lit elements

Characterization — The representation of the traits, motives, and psychology of a character in a narrative.

Couplet — A two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the same.

Diction — The choice of words used in writing.

Figurative Language — Creative language that suggests a non-literal meaning.

Hyperbole — A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration. It may be used for either serious or comic effect.

Idiom — An expression that conveys a figurative meaning that is different from the literal meaning; for example, “it’s raining cats and dogs.”

Imagery — Sensory details in a work of literature (touch, taste, sight, smell, sound). Imagery is often used in the course of description.

Irony — When the actual meaning is opposed to the suggested meaning. There are three types: verbal irony (when what is said is different from what is meant), situational irony (when the outcome is the opposite of what is expected), and dramatic irony (when the reader or viewer knows something the character doesn't).

Metaphor — A figurative comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”

Mood — The feelings that the literary work gives you.

Motif — An important, recurring idea, structure, or image. It differs from a theme in that it can be expressed as a single word.

Paraphrase — A restatement of ideas or text in such a way that keeps the same meaning but changes the diction and form.

Personification — A kind of metaphor that gives non-human things human characteristics. Example: “The sea was angry.”

Plot — Events of the literary work that typically follow this order: exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution.

Point of View — The perspective from which a story is told by a narrator: first person, second person, third person omniscient, third person limited, and third person objective.

Rhetorical Appeals — How an author convinces their reader using logos (logic), ethos (ethics), pathos (emotion), and kairos (time and place).

Rhetorical Devices — Linguistic tools used to create a specific effect on an audience.

Antithesis — Contrast of two opposing ideas. Example: “best of times / worst of times.”

Asyndeton — Leaving out conjunctions like “and.” Example: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Allusion — Reference to a work or historical event.

Analogy — Comparison between two things to show similarities. Example: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Repetition / Anaphora — Repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence. Example: “We will fight for freedom. We will fight for justice. We will fight for peace.”

Rhyme — When the sound at the end of a word is the same as the sound at the end of another word. Example: “fat / cat.”

Rhyme Scheme — Pattern of rhymes at the end of each line in a poem or song. It is expressed with letters in alphabetical order, beginning with “A” for the first rhyme and “B” for the second, etc.

Setting — The time and place of a literary work.

Simile — A figurative comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

Stanza — Usually a repeated grouping of three or more lines with the same meter and rhyme scheme.

Style — The distinctive way an author expresses themselves through language. Elements that contribute to style include diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail, sound effects, and tone.

Symbol — Something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else. For example, winter, darkness, and cold are real things, but in literature they may also symbolize death.

Text Structures — How non-fiction authors order their texts: problem/solution, description, chronological, compare/contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.

Theme — The main thought or idea expressed in a work.

Tone — The author's attitude toward what they are writing about; look at the diction to figure out the tone.

Universal Theme — A theme that applies to anyone regardless of their time, place, or culture.

Epic Theme — Themes that appear in epic literature, such as invoking the gods, divine intervention, heroism, and fate vs. free will.