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Allegory
A story with two meanings, surface and deeper meaning - an extended metaphor.
Anaphora
The repetition of phrases at the beginning of clauses.
Aphorism
A short saying that contains a general truth - a life lesson in a sentence
Apostrophe
When a speaker addresses someone or something that is not present - speaking to an inanimate object
Archetype
A set of qualities or traits that are specific and identifiable for readers.
Asyndeton
Excluding or absence of words like “and,” “but,” and “or” from a series of clauses or sentences.
Antagonist
The opponent of the protagonist, sometimes a villain, competitor, or rival.
Aside
Short commentary that reveals private opinions and reactions of the character. - Typically in a play.
Bildungsroman
A type of novel that focuses on the moral and psychological growth of the main character, typically from youth to adulthood - “coming of age story”.
Caesura
A pause or break in a line of poetry that creates a rhythmic or dramatic effect for the reader.
Catharsis
The release of strong emotions through art or expression, bringing emotional relief and purification.
Chiasmus
A rhetorical device where the order of terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second half.
Conceit
A type of figurative language where the writer establishes a comparison between two very different concepts or objects.
Caricature
A distorted representation of a person in a way that exaggerates some characteristics and oversimplifies others.
Comic Relief
When a comedy takes place in a story that’s dramatic, tragic, or serious.
Deus Ex Machina
When some new character, force, or event suddenly shows up to solve a seemingly hopeless situation.
Doppelganger
A look-alike or double of a person, often considered an omen of bad luck or a harbinger of doom.
Denouement
The very end of a story, the part where all the different plotlines are finally tied up and all remaining questions answered - aftermath of the climax.
Dialect
A form of writing that shows the accent and way people talk in a particular region.
Dystopia
An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, usually a utopia gone wrong.
Elision
The omission of sounds, syllables or words in speech.
Enjambment
Continuing a line after the line breaks. Only in poetry.
Epiphany
A sudden realization or discovery that illuminates a new perception or awareness.
Epistolary
When literature is written in the form of letters.
Epithet
Special nicknames that replace the name of a person and often describe them in some way.
Flashback
A transition in a story to an earlier time, that interrupts the normal chronological order of events.
Flat Character
Two-dimensional characters in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work.
Foil
When a character is contrasted with another character, typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist.
Foreshadowing
A literary device that indicates or hints to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story.
Frame Story
A literary device that involves weaving two separate stories together.
Hubris
Excessive pride or overconfidence that can lead to harmful or self-defeating behaviors.
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