English Literacy Terms

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Verbal Irony

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is when what is said is the opposite of the literal meaning. One type of verbal irony is sarcasm, where the speaker says the opposite of what he or she means in order to show contempt or mock

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Dramatic Irony

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If you're watching a movie about the Titanic and a character leaning on the balcony right before the ship hits the iceberg says, "It's so beautiful I could just die," that's an example of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters don't.

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Hyperbole

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Hyperbole, from a Greek word meaning "excess," is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis. It is the opposite of understatement. ... Hyperboles are not comparisons, like similes and metaphors, but extravagant and even ridiculous overstatements, not meant to be taken literally.

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Diction

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Examples of Informal Diction in Literature. Using informal diction, including slang and colloquialisms, gives writing a lighter tone, making the piece more down to earth and less lofty.

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Similie

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. A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things in an interesting way. ... An example of a simileis: She is as innocent as an angel. An exampleof a metaphor is: She is an angel.

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Metaphor

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Metaphor Examples. ... Simply put, a metaphor is a figure of speech containing an implied comparison. With metaphors, words or phrases that are ordinarily applied to one thing are applied to something you wouldn't necessarily pair it with. Here's a metaphor example: "The curtain of night fell upon us."

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Liminality

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Liminality. Derived from Latin limen meaning “threshold”, liminal refers to a transitory, in-between state or space, which is characterized by indeterminacy, ambiguity, hybridity, potential for subversion and change.

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Imagery

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Imagery, in a literary text, is an author's use of vivid and descriptive language to add depth to their work. It appeals to human senses to deepen the reader's understanding of the work. Powerful forms of imagery engage all of the senses.

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Epiphany

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epiphany is that moment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness, or a feeling of knowledge, after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story.

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Foreshadowing

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Foreshadowing is an advance sign or warning of what is to come in the future. The author of a mystery novel might use foreshadowing in an early chapter of her book to give readers an inkling of an impending murder.

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Allusion

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An allusion is when a person or author makes an indirect reference in speech, text, or song to an event or figure. Often the allusions made are to past events or figures, but sometimes allusions are made to current famous people or events. ... Allusions are often used within a metaphor or simile

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Conflict

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Conflict in literature refers to the different drives of the characters or forces involved. Conflict may be internal or external—that is, it may occur within a character's mind or between a character and exterior forces, (or point(s) of view).

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Tone

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The tone in a story indicates a particular feeling. It can be joyful, serious, humorous, sad, threatening, formal, informal, pessimistic, and optimistic. Your tone in writing will be reflective of your mood as you are writing.

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Foil

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A foil is a literary character that is intended to highlight attributes in another character through opposing traits. An author creates a foil to emphasize traits in another character. ... The Harry Potter Series characters Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are a modern example of this type of foil.

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Myth

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Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives or stories that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. The main characters in myths are usually gods, demigods or supernatural humans.

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Climax

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the highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something; culmination: His career reached its climax when he was elected president. (in a dramatic or literary work) a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot.

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Catharsis

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. A Catharsis is an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal, or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. Catharsis is a Greek word meaning “cleansing.” In literature, it is used for the cleansing of emotions of the characters.

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Denotation

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Denotation is generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings. Let us try to understand this term with the help of an example.

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Round character

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A round character is extremely realistic, behaving and speaking in a "real life" manner. The character is complex and increases in complexity throughout the story

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Fiat character

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Flat characters are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work

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Alliteration

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A classic example is:“She sells seashells by the sea-shore.”Another fan-favorite is:“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”Alliteration is meant to be more than a tongue twister, though.

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Consonance

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Consonance is the repetition of a consonant sound and is typically used to refer to the repetition of sounds at the end of the word, but also refers to repeated sounds in the middle of a word. Examples of Consonance: 1. Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter-repetition of the "t," and "r" sounds.

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Personification

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Personification gives human traits and qualities, such as emotions, desires, sensations, gestures and speech, often by way of a metaphor. Personification is much used in visual arts. Examples in writing are "the leaves waved in the wind", "the ocean heaved a sigh" or "the Sun smiled at us

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Stream of Consciousness

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In literature, stream of consciousness is a method of narration that describes happenings in the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters. The term was initially coined by psychologist William James in his research, The Principles of Psychology. He writes: “… it is nothing joined; it flows.

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Hubris

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Hubris is extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character, which ultimately brings about his downfall. Hubris is a typical flaw in the personality of a character who enjoys a powerful position; as a result of which, he overestimates his capabilities to such an extent that he loses contact with reality.

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Plot

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Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story, or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

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Tone

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Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. ... The tone can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, or cheerful, or it may be any other existing attitude.

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Theme

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Themes can be divided into two categories: a work's thematic concept is what readers "think the work is about" and its thematic statement being "what the work says about the subject". ... A story may have several themes.

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Omniscient Observer

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The third-person omniscient point of view is a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story. ... As such, it's an excellent literary device to aid in character development.

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Hamartia

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a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

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Onomatopoeia

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the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle ).

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Denouement

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Denouement is derived from the French word denoue, which means “to untie.” Denouement is a literary device that can be defined as the resolution of the issue of a complicated plot in fiction. The majority of examples of denouement show the resolution in the final part or chapter, often in an epilogue.

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Sonnet

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The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word “sonetto,” which means a “little song” or small lyric. In poetry, a sonnet has 14 lines, and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. ... Generally, sonnets are divided into different groups based on the rhyme scheme they follow.

SHAKESPEARE

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Romanticism

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5 Characteristics of RomanticismInterest in the common man and childhood.Strong senses, emotions, and feelings.Awe of nature.Celebration of the individual.Importance of imagination

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Realism and Naturalism

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While being two separate literary movements, realism and naturalism have been at times used as interchangeable terms, sharing some deep-running similarities: ... 1) Realism sought to be a faithful representation of life, while naturalism was more like a "chronicle of despair."

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Modernism

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Literary modernism, or modernist literature, has its origins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly in Europe and North America, and is characterized by a very self-conscious break with traditional ways of writing, in both poetry and prose fiction.

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Postmodernism

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Postmodern literature is literature characterized by reliance on narrative techniques such as fragmentation, paradox, and the unreliable narrator; and is often defined as a style or a trend which emerged in the post–World War II era.

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A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND

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Flannery O' Connor

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A&P

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John Updike

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EVERYDAY USE

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Alice Walker

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WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN

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Joyce Carol Oates

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BATTLE ROYAL

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Ralph Ellison

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THE STORY OF AN HOUR

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Kate Chopin

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THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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2026: THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS

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Ray Bradbury

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THIS BLESSED HOUSE

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Jhumpa Lahiri

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CAT PERSON

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Kristen Roupenian

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BLACK MEN AND PUBLIC SPACES

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Brent Staples

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WALDEN

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Henry David Thoreau

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Kitchenette building and WE REAL COOL

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Gwendolyn Brooks

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STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

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Robert Frost

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MOTHER TO SON

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Langston Hughes

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RICHARD CORY

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Edwin Arlington Robinson

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IF WE MUST DIE

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Claude McKay

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SEPTEMBER 1939

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W.H. Auden

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A RAISIN IN THE SUN

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Lorraine Hansberry