1-25

Allegory

A story where characters/events symbolically represent abstract ideas or morals.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Ballad

A narrative poem with rhythm and rhyme, often telling a tragic or romantic story.

Gothic Fiction

Dark, eerie stories with supernatural elements, isolation, and emotional extremes.

Initiation Story

A coming-of-age tale where a character loses innocence or gains insight.

Allusion

A reference to another work, event, or figure to add meaning.

Character Development

How a character changes or deepens over the course of a story.

Diction

The author’s word choice—formal, informal, poetic, harsh, etc.

In Medias Res

Starting a story in the middle of the action.

Omniscient Narrator

A narrator who knows all characters’ thoughts and feelings.

Interior Monologue

A character’s inner thoughts presented directly, often in first person.

Stream of Consciousness

A narrative style that mimics natural thought flow—fragmented, nonlinear.

Flat Character

A simple, one-dimensional character with few traits.

Round Character

A complex character with depth, contradictions, and growth.

Stock Character

A stereotypical character (e.g., the wise mentor, the dumb jock).

Character Foil

A character who contrasts with another to highlight traits.

Motif

A recurring element (image, phrase, idea) that reinforces a theme.

Style

The author’s unique way of writing—tone, syntax, diction, etc.

Tragic Flaw

A character trait that leads to downfall (e.g., pride, ambition).

Unreliable Narrator

A narrator whose credibility is questionable or biased.

Antithesis

A contrast of ideas in balanced structure (e.g., It was the best of times…).

Modernism

A literary movement rejecting tradition, embracing fragmentation and ambiguity.

Oxymoron

A phrase combining contradictory terms (e.g., deafening silence).

Postmodernism

A literary movement that questions truth, embraces irony, and breaks conventions.

Reader Response Criticism

A theory that meaning is shaped by the reader’s interpretation.