Glossery of Literary Terms

absolute

a word free from limitation or qualifications (best, all, unique, perfect)

adage

a familiar proverb or wise saying

ad hominen

an argument attacking an individual’s character rather than their position on an issue

allegory

a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions

**allusion**

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

analogy

in depth comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

anaphora

the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences

antecedent

a word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

antithesis

a statement in which two opposing sides are balanced

aphorism

a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth, often using rhyme or balance

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction

archetype

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is though to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response

asyndeton

a construction of which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

balanced sentence

a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast

bathos

insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity

chiasmus

a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary)

colloquilism

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

complex sentence

a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

compound sentence

a sentence with 2+ coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions

conceit

a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor

concrete details

details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events

cumulative sentence

a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases

declarative sentence

a sentence that makes a statement or declaration\`

deductive reasoning

reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case

didatic

having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing

dilemma

a situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives

dissonance

harsh, inharmonious or discordant sounds

elegy

a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solem theme

ellipsis

the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from context

epigram

a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying

epigraph

a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work

epiphany

a moment of sudden revelation or insight

epitaph

an inscription on a tombstone or burial place

epithet

a term used to point out a characteristic of a person, often compounded adjectives (swift-footed Achilles)

euphemism

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

exclamatory sentence

a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark

expletive

an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes a profanity

homily

a sermon, or a moralistic lecture

hubris

excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy

inductive reasoning

deriving general principals from particular facts or instances

invective

an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack

jargon

the specialized language or vocab of a particular group or profession

juxtaposition

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

literary license

deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect

litotes

type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, it was not a pretty picture)

malapropism

the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (the doctor wrote a subscription)

maxim

a concise statement, often offering advice

metonymy

substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated (the pen is mightier that the sword”

motif

a standard theme, element of dramatic situation that recurs in various works

non sequitur

an inference that doe snot follow logically from the premises (literally, does not follow)

omniscient narrator

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

\
parable

a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson

paradox

an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth

parallelism

the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms

parenthetical

a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain

pedantic

characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship

phillipiic

a strong verbal denunciation

polysyndeton

to use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunction than is necessary or natural

simple sentence

one independent clause and no dependent clause(s)

solecism

nonstandard grammatical usage: violation of grammatical rules

surrelism

an artistic movement emphasizing the imagination and characterized by incongruous juxtaposition an dllack of conscious control

syllepsis

a construction in which one word is used in two different senses (after he threw the ball, he threw a fit)

syllogism

a three part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise (all men are mortal; socrates is a man; therefore socrates is mortal)

synecdoche

using one part of an object to represent the entire object (referring to a car as wheels)

synesthesia

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

tautology

needles repetition which adds no meaning or understanding (widow women, free gift)

tragedy

a work in which the protagonist is engaged in a significant struggle and which ends in ruin or destruction

trite

overused and hackneyed

turning point

the point in a work in which a very significant change occurs

understatement

the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is

vernacular

the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage