Literature Terms

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Allegory

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the concrete presentation of an abstract idea, typically narrative - whether prose, verse, or drama - with at least two levels of meaning

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Allusion

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an indirect reference, often to a person, event, statement, theme, or work (mythology, religion, history, science, art, etc.) that an author expects the reader to understand and apply. Allusions enrich meaning through the connotations they carry.

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Ambiguity

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lack of clarity or uncertainty in meaning - subject to more than one interpretation.

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Anachromism

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something outside of its proper historical time period

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Analogy

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comparison of two things, alike in certain aspects; something unfamiliar is explained by being compared to something familiar

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Antecedent

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the noun to which a later pronoun refers

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Antimetabole

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Repetition of words in reverse order

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Antithesis

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rhetorical figure in which two ideas are directly opposed; juxtaposition of contrasting ideas and tone

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Aphorism

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short, astute statement of general truth

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Apologue

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a moral fable, usually featuring personified animals or inanimate objects which act like people to allow the author to comment on the human condition. Often, the apologue highlights the irrationality of mankind. The beast fable, and the fables of Aesop are examples.

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Approximate Rhyme

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also called half rhyme, slant rhyme, or imperfect rhyme; words contain similar sounds but do not rhyme perfectly

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Archaic diction

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old-fashioned or outdated word choices

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Archetype

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those images, figures, character types, settings, and story patterns that are universally shared by people across cultures

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Aside

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a convention in drama whereby a character onstage addresses the audience to reveal some inner thought or feeling that is presumed inaudible to any other characters in earshot

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Asyndeton

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a rhetorical figure involving the deliberate omission of conjunctions to create a concise, terse, and often memorable statement ("I came, I saw, I conquered")

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Ballad

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a poem that recounts a story in the form of a song

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Bestiary

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beat fable; the principal characters are animals

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Bildungsroman

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novel that deals with the development of a young person, usually from adoles

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Blank Verse

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unrhymed but otherwise regular verse, usually iambic pentameter

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Burlesque

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A work designed to ridicule a style, literary form, or subject matter either by treating the exalted in a trivial way or y discussing the trivial in exalted terms (that is, with mock dignity). Burlesque concentrates on derisive imitation in exaggerated terms.

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Caesura

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a pause or break in a line of poetry; the caesura is dictated not by meter, but by natural speaking rhythm

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Carpe diem

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Latin for "seize the day," a phrase referring to the age-old literary theme that we should enjoy the present before opportunity of life slips away

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Conceit

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An elaborate, usually intelectually ingenious poetic comparison or image, such as analogy or metaphor in which, say a beloved is compared to a ship, planet, etc. The comparison be brief or extended.

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Connotation

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the feeling or attitude associated with a word, related to but quite distinct from its literal meaning

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Denotation

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the literal, dictionary definition of a word (as opposed to connotation)

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Deus ex machina

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from Latin for "god from a machine" referring specifically to the intervention of a nonhuman force to resolve a seemingly irresolvable conflict in a work; also used for improbably or artificial resolutions

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Dialect

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a way of speaking or use of language that is particular to a geographic region or social group and that varies considerably from the speech and usage patterns predominant in that language; pronunciation, vocabulary, and sentence structure are affected by dialect

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Dialogue

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conversation between characters

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Diction

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particular words chosen for use in a work, or the plan that seems to govern a word choice

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Didacticism

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literature that aims to teach readers a lesson - morally, ethically, politically, religiously, practically

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Dramatic monologue

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lyric poem in which the speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing himself or herself in the context of a dramatic situation

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Dystopia

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opposite of utopia; usually set in the future, describing a nightmarish society in which few would want to live

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Elegy

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traditional poetic form treating the death of a person in a formal, philosophical way (mournful, melancholy, poem)

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End rhyme

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rhyme that occurs at the end of lines in poetry

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End stopped line

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line of poetry whose meaning is complete in itself and that ends with a grammatical pause marked by punctuation (as opposed to run-on lines, enjambment)

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Enjambment

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French for "striding over" ...a poetic statement that spans more that one (as opposed to end stopped line)

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Epic

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long narrative poem dealing with national heroes having a world wide or cosmic setting and written in a deliberately ceremonial style

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Epigram

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originally an inscription; later any very short, highly polished verse or saying usually ending in a witty turn.

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Epiphany

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

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Epistolary

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novel in which the narrative is carried forward by letters written by one or more of the characters

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Epithet

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adjective or descriptive phrase that is regularly used to characterize a person, place, or thing

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Essay

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nonfiction composition that usually explores a single theme or topic

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Euphemism

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device where being indirect replaces directness to avoid unpleasantness (saying "passed away" instead of "died")

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Exemplum

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moralized tale, medieval

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Extended metaphor

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a metaphor where the several comparisons dealing with the same image function as the controlling image of the whole work

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Explication

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analysis of the meaning, relationships, and ambiguities of words, images, small units that make up short literary text

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Anaphora

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exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences; type of parallelism

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Apostrophe

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rhetorical figure in which the speaker directly and often emotionally addresses or nonhuman entity, or a place or abstract concept

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Hyperbole

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obvious and deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

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Litote

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form of understatement in which a thing is affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite; e.g. "she was not unmindful"

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Metaphor

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one thing is spoken of as tough were something else; an implied comparison

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Metonymy

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substitution of a related or closely associated word for the word actually meant; e.g. the bench ruled = judge

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Oxymoron

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two opposing or contradictory words are combined (ex: friendly fire, genuine imitation, open secret) to present a paradox

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Personification

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human characteristics are given to non-human things

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Pathetic fallacy

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a phrase coined by Ruskin to describe the attribution of human traits and emotions to inanimate nature; narrower scope than personification - only applying to inanimate nature rather than animals, places, objects, etc.

