Literary Terms/ Devices

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TURNING POINT

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A point of great tension in a narrative that determines how the action will come out.

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SIMILIE

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A comparison made between two dissimilar things through the use of a specific word of comparison such as "like" or "as".
Ex. Her eyes were as bright as the sun.

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OXYMORON

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An oxymoron is a type of paradox that combines two terms ordinarily seen as opposites.
Ex. No one goes to that restaurant anymore - It's always too crowded.

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METAPHOR

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In a metaphor, a word is identified with something different from what the word literally denotes. It equates different things without using connecting terms such as like or as.
Ex. The burning flame of my love.

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GERUND

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A GERUND is a verb form that functions as a noun. It always ends with -ing, the present participle of a verb. A gerund is a present participle, but the difference lies in how it functions in the sentence: as a noun instead of a verb.
Ex. I like swimming. Swimming is fun. I never gave swimming all that much effort.

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PATHETIC FALLACY

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The attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature.
Ex. Angry clouds; a cruel wind.

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HYPERBOLE

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Hyperbole is figurative language which greatly overstates or exaggerates facts, whether in earnest or for comic effect.
Ex. Call of Duty is 1000% x better than Halo.

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ONOMATOPOEIA

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Onomatopoeia refers either to words which resemble in sound what they denote, or to words that correspond in other ways with what they describe.
Ex. Hiss; rattle; bang.

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PUN

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A pun is a play on words. It exploits the multiple meanings of a word, or else replaces one word with another that is similar in sound but has a very different meaning.
Ex. Tomorrow… you shall find me a grave man.

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SYNECDOCHE

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The rhetorical figure of allusion to the part instead of the whole.
Ex. "Wheels" refers to a whole vehicle; the phrase "hired hands" can be used to refer to workmen.

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MYTONOMY

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In metonymy, a term is substituted for another term with which it is closely associated.
Ex. "Crown" or "sceptre" stands duty for "monarch"; silver fox - for an attractive older man

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FORESHADOWING

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Foreshadowing occurs when a writer gives the reader a hint, or shadow, of what will happen later in the story.
Ex. Harry Potter smells a flowery smell from the Burrow from the strongest love potion in the world.

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ANALOGY

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Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar.
Ex. Green is to go as red is to stop.

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PERSONIFICATION

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Personification is the attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract concepts.
Ex. Jealousy "rearing its ugly head".

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ALLUSION

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An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or a representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art.

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EPITHET

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An epithet is an adjective or adjectival phrase describing a characteristic quality of a person or thing.
Ex. My careful steps reached the attic.

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IDIOM

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The language, dialect, or style of speaking peculiar to a people or the constructions or expressions of one language whose structure is not matched in another language.
Ex. Better late than never.

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JUXTAPOSITION

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The arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or character development.
Ex. Romeo and Tybalt.

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POETIC JUSTICE

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Virtue is ultimately rewarded or vice punished.
Ex. Hitler being killed by a Jew.

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TONE

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The speaker's "attitude to his [or her] listener"--which in turn affects the listener's attitude to the literary work.
Ex. The tone may be formal, serious, or passionate (sorrowful, loving, angry); or it might be intimate, light-hearted, or calmly meditative; or can even be witty or ironic.

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IMAGERY (LITERAL, FIGURATIVE)

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Generally, imagery includes all kinds of sense perception (not just visual pictures).

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EUPHAMISM

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Euphemism is the use of roundabout language to replace colloquial terms that are considered too blunt or unpleasant.
Ex. Some common subjects which attract euphemisms are God (when oaths are modified, as when "God damn!" becomes "darn!"); death ("passed away" replaces "died").

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COMIC RELIEF

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A humorous scene, incident, or remark occurring in the midst of a serious or tragic literary selection and deliberately designed to relieve emotional intensity and simultaneously to heighten, increase, and highlight the seriousness or tragedy of the action.

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IRONY (TRAGIC, DRAMATIC, SITUATIONAL, VERBAL)

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The appearance of things differs from their reality
Verbal irony occurs when the words of a character or narrator have an implicit meaning as well as an ostensible one.
Dramatic Irony is a situation in which the reader or audience knows more about the immediate circumstances or future events of a story than a character within it; thus the audience is able to see a discrepancy between characters' perceptions and the reality they face.

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SYMBOLISM (SUGGESTIVE, UNIVERSAL)

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Symbolism is the applied use of symbols: iconic representations that carry particular conventional meanings.
Ex. Black is used to represent death or evil.

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ANTHROPOMORHPISM

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Anthropomorphism can be understood to be the act of lending a human quality, emotion or ambition to a non-human object or being.
Ex. The raging storm brought with it howling winds and fierce lightning as the residents of the village looked up at the angry skies in alarm.

