Literary Terms

Allegory

A story illustrating an idea or a moral principle in which objects take on symbolic meanings

Alliteration

A repetition of the initial sounds of several words in a group used for poetic effect or emphasis

Allusion

A reference in one literary work to a character or theme found in another literary work

Ambiguity

A statement which can contain two or more meanings

Anadiplosis

A figure of speech that describes ending one sentence or clause with a word or phrase that is then repeated at the start of the next clause or sentence

Analouge

A comparison between two similar things

Analogy

An argumentative comparison that compares two unlike things to advance an argument

Anapest

Two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable forming the pattern for the line or perhaps for the entire poem

Anecdote

A very short tale told by a character in a literary work

Antagonist

A person or force which opposes the protagonist in a literary work

Antanaclasis

A rhetorical device in which a word is repeated in a sentence but with a different meaning each time, enhancing the phrase's significance

Antimetabole

The repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order (ex. I know what I like, and I like what I know)

Aphorism

A brief statement which expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation

Apostrophe

A figure of speech wherein the speaker speaks directly to something nonhuman or someone who is not present

Aside

A character in a drama makes a short speech which is heard by the audience but not by other characters in the play

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in a literary work

Ballad

A story in poetic form, often about tragic love and usually sung

Blank Verse

A poem written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

Cacophony

Unpleasant combination of sounds

Euphony

A pleasant combination of sounds

Caesure

A pause within a line of poetry which may or may not affect the metrical count

Canto

Subdivision of an epic poem

Carpe Diem

Latin phrase which translated means "Seize the day," meaning "Make the most of today"

Catastrophe

Scene in a tragedy which includes the death or moral destruction of the protagonist

Characterization

Method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work; may include (1) what the character says about themself, (2) what others say about the character, and (3) their actions

Chiasmus

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form (ex. Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds)

Classicism

Movement or tendency in art, music, and literature to retain the characteristics found in work originating in classical Greece and Rome; concerns itself with form and discipline

Climax

Decisive moment in a drama; turning point of the work to which the rising action leads

Conceit

A far-fetched simile or metaphor

Concrete Poetry

A poem that visually resembles something found in the physical world

Connotation

A word’s emotional content

Denotation

A word’s dictionary definition

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds with differing vowel sounds in words near each other in a line or lines of poetry

Couplet

A stanza of two lines, usually rhyming

Datcyl

A metrical pattern consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

Denouement

Part of a drama which follows the climax and leads to the resolution

Diction

An author's choice of words

Didactic Literature

Literature designed explicitly to instruct

Dramatic Monologue

The occurrence of a single speaker saying something to a silent audience

Ekphrasis

A poem or story that is directly inspired by another piece of art

Elegy

A lyrical poem lamenting death

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line or stanza

Epanalepsis

A figure of speech in which the same word is used at the end of a clause as at the beginning of a preceding clause (ex. Mankind must put an end to war— or war will put an end to mankind)

Epic

A major work dealing with an important theme

Epigraph

A brief quotation which appears at the beginning of a literary work

Epimone

A rhetorical device involving the repetition of a phrase or question to emphasize a point

Epithet

A word of phrase preceding or following a name which serves to describe the character

Epizeuxis

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated in immediate succession, with no intervening words (ex. Words, words, words)

Euphemism

A mild word of phrase which substitutes for another which would be undesirable because it is too direct, unpleasant, or offensive

Exposition

The presentation of essential information regarding what has occurred prior to the beginning of the play

Fable

A brief tale designed to illustrate a moral lesson

Falling Action

Series of events which take place after the climax

Farce

A comedic dramatic work that uses exaggerated situations and physical humor for entertainment

Figurative Language

A way of saying one thing and meaning something else

Figure of Speech

An example of figurative language that states something that is not literally true in order to create an effect

Flashback

A reference to an event which took place prior to the beginning of a story or play

Foil

A character that contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities of the other character

Foot

A basic unit of measurement in poetry, consisting of a specific combination of stressed and unstressed syllables

Foreshadowing

A method used to build suspense by providing hints of what is to come

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which an overstatement or exaggeration

Iamb

A metrical pattern of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

Imagery

A word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell

Inference

A judgement based on reasoning rather than on direct or explicit statement

In Media Res

A narrative technique that begins a story in the midst of action, often skipping the introductory exposition

Juxtaposition

The placement of contrasting ideas next to each other

Situational Irony

A situation in which the outcome is markedly different from what is expected, often resulting in a surprising or humorous effect

Dramatic Irony

A situation in a play or story where the audience knows more about the events or the implications than the characters, creating tension or humor

Verbal Irony

The contrast is between the literal meaning of what is said and what is meant

Sarcasm

A form of verbal irony where someone says the opposite of what they actually mean, often for mocking or humorous effect

Local Color

A detailed setting forth of the characteristics of a particular locality, enabling the reader to "see" the setting

Lyric Poem

A short poem wherein the poet expresses an emotion or illuminates some life principle

Metaphor

A figure of speech wherein a comparison is made between two unlike quantities without the use of the words "like" or "as"

Meter

A regular pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables in a line or lines of poetry

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a word represents something else that it suggests

Mood

The atmosphere or feeling created by a literary work, partly by a description of the objects or by the style of the descriptions

Motif

A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition

Myth

An unverifiable story based on a religious belief

Narrative Poem

A poem that tells a story

Ode

A poem in praise of something divine or expressing some noble idea

Onomatopoeia

A literary device wherein the sound of a word echoes the sound it represents

Oxymoron

A combination of contradictory terms

Parable

A brief story, told or written in order to teach a moral lesson

Paradox

A situation or a statement that seems to contradict itself, but on closer inspection, does not

Parallel Structure

A repetition of sentences using the same structure

Parody

A literary work that imitates the style of another literary work

Pastoral

A literary work that has to do with shepherds and rustic settings

Pathetic Fallacy

A fallacy of reason in suggesting that nonhuman phenomena act from human feelings, as suggested by the word "pathetic" from the Greek pathos; a literary device wherein something nonhuman found in nature-a beast, plant, stream, natural force, etc.-performs as though from human feeling or motivationascribing human emotions to nature or inanimate objects.

Personification

A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human characteristics

Plot

The structure of a story

Point of View

The vantage point from which a story is told, determining the narrator's position in relation to the story's events

Polyptoton

A stylistic scheme in which different words derived from the same root (ex. strong and strength) are used together

Protagonist

The hero or central character of a literary work

Pun

A play on words wherein a word is used to convey two meanings at the same time

Quatrain

A four-line stanza, which may be rhymed or unrhymed

Heroic Quatrain

A four line stanza rhymed abab

Resolution

The part of a story where the main conflict is resolved, leading to the conclusion of the plot

Rhyme

A pattern of repeated sounds

End Rhyme

A rhyme that occurs at the end of lines in poetry, where the final words of each line sound alike

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry, where words in the same line share similar sounds

Eye Rhyme

A form of rhyme wherein the look of words at the end of successive lines of poetry rather than the sound is important