English Terms - General Literary Terms - 09/25/25

Allegory

a narrative in which characters, events, or settings symbolize deeper moral, spiritual, or political meaning

Allusion

an indirect reference to a person, place, event, or other literary work

Ambiguity

the presence of two or more possible meanings in a text or statement

Apostrophe

a figure of speech addressing someone absent or something inanimate as though it could respond

Archetype

a universal symbol, character, or motif that recurs across literature and culture

Connotation

the ideas or feelings evoked by a word beyond its literal meaning

Denotation

the literal or dictionary meaning of a word

Diction

the choice and use of words and style in writing or speech

Didactic

intended to teach, particularly moral instruction

Epigram

a brief, witty, often paradoxical statement

Euphemism

a mild or indirect expression substituted for one considered harsh or blunt

Genre

a category or type of literature characterized by style, form, or content

Grotesque

characterized by distortions, exaggerations, or the bizarre to elicit discomfort or fascination

Hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect

Imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the senses

Irony

a contrast between expectation and reality

Dramatic Irony

when the audience knows something that characters do not

Situational Irony

when events turn out oppositely to what is expected

Verbal irony

when what is said is opposite to what is meant

Metaphor

a comparison stating one thing is another

Metonymy

substituting a related term for the thing meant (e.g. “the crown” for “the king”)

Motif

a recurring element (image, theme, symbol) in a work