Literary Terms

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Allusion

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A reference in literature to something outside the work

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attitude

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A speaker's, author's, or character's disposition toward or opinion of a subject

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details

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Items or parts that make up a larger picture or story

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devices of sound

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The techniques of deploying the sound of words, especially in poetry. Rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopeia

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diction

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Word choice

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figurative language

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Writing that uses figures of speech such as metaphor, similie, and irony. Uses words to mean something other than their literal meaning.

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imagery

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The images of a literary work; the sensory details of a work; the figurative language of a work.

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irony

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A figure of speech in which intent and actual meaning differ, characteristically praise for blame or blame for praise; a pattern of words that turns away from direct statement of its own obvious meaning.

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metaphor

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A figurative use of language in which a comparison is expressed without the use of a comparative term like "as," "like," or "than."

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narrative techniques

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The methods involved in telling a story; the procedures used by a writer of stories or accounts.

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omniscient point of view

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The vantage point of a story in which the narrator can know, see, and report whatever he or she chooses. The narrator is free to describe the thoughts of any character, to skip about in time or place, or to speak directly to the reader

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point of view

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Any of several possible vantage points from which a story is told. The point of view may be omniscient, limited to that of a single character, limited to that of several characters, etc.

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resources of language

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A general phrase for the linguistic devices or techniques that a writer can use.

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rhetorical techniques

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The devices used in effective or persuasive language. Examples include: contrast, repetition, paradox, understatement, sarcasm, and rhetorical question

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satire

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Writing that seeks to arouse a reader's disapproval of an object by ridicule. Satire is usually comedy that exposes errors with an eye to correct vice and folly

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setting

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The background to a story; the physical location of a play, story, or novel. The setting of a narrative will normally include both time and place.

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similie

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A directly expressed comparison; a figure of speech comparing two objects, usually with "like," "as," or "than."

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strategy (or rhetorical strategy)

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The management of language for a specific effect. The strategy or rhetorical strategy of a poem is the planned placing of elements to achieve an effect

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structure

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The arrangement of materials within a work; the relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical divisions of a work.

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style

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The mode of expression in language; the characteristic manner of expression of an author.

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symbol

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Something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else.

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syntax

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The structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence

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theme

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The main thought expressed by a work

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tone

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The manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning.

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allegory

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A story in which people, things, and events have another meaning

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ambiguity

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Multiple meanings a literary work may communicate. Especially two meanings that are incompatible

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apostrophe

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Direct address, usually to someone or something that is not present

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connotation

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The implications of a word or phrase, as opposed to its exact meaning (denotation).

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convention

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A device of style or subject matter so often used that it becomes a recognized means of expression.

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denotation

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The dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to connotation

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didactic

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Explicitly instructive.

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digression

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The use of material unrelated to the subject of a work.

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epigram

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A pithy saying, often using contrast The epigram is also a verse form, usually brief and pointed.

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euphemism

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A figure of speech using indirection to avoid offensive bluntness.

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grotesque

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Characterized by disortions or incongruities.

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hyperbole

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Deliberate exaggeration, overstatement.

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jargon

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The special language of a profession or group

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literal

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Not figurative; accurate to the letter; matter of fact or concrete

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lyrical

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Songlike; characterized by emotion, subjectivity, and imagination.

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oxymoron

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A combination of opposites; the union of contradictory terms.

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parable

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A story designed to suggest a principle, illustrate a moral, or answer a question.

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paradox

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A statement that seems to be self-contradicting but, in fact, is true.

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parody

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A composition that imitates the style of another composition normally for comic effect

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personification

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A figurative use of language which endows the nonhuman (ideas, inanimate objects, animals, abstractions) with human characteristics.

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reliability

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A quality of some fictional narrators whose word the reader can trust.

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rhetorical question

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A question asked for effect, not in expectation of a reply. No reply is expected because the question presupposes only one possible answer.

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soliloquy

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A speech in which a character who is alone speaks his or her thoughts aloud.

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stereotype

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A conventional pattern, expression, character, or idea.

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syllogism

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a form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them.

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thesis

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The theme, meaning, or position that a writer undertakes to prove or support