lit terms

Symbolism

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

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

Connotation

The emotional impact of a word, beyond its literal meaning

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Tone

An author's attitude toward a subject (character, event, setting, object, etc) in his/her writing

Mood

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

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 description/meaning

Simile

A comparison of 2 things with "like" or "as"

Hyperbole

To exaggerate a sense for humor or emphasis

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman objects

Onomatopoeia

A word that mimics the sound it describes

Dystopia

An imagined future or alternative version of the present where the word is worse than present day reality

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

Tropes

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

Style

The choices an author makes while writing that makes his/her writing distinct

Dialogue

Conversation between 2 or more characters generally designated by quotation marks

Narrative

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

Alliteration

The intentional repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of 2 or more words

Stream of Consciousness

Writing in which a character's thoughts and/or experiences are depicted in a continuous uninterrupted flow

Imagery

Words or languages that can be pictured in the mind of the reader

Repetition

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

Allusion

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

Fable

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

Satire

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

Euphemism

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

Propaganda

Biased or misleading information used to promote a particular political cause

Counterclaim

A claim made to argue against a previous claim

Dramatic irony

When the reader or audience knows something that a character doesn't know

Situation irony

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

Verbal irony

A person says one thing but means the opposite

Rhetoric

Language intended to have a persuasive effect on its audience

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

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

Theme

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

Subtext

The implied underlying message or meaning of a written work

Diction

A writer's choice of words

Syntax

The way a writer chooses to structure his or her sentences

Motivation

The reasons behind a character's actions or behaviors

Juxtaposition

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

Direct Characterization

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

Indirect Characterization

When an author reveals a character through the characters word, thoughts, actions, interactions with others

First Person POV

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

Second Person POV

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

Third Person POV

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

third person omniscient POV

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

Vignette

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

Parallelism

Repetition of an entire phrase or the grammatical strucutre of a phrase

Character VS Character

Conflict between a protagonist and another character

Character VS Nature

Conflict between a character and elements of the natural world

Character VS Self

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

Character VS Society

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

Understatement

Intentionally presenting something as less significant than it really is

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

Bildungsroman

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

Deus Ex Machina

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

Rhetorical Question

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

Inference

A guess or conclussion based on evidence

Explicit

Stated clearly in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt

Abstract

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

Seminal (Adj)

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

Dialect

A regional variety of langugage distinguished by features of vocab, grammer, or pronounciation

Exposition

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

Plot

The action of a story

Archetype

Characters or situations recognizable across times and culture

Frame story

A story within a story, told by 1 of the character

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

Double Entendre

A pun with a vulgar double meaning

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear together

Foreshadow

Hints about events that will occur later in the plot

Slur

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

Cliche

An unoriginal and overused phrase or type

Foil

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

Synthesis

Writing that combines multiple sources and ideas to make a point