lit

Allegory

A story in which events, settings, characters, etc. stand for abstract or moral concepts.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Antithesis

Contrasting ideas.

Aphorism

A witty or concise saying that expresses a truth or principle.

Apostrophe

A writer or speaker directly addresses someone who is not present or something nonhuman.

Canto

A subdivision of a long poem.

Deus Ex Machina

A contrived device used to inexplicably resolve a plot point; an unexpected resolution.

Elegy

A text, poem, or narrative that laments or mourns a loss.

Enjambment

Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Epigram

A clever, usually memorable statement that is meaningful to the following text.

Epiphany

Sudden insight or awareness, often experienced by a character after a dramatic situation.

Epitaph

Commemorative poem, inscription, or speech for a deceased person.

Epithet

A descriptive phrase or adjective used to characterize a person.

In Media Res

Beginning a narrative in the middle.

Kenning

A type of Anglo-Saxon metaphor used to name a person, place, or thing indirectly.

Lament

A poem or song expressing grief.

Litotes

Ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary.

Lyric

Emotional, music-like poetry or narrative.

Motif

A word, object, image, character, etc. that repeatedly occurs within a text.

Neoclassicism

A revival of classical standards and forms during the late 17th and 18th centuries.

Ode

A lyrical stanza, poem, or text of praise dedicated to someone or something.

Parable

An allegorical, usually short, text that teaches a moral or religious lesson.

Refrain

A repetition of a phrase or series of phrases for emphasis.

Stream of Consciousness

A narrative device that reflects the inner thoughts of the narrator.

Alliteration

A repetition of beginning consonant sounds.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

Connotations

Emotions, meanings, and associations associated with a specific word.

Couplet

Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit.

Denouement

The resolution or conclusion of a narrative; issues and problems are resolved.

Fable

A narrative that features animals to reflect a moral message.

Flashback

A portion of a text that flashes back to a previous event.

Foil

One character developed as a contrast to another to highlight specific characteristics.

Soliloquy

Usually seen in plays; a long speech spoken by a character alone on stage.