Lit Terms

Alliteration

Alliteration

the practice of beginning several consecutive or “neighboring words” with the same sound.

allusion

is a reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person place or thing.

antithesis

is a direct juxtaposition of a structurally parallel words phrases, or clauses for the purpose of a contrast

apostrophe

is a form of personification in which the absent of dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate as if animate

assonance

the repetition of accented vowel sounds in a series of words

consonance

is the repetition of a consonant sound within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect

details

are the facts revealed by the author or speaker that support the attitude or tone in a piece of poetry or prose.

diction

is a word choice intended to convey a certain effect

figures of speech

are words or phrases that describe one thing in terms something else. they always involve some sort of imaginative comparison between seemingly UNLIKE things.

flashback

is the use of a scene of episode that interrupts the chronological action of a work to show a previous event

foreshadowing

is the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action

hyperbole

is a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration

imagery

is the use of words or phrases by a writer to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings and ideas descriptively by appealing to the readers senses.

irony

three types appear in both prose, poetry, and drama; a surprising twist to an expected outcome

verbal irony

occurs when a speaker or narrator says one thing while intentionally meaning the opposite

situational irony

occurs when a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect, though often the twist is oddly appropriate

dramatic irony

occurs when a character or speaker says or does something that has different meanings from what he or she thinks it means but the audience and possibly other characters understand the read implication of what is said or done

metaphor

a comparison of two unlike things not using like or as such as “time is money”

mood

is the atmosphere or predominant emotion in a literary work

motivation

is a circumstance or set of circumstances that prompts a character to act in a certain way that determines the outcome of a situation or work

narration

is the telling of a story in writing or speaking

onomatopoeia

is the use fo words that mimic sounds they describe as you pronounce them (buzz, pop, etc)

oxymoron

as a form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression in such as “sweet sorrow” or “cold fire”

paradox

occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each other. although the expression may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth

personification

a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics such as “the wind cried in the dark”

plot

is the sequence of events or actions in a work- this is the basic what happened

point of view

the perspective from which a narrative is told

first person

this is when a speaker from inside the story tells the reader what is happening and will use I throughout the work

third person limited

this is when the story is told from a voice outside the story but sho has limited knowledge about the internal states of characters

third person omniscient

this is when the story is told from a voice outside the story but who has “all-knowing” knowledge about the internal states of the other characters.

prosody

is the study fo sound and rhythm in poetry

protagonist

is the central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem

pun

a play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meanings, can have serious and humorous uses

repetition

a technique where the writer deliberately uses any element of language more than once for effects words, phrases, sentences, grammatical patterns, or rhythmical patterns

rhyme

is the repetition of sounds in two or more words or phrases that appear close to each other in a poem

sarcasm

is the use of verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it

setting

is the time and place in which events in a short story novel, play, or narrative poem take place

shift/term

refers to a change or movement in a pice resulting from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the speaker, a character, or the reader

simile

is a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use or words “like” or “as”

sound devices

are stylistic techniques that convey meaning through sound (examples: rhyme, assonance, consonance, alliteration, and onomatopoeia)

structure

the framework or organization of a literary selection

style

the writers characteristic manner of writing: his/her use of language in his/her particular manner

suspense

is the quality of a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events

symbol

any object, person, place or action that has both a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself

synecdoche/metonymy

these are a form of metaphor. Synecdoche occurs when a part of something is used to signify/represent the whole

(metonymy is the opposite)

syntax

the arrangement of words and the other of grammatical elements in a sentence(variety)

theme

the central message of a literary work not the same as a subject of a work

tone

is the writers or speakers attitude toward a subject, character, or audience, and is conveyed through the authors choice of words and detail

understatement

the opposite of hyperbole. this expresses a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is