allegory- story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning/ the whole story is symbolic

allusion- an indirect reference

ambiguity- having more than one possible meaning at the same time

antithesis- expresses opposite or contrasting ideas

apostrophe- talking to someone who isn’t really there

catharsis- process of releasing emotions & providing relief

characterization- how author reveals different qualities of a character throughout the story

conflict- tensions or struggles experienced by the characters (internal or external)

connotation- association, implications, or suggestions evoked by a word or phrase

denotation- actual or literal definition of a word

dialogue- direct speech or conversation between characters in a story

diction- an author’s choice of words

epiphany- a sudden realization or divine intervention

flashback- a return to a memory of a character

foil- an opposite or contrast

graphic weight (graphic novel) - the way some images draw the eye more than others

hubris- excessive pride (a fault of a character)

hyperbole- an exaggeration

imagery- an author’s description/ “painting the picture”

dramatic irony- when the audience knows the truth but the characters don’t

situational irony- a striking reversal of what’s expected or intended

metaphor- an IMPLIED COMPARISON between two unlike objects

monologue- a long speech by one person during a conversation

motif- a common theme or recurring idea

narrator- voice telling the story

objective pov- narrator is NOT involved with the story

omniscient pov- narrator assumes an “all knowing” perspective on the story

panels- distinct segment of the comic

parallelism- structural similarity or conceptual similarity throughout a story/ poem

pastiche- taking inspiration or mimicking another thing

personification- giving human characteristics to a non human thing

prose- anything in literature besides poems (written in sentences & paragraphs)

rhyme scheme- an author’s rhyming pattern

setting- where & when a story takes place

soliloquy- speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself

stage direction- an instruction in the text of a play indicating movement

stanza- sections a poem is broken into

stream of consciousness- a character’s unedited thoughts & expressions

symbol- an object that represents an idea

syntax- the arrangement & ordering of words in a sentence

tone- the writer’s attitude as expressed by word choice

tragic flaw- flaw in character that brings about their downfall or tragedy