moyer lit terms 25-26

foreshadow

hints about events that will occur later in the plot

allegory

a story in which the characters, objects, and events symbolically represent particular moral, religious, or political ideas outside of the context of the story

inference

a guess or conclusion based on evidence

explicit

stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt

vignette

a brief descriptive piece of narrative writing, generally set apart within larger text

bildungsroman

a coming-of-age story focused on the growth and development of a young protagonist

theme

a recurring idea connected to the underlying meaning in a piece of writing

unreliable narrator

a character whose telling of the story is not completely accurate or credible due to problems with the character's mental state, honesty, or maturity

literal

the original, basic meaning of a word or phrase

figurative language

words and phrases that describe something creatively, rather than literally

metaphor

a comparison in which an object is described by calling it something else that has a shared characteristic

simile

a comparison between two things, using connecting words such as "like" and "as"

hyperbole

an exaggeration used for humor or emphasis

personification

giving human qualities to nonhuman objects

onomatopoeia

a word that mimics that sound it describes

symbolism

the use of an object, character, or event in a story to represent an idea connected to the deeper meaning of a story

subtext

the implied underlying message or meaning of a written work

motif

something (image, type of language, action, etc.) with symbolic significance that shows up repeatedly in a story in different ways to contribute toward the development of a theme

motivation

the reasons behind a character's actions or behaviors

euphemism

a mild word or phrase substituted for one considered to be inappropriate, unpleasant, or embarrassing

slur

a word or phrase meant to hurt a person, focusing on a aspect of the person's identity

dialect

a regional variety of language distinguished by the features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation

mood

the feelings and emotions evoked in the reader by an author's choice of words

juxtaposition

the intentional placement of different elements of a story side by side in order to draw attention to their similarities and/or differences

dialogue

conversation between two or more characters generally assigned by quotation marks

diction

a writer's choice of words

syntax

the way a writer chooses to structure their sentences

tone

an author's attitude toward a subject (character, event, setting, object, etc.) in his or her writing

direct characterization

when an author, character, or narrator explicitly describes a character

indirect characterization

when an author reveals a character through the characters' words, thoughts, actions, and interactions with others

exposition

the part of a story from the perspective of the author or narrator that gives background information on characters and situations

plot

the action of the story

imagery

words and language that can be pictured in the mind of the reader

abstract

existing as a thought or idea that is difficult or impossible to picture

connotation

the emotional impact of a word, beyond its literal meaning

allusion

a reference to a recognizable person, place, or item outside the context of the text

double entendre

a pun with a vulgar double meaning

oxymoron

a figure of speech in which apparently contradicting terms appear together

pun

a joke using the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings

deus ex machina

a unexpected character or event that appears suddenly at the end of a story to settle the central conflict

frame story

a story within a story, told by one of the characters

seminal (adjective)

describes an important document, event or person that has a strong influence on later historical developments

first person point of view

story is written or told from the perspective of the pronoun "I"

second person point of view

story is written or told primarily using the pronoun "you"

third person limited point of view

story is written or told using the pronouns "he," "she," "they," etc. by a narrator who is limited to the perspective of a specific character or characters

third person omniscient point of view

story is written or told using the pronouns "he," "she," "they," etc. by a narrator who can describe the thoughts and feelings of any character

archetype

characters and situations recognizable across times and culture

tropes

motifs, characters, and situations that commonly appear within a genre of literature

narrative

a spoken or written account of a series of connected events; a story

style

the choices an author makes while writing

satire

writing that aims to criticize the foolishness of something through humor, exaggeration, and/or irony

rhetoric

language intended to have a persuasive effect on its audience

dramatic irony

when the reader or audience knows something that a character does not know

situational irony

an occasion in which the outcome is different from what was expected

verbal irony

a person says one thing but means the opposite

alliteration

the intentional repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of two or more words

repetition

repeating a word, phrase, or sentence to draw attention to or emphasize an idea

cliché

an unoriginal and overused phrase or trope

foil

the use of a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight certain qualities or traits of the other character

character versus character

conflict between a protagonist and another character

character versus nature

conflict between a character elements of the natural world

character versus self

conflict within a character's mind, often revolving around a difficult choice

character versus society

conflict between a character and the norms or expectations of his or her community

denotation

the dictionary definition of a word

dystopia

an imagined future or alternative version of the present where the world is worse than present-day reality

stream of consciousness

writing in which a character’s thoughts and/or experiences are depicted in a continuous, uninterrupted flow

fable

a short work of fiction that teaches a lesson or moral, often featuring animals as characters

propaganda

biased or misleading information used to promote a particular political cause

counterclaim

a claim made to argue against a previous claim

ethos

rhetoric that relies on the authority or credibility of the persuader and/or supporters of the persuader

pathos

rhetoric that relies on appealing to the audience or reader’s emotions

logos

rhetoric that relies on reason and logic, often using facts and data

parallelism

repetition of an entire phrase or the grammatical structure of a phrase

understatement

intentionally presenting something as less significant than it really is

rhetorical question

when a question is asked to make a point rather than to get an answer

synthesis

writing that combines multiple sources and ideas to make a point