Literary Terms

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ad hominem

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an argument made that appeals to a person’s feelings or prejudices rather than intellect

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allegory

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a story in which objects, characters, and actions are symbols of something outside the narrative

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alliteration

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the repetition of initial sounds

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allusion

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a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.

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anachronism

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something out of its normal time

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anaphora

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repetition when it is specifically used at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences

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anastrophe

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inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Inversion is a synonym for anastrophe.

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analogy

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a comparison that explains or describes one subject by pointing out its similarities to another subject

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antithesis

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involves a direct contrast of structurally parallel word groupings, generally for the purpose of contrast.

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aphorism

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a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words.

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apostrophe

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a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person or a personified quality

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apposition

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the placing next to a noun another noun or phrase that explains it.

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archetype

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This term is applied to an image, a descriptive detail, a plot pattern, or a character type that occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore and is, therefore, believed to evoke profound emotion because it touches the unconscious memory and thus calls into play illogical but strong responses

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assonance

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repetition of vowel sounds

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asyndeton

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condensed form of expression in which a series is presented without conjunctions.

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categorical assertion (or claim)

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States how one thing relates to another in its entirety.

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chiasmus

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a figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second.

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climax

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when a writer arranges ideas in order of importance

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connotation

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– the set of associations that occur to people when they hear or read a word.

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consonance

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– repetition of consonant sounds

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denotation

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the dictionary meaning of a word

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details

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the facts given by the author or speaker as support for the attitude or tone

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dialect

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the form of a language spoken by people in a particular region or group

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dialogue

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a conversation between characters

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diction – (word choice)

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To discuss a writer’s diction is to consider the vocabulary used, the appropriateness of the words, and the vividness of the language.

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direct characterization

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the author directly states a character’s traits

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dramatic irony

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a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true

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ellipsis

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the deliberate omission of a word or words which are readily implied by the context; it creates an elegant or daring economy of words.

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epanalepsis

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repetition at the end of a clause of the word the occurs at the beginning.

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epiphany

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a sudden understanding or realization which prior to this was not thought of or understood

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epistrophe

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repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses (the opposite of anaphora).

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epitaph

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an inscription used to mark burial places

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epithet

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a word or phrase used in place of a person’s name; it is characteristic of that person

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euphemism

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a device where being indirect replaces directness to avoid unpleasantness

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extended metaphor

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It differs from a regular in that several comparisons are made and are extended throughout the passage.

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first-person narrator

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A character in a story who is telling the story; readers see only what this character sees, hears, etc.

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figurative language

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writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally

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flashback

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a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time

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foreshadowing

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the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

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homily

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a form of oral religious instruction given by a minister to a church congregation

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hubris

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derived from the Greek word hybris, means “excessive pride.” In Greek tragedy, hubris is often viewed as the flaw that leads to the downfall of the tragic hero.

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hyperbole

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a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

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image

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a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses.

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imagery

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the descriptive of figurative language used in literature to appeal to one or more of the five senses

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imperative

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a command or order

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indirect characterization

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the conclusions a reader draws about a character based on the appearance, behavior, speech, private thoughts, effect he/she has on other characters

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inversion

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a change in the normal word order.

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irony

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the general name given to literary techniques that involve differences between: a. appearances and reality b. expectation and result c. meaning and intention

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juxtaposition

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a poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another

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literal language

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uses words in their ordinary senses (the opposite of figurative language)

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litotes

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(opposite of hyperbole) an understatement usually through a form of negation

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loose sentence

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follows the basic subject, verb, complement pattern

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maxim

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(similar to an aphorism) an adage, a concise statement, usually drawn from experience, and inculcating some practical advise.

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metaphor

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a comparison between two unlike things not using “as,” “like,” “than,” or “resembles.

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metonymy

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a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it

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monologue

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a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem in which he/she has listeners who do not speak

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mood

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the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage

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motif

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a simple device that serves as a basis for an expanded narrative . . . The motif is a recurring feature in the work.

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motivation

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the reason that explains or partially explains a character’s thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior

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narrator

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a speaker or character who tells a story . . . He/She may be either a character in the story or an outside observer.

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non sequitur

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a logical fallacy, a comment which has no relation to the comment it follows

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omniscient narrator

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an all-knowing 3rd person narrator . . . This type of narrator can reveal to readers what the characters think and feel.

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onomatopoeia

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the use of words that imitate sounds

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oxymoron

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a figure of speech that combines two opposing or contradictory ideas.

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paradox

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a statement that seems contradictory or absurd but that expresses the truth.

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parallelism

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the repetition of grammatical structure. It consists of phrases or sentences of similar construction and meaning placed side by side, balancing each other.

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parenthesis

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the insertion of words, phrases, or a sentence that is not syntactically related to the rest of the sentence. It is set off by dashes or parentheses.

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pathetic fallacy

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a form of personification where huma traits are attributed to nature or inanimate objects

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periodic sentence

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(opposite of a loose sentence) a sentence withholding its main idea until the end.

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personification

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giving human characteristics to a nonhuman subject

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point of view

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the perspective from which a story is told

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pun

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a play on words based on different meanings of words that sound alike

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polysyndeton

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(opposite of asyndeton) the deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis – to highlight quantity or mass of detail or to create a flowing continuous sentence pattern; it slows the pace of the sentence.

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repetition

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the use, more than once, of any element of language – a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence

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rhetorical shift

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a change from one tone, attitude, etc . . . Look for key words like but, however, even though, although, yet, etc.

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sarcasm

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a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it.

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simile

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a comparison between two unlike thing using words such as “as,” “like,” “than,” or “resembles.”

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situational irony

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an event occurs that directly contrasts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.

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soliloquy

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a speech delivered by a character when he or she is alone on stage

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style

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a writer’s distinctive mode of expression

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suspense

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a feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work

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syllogism -

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a formula for presenting an argument logically . . . It affords a method of demonstrating logic through analysis. It consists of 3 divisions: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

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symbol

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anything that stands for or represents something else . . An object that serves as a symbol has its own meaning, but it also represents abstract ideas.

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synecdoche

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a form of metaphor in which a part of something is used to stand for the whole thing

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syntax

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the physical arrangement of words in a sentence

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theme

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a central message or insight into life revealed throughout the literary work

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third person narrator

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the narrator reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character

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tone

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the writer’s attitude toward his/her audience and subject

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tongue-in-cheek

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characterized by insincerity, irony, whimsy. If you say something tongue-in-cheek, what you have said is humorous, perhaps sarcastic, although at face value it appears to be serious

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understatement

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(see litotes) saying less than is actually meant, generally in an ironic way.

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verbal irony

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the type of irony in which words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant