary tool that makes audiences laugh
Humours
a genre of dramatic comedy that focuses on a character or range of characters
Hyperbole
an extreme exaggeration specifically for literary or rhetorical effect
iamb
a unit of two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed
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