Literature Terms

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text structure

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how information is organized in a text

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chronological

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information is organized in order of time

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cause and effect

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An action and its results are explained.

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Compare and Contrast

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Tells how two things are similar and different.

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Problem and Solution

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A problem and answer are suggested.

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Sequence

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Information is listed step-by-step.

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Spatial / Descriptive

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Describes something in order of space. Describes how something looks.

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metaphor

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a figure of speech in which something is spoken of as though it were something else; direct comparison of two unlike things.

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simile

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a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison

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personification

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a figure of speech in which something not human is treated as if it were human.

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symbolisim

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the use of something to represent something beyond itself

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alliteration

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repetition of the same initial consonant sound

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situational irony

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exists when what happens is the exact opposite of what is expected to happen

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verbal irony

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exists when a person says one thing and means another

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dramatic irony

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occurs when the audience has important information that the characters do not

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onomatopoeia

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the use of a word or phrase that actually imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes. Example: sparkle

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hyperbole

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exaggeration. Example: I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

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cliche

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a phrase that has been so long in use that its meaning is lost

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epic

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a long narrative poem that traces the adventures of a hero, usually a hero with super human strength

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ballad

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a short, musical poem usually focused on a single situation, often love or death.

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haiku

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a three-line poem usually about nature

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rhythm

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the pattern created by arranging stressed and unstressed syllables

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rhyme

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repetition of accented vowel sounds and all succeeding consonant sounds

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allusion

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a reference in a work of literature to a character, place, or situation from another work of literature, music or art

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assonance

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the repetition of vowel sounds

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flashback

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narration of event before the normal time sequence of the plot

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free verse

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poetry without fixed meter or pattern

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blank verse

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poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

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analogy

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when one thing is explained in terms of another

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understatement

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when a response is incomplete deliberately

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foreshadowing

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use of clues or hints of what will happen later

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epic simile

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extended simile in a long epic poem, often several lines

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oxymoron

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two words that seem to mean the opposite of each other. Example: thunderous silence, dark victory

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first person

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narrated by “I”

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second person

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narrated by “you” (doesn’t happen in literature)

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third person limited

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narration limited to one character’s thoughts and feelings as the author’s own; he or she

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third person omniscient

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narration in which author knows and reveals several characters’ thoughts and feelings

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narrative

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a story told in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama

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lyric

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a poem expressing thoughts and feelings

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chracterization

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the act of creating and developing characters

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plot

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the action sequence of a narrative; what happens

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soliloquy

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one character on stage thinking aloud alone

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tone

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

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theme

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the main message of a story

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setting

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time and place of action

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legend

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story about someone local or from a particular region

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narrative essay

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tells a story

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descriptive essay

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seeks to convey an impression about a person, place, thing, or idea

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persuasive essay

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tries to get reader to do something or accept writer’s point-of-view

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expository essay

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gives information, discusses ideas, or explains a process

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myth

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a fictional account that explains the actions of gods or causes of natural phenomena

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biography

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a work about a person’s life written by another person

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autobiography

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a person tells his or her own life story

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short story

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a short work of fiction

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nonfiction

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prose writing presenting ideas or telling about real people, places, objects, or events

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protagonist

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main character or hero

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antagonist

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a character or force in conflict with the main character

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dramatic poetry

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poetry that includes the techniques of drama

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rhyme scheme

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a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem

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fiction

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prose writing telling about imaginary characters and their traits

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direct characterization

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when the author directly tells what the characters’ traits are

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indirect characterization

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when the author tells what the characters look like, does, say, and how other characters react to them.

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dynamic character

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one who develops or grows during the story

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static character

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character who doesn’t change or grow during the story

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round character

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has many different traits

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climax

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high point of interest in a story

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conflict

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struggle between opposing forces

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figurative language

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writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally

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satire

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using humor to make fun of or change things

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couplet

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a pair of rhyming lines usually of the same length and meter

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archetype

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original pattern or model; all others are copies

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novel

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a long work of fiction

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narrator

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speaker or character who tells a story

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stanza

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a group of lines in a poem considered as a unit

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tragedy

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a work of literature, especially a play, that results in catastrophe for the main character

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narrative poem

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a poem that tells a story

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sensory language

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writing or speech that appeals to one or more of the senses

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caricature

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a drawing of a person in which one feature is exaggerated

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anecdote

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a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event

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genre

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a division or type of literature

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repetition

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more than one use of any element of language

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prose

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ordinary form of written language

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mood

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feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage

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monologue

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speech by one character in a play, story, or poem

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diction

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word choice

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comedy

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work of literature, especially a play, that has a happy ending

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denotation

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dictionary meaning of a word

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connotation

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meaning of a word in context of a work

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dialect

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

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dialogue

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conversation between characters

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drama

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a story written to be performed by actors

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gfoil

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a character who is contrasted with another character

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aside

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a short speech delivered by an actor in a play expressing his/her thoughts

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suspense

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a feeling of events in a literary work

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parody

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making fun of a work by writing something similar but exaggerated

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sonnet

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14 line poem in iambic pentameter

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paradox

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a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

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rhetorical question

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a question asked for effect, not to be answered

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exposition

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the beginning of a story; setting is created, characters are introduced

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denouement

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the end of a story, after the climax.