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DOPPLEGANGER

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It refers to a character in the story that is actually a counterfeit or a copy of a real/ genuine character.
Ex. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

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ALLEGORY

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An allegory is a symbolism device where the meaning of a greater, often abstract, concept is conveyed with the aid of a more corporeal object or idea being used as an example.
Ex. Faith is like a stony uphill climb: a single stumble might send you sprawling but belief and steadfastness will see you to the very top.

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ALLITERATION

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Alliteration is a literary device where words are used in quick succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group.
Ex. The Wicked Witch of the West.

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SATIRE

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Refers to the practice of making fun of a human weakness or character flaw.
Ex. Southpark.

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MOOD

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A definitive stance the author adopts in shaping a specific emotional perspective towards the subject of the literary work.

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MOTIF

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Any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature.
Ex. Fairy Tales.

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NEMESIS

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A situation of poetic justice wherein the positive characters are rewarded and the negative characters are penalized.
Ex. In the popular book series Harry Potter, the protagonist Harry Potter is the nemesis of the evil Lord Voldemort.

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PARODY

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A parody imitates the serious manner and characteristic features of a particular literary work in order to make fun of those same features.

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PATHOS

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A writer or speaker's attempt to inspire an emotional reaction in an audience--usually a deep feeling of suffering, but sometimes joy, pride, anger, humor, patriotism, or any of a dozen other emotions.

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ANTAGONIST

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The character against whom the protagonist struggles or contends (if there is one), is the antagonist.

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ASSONANCE

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Repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase. In this regard assonance can be understood to be a kind of alliteration. What sets it apart from alliterations is that it is the repetition of only vowel sounds.
Ex. A long song.

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ASYNDETON

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The author purposely leaves out conjunctions in the sentence, while maintaining the grammatical accuracy of the phrase.
Ex. Read, Write, Learn.

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ATMOSPHERE

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The emotional feelings inspired by a work.

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CACOPHONY

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The use of words and phrases that imply strong, harsh sounds within the phrase.
Ex. His fingers rapped and pounded the door, and his foot thumped against the yellowing wood.

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CLIMAX

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The moment in a play, novel, short story, or narrative poem at which the crisis reaches its point of greatest intensity and is thereafter resolved.

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CONFLICT

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The opposition between two characters (such as a protagonist and an antagonist), between two large groups of people, or between the protagonist and a larger problem such as forces of nature, ideas, public mores, and so on.

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CONSONANCE

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Repetition of sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase.
Ex. Sing sweet songs for Suzy.

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DYNAMIC CHARACTER

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Also called a round character, a dynamic character is one whose personality changes or evolves over the course of a narrative or appears to have the capacity for such change.

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EUPHONY

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The use of phrases and words that are noted for possessing an extensive degree of notable loveliness or melody in the sound they create.
Ex. It has been said that the phrase “cellar door” is reportedly the most pleasant sounding phrase in the English language.

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FOIL

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The author creates a character whose primary purpose is to create a contrast to another character by laying emphasis or drawing attention to the latter’s traits and characteristics through the former’s obviously contradictory ones.
Ex. Dumbledore and Voldemort.

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HAMARTIA

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A term from Greek tragedy that literally means "missing the mark." Originally applied to an archer who misses the target, a hamartia came to signify a tragic flaw, especially a misperception, a lack of some important insight, or some blindness that ironically results from one's own strengths and abilities.

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HUBRIS

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Hubris, in this day and age, is another way of saying overly arrogant.
Ex. Macbeth.

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IMPLIED READER

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The "you" a writer or poet refers to or implies when creating a dramatic monologue.

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INTERNAL MONOLOGUE

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A type of stream of consciousness in which the author depicts the interior thoughts of a single individual in the same order these thoughts occur inside that character's head.

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PARALLEL PLOTTING

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Parallel plot means that the author has two plot lines going at the same time.

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PARALLELISM

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When the writer establishes similar patterns of grammatical structure and length.

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POLYSYNDETON

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The process of using conjunctions or connecting words frequently in a sentence, placed very close to one another, as opposed to the usual norm of using them sparsely, only where they are technically needed.
Ex. Saying “here and there and everywhere”, instead of simply saying “here, there and everywhere”.

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PROTAGONIST

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The main character in a work, on whom the author focuses most of the narrative attention.

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REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM

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A valid argument in which you prove or disprove.

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SECONDARY CHARACTER

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Not the Primary character, but the character that is secondary in the story or novel.

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STATIC CHARACTER

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A static character is a simplified character who does not change or alter his or her personality over the course of a narrative.

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STREAM OF CONCIOUSNESS

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Writing in which a character's perceptions, thoughts, and memories are presented in an apparently random form, without regard for logical sequence, chronology, or syntax.

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SYMBOL

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A symbol is literary device that contains several layers of meaning, often concealed at first sight, and is representative of several other aspects/ concepts/ traits than those that are visible in the literal translation alone.

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ACTUAL READER

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A reader who reads a book and mentally creates his/her own sort of interpretation.

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5 ELEMENTS OF STORY

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Plot, Character, Conflict, Theme & Setting.