All Lit Terms

metaphor

A comparison of two things without using like or as

simile

A comparison of two things using "like" or "as"

personification

The giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

apostrophe

Talking to something that can't respond (could also be talking to a dead person)

allusion

reference to historical event, pop culture, or other literary work

allegory

story that mimics another story or event. ex: Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story

metonymy

Where you replace the thing you are talking about with something that represents that thing. ex: the White House released a statement (the actual building didn't release a statement, the president did)

synecdoche

Mentioning a piece of an object to represent the whole thing. ex: I picked up the ballpoint and started writing (the ballpoint is a part of a pen)

paradox

a situation thats impossible: ex: constant instability

oxymoron

two words with opposite definitions right next to each other. ex jumbo shrimp

symbol

a recurring thing that represents something ex: the conch in lord of the flies

imagery

describing something in depth relating to the senses that isn't actually there. ex: I felt like bambi slipping and sliding on ice (he isn't actually bambi).

dialogue

Conversation between characters

aside

when a character speaks directly to the audience and other people can't hear him.

soliloquy

long monologue when alone on stage

monologue

long speech delivered to someone else on stage

In Medias Res

"in the middle of things" something that starts mid scene, then flashes back

Exposition

beginning of story where characters, setting, and time period are introduced Ex: scrolling screen at the beginning of Star Wars

flashback

a reliving of past events

rising action

the events of increasing intensity leading up to climax

climax

where we see the height of the conflict, most intense part of story

conflict

pushback or opposition in a story

epiphany

sudden realization

denouement

falling action, after climax, unraveling of things

setting

time and place of a story

theme

a central idea of a story

Foreshadowing

something that hints at a future event

deus ex machina (god from the machine)

an external force comes and solves the problem. usually abrupt and unexpected. ex: navy guy comes in and saves kids in Lord of the Flies

Protagonist

main character in the story, usually undergoes major change.

antagonist

main villain, the person who opposes the protagonist

tragic hero

a hero who has everything at the beginning of the story then loses everything (a lot of times dies) by the end of the story.

tragic flaw

a character trait possessed by tragic hero that leads to their downfall

anti hero

a protagonist that does bad things but everyone likes him. Ex: Deadpool, Robin Hood

archetype

a recurring element or character that you see in many stories in a genre. ex: damsel in distress, knight in shining armor, nerdy guy gets the girl, high school movies w the five kids

Doppleganger

two people who are assumed to be one (someone sees a person and thinks its another person)

alter ego

one body, two people

Aliteration

when many words in a row start with the same consonant sound

Assonance

vowel sounds repeated in middle of a word

Onomatopoeia

when you say the word (buzz) it makes the sound you say

antithesis

opposite of something. ex: day is the antithesis of night

Parallelism

a part of a sentence is repeated in more that one sentence. ex: offer for offer, vow for vow

anaphora

the repetition of a few words at the beginning of a sentence or line.

iambic pentameter

5 iambic feet (unstressed/stressed) in a sentence

blank verse

iambic but no rhyme

free verse

poetry with no form, no rhyme, no iambic pentameter

explication

analyze a poem

scanning

to count out the meter in a line of poetry

couplet

two lines that are iambic and rhyme

sonnet

formal (follows a form) poem with 14 lines

meter

the rhythm of a line of poetry

stanza

group of lines in poetry, there is white space between stanzas

Enjambment

the sentence gets cut off/divided between two lines

elegy

poem about someone who's dead

Juxtaposition

two things near each other

epithet

adjectival phrase

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

Ambiguity

a word phrase, sentence, or passage that could have multiple meanings and its unclear which one the author is going for.

Connotion

the implied or associative meaning of a word

denotation

dictionary definition

diction

the linguistic choices a writer makes

syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something.

aphorism

short memorable phrase with a lesson, ex: an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

epigram

aphorism at the end of something that usually recaps it. ex: (at the end of abc's) "now I know my abc's next time won't you sing with me"

satire

genre with goals of incite change, make laugh

romantic hero

dark, brooding, usually rebels against something

occasional poetry

written for a specific occasion

dramatic irony

When the reader (or another character) is aware of something that a character isn't.

ex: Frankenstein tells his story to Walton, but only he knows the events in the story.

situational irony

something that happens and is the opposite of what you would expect

cosmic irony

When a human is reaching for one result, but something uncontrollable (the cosmos I guess) like god, the weather, time, etc. intervenes and causes another outcome

verbal irony

When a character says one thing, but means the opposite

appeal to authority

"this person who's an expert in this subject agrees with me, so you should too"

ex: a dentist saying in a commercial for toothpaste saying he used that toothpaste

appeal to emotion

making people have the same feelings as you to cause them to agree with you

appeal to logic

uses facts and evidence to have the reader draw the same conclusion you've reached

omniscient narrator

a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters

unrealiable narrator

a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised

persona

an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

intrusive author

An author who pulls the reader's attention out of the main story by describing the setting, characters, or plot; could also talk directly to the reader; informs you of additional things that a character isn't telling you

tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.

sentimentality

excessive tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia

dialect

A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.

synesthesia

describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")

genre

a major category or type of literature

episodic novel

a narrative composed of loosely connected incidents, each one more or less self-contained, often connected by a central character or characters

epistolary novel

a novel written as a series of documents

gothic/grotesque

A type of romantic novel having to do with horror and ghosts (Ex: Frankenstein)

picaresque novel

An episodic novel about a roguelike wanderer who lives off his wits. Ex: Don Quixote, Moll Flanders

utopia

an ideal society

dystopia

an imaginary place where living conditions are dreadful