The moon doth with delight

Look round her when the heavens are bare

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Synecdoche

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a part of something is used to represent the whole thing (referring to a monarch as "the crown;" referring to a ship as "the sail")

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Flashback

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interruption of the sequence of events to relate an episode that happened at an earlier time - before the story began

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Foreshadowing

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clues to suggest events that will come later in a literary work

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Form

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the organization of elements of a work in relation to its total effect

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Gothic

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fiction that evokes terror through gloomy, medieval settings and sensational, supernatural action

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Heroic couplet

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iambic pentameter lines in rhymed pairs

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Idiom

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expression peculiar to a particular langauge; means something different than the literal words

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Idyll

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narrative dealing with an idealized picture of rural life

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Imagery

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sensory language; descriptive language used to create word pictures for the reader; sensory words appealing to sight, sound, smell, taste, touch

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Intercalary chapter

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chapter of a novel or other work of fiction which does not follow the main characters and plot (interlude to main story)

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Intercalary statement

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insertion of interjection during a conversation or speech (usually author speaking directly to the reader)

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Interior monologue

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Literary technique for rendering stream of consciousness by reproducing a character's mental flow

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Internal rhyme

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rhyme that occurs within a line of poetry

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Inversion

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reversal of normal word order

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Irony

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technique involving a contradiction or incongruity between appearance or expectation and reality

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Juxtaposition

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placement of two items (scenes, descriptions, events, etc.) side by side for effect, emphasis, or contrast

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Lampoon

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A crude, course, often bitter satire ridiculing the personal appearance or character of a person

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Lyric

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brief poem strongly marked by imagination, melody, and emotion and creating a single, unified impression

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Metaphysical Poetry

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style of a 17th century poetry first by John Dryden and later by Dr. Samuel Johnson because of the highly intellectual and often abstruse imagery involved.

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Meter

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Generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables established in a line of petry.

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Iambic

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two syllable foot with the stress on the second syllable

a. be low, de light, a muse

b. A book of ver ses un der neath the bough, a jug of wine, a loaf of bread - and thou

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Trochaic

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a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable

a. ve ne ver, ga ther, hap py

b. dou ble, dou ble, toil and trou ble, fire burn and caul dron bub ble

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Anapestic

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consists of three syllables with the stress on the last syllable

a. cav a lier, in ter twine

b. With the sheep in the fold and the cows in their stalls

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Dactylic

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three syllables with the stress on the first syllable

a. hap pi ness, mer ri ly, mur mur ing

b. Love a gain son a gain, nest a gain, young a gain

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Spondaic

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two stressed syllables

a. Slow Spondee Stalks; strong Foot

b. Smart lad to slip betimes away

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Pyrrhic

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two unstressed syllables; rarely used

I have been proud and said 'My love, my own

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The basic kinds of metrical lines

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1. monometer

2. dimeter

3. trimeter

4. tetrameter

5. pentameter

6. hexameter

7. heptameter

8. octameter

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Mock Epic

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Treating a frivolous or minor subject seriously, especially by using the machinery and devices of the epic (invocations, descriptions of armor, battles, extended smiles, etc)

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Mood

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synonymous with atmosphere - feeling created in the reader - and tone - author's attitude toward the reader, the subject, or the audience

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Motif

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unifying element in an artistic work

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Novel

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any extended fictional prose narrative

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Novel of manners

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A novel focusing on and describing in detail the social customs and habits of a particular social group. Usually these conventions function as shaping or even stifling controls over the behavior of characters.

Example: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

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Ode

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a long lyric poem, formal in style and complex in form, often written for a special occasion, originally a Greek form

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Parable

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an illustrative story answering a question or pointing a moral or lesson

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Paradox

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a statement that is self-contradictory on the surface, but which reveals a subtler meaning on reflection

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Parallelism

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rhetorical figure that accentuates or emphasizes ideas or images by using grammatically similar constructions

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Parody

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a work that comically imitates a specific, generally serious work or the style of an author or genre

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Pastoral

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a work with a rural setting and that generally praises a rustic way of life; associated with shepherds and country living

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Pathetic fallacy

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a phrase coined by Ruskin to describe the attribution of human traits and emotions to inanimate nature

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Pathos

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a quality in a work or a portion thereof that makes the reader experience pity, sorrow, or tenderness

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Persona

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generally, the speaker in a literary work; author's mask

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Exposition

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setting the scene. The writer introduces the characters and setting, providing description and background

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Inciting Incident

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something happens to begin the action. A single event usually signals the beginning of the main conflict. The inciting incident is sometimes called 'the complication'

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Rising Action

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the story and tension between characters builds and gets more exciting

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Climax

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the moment of greatest tension in a story. This is often the most exciting event. It is the event that the rising action builds up to and that the falling action follows.

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Falling action

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follows the climax; represents the working out of the decisive action of the climax

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Denouement

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the ending of a story; the disengaging of characters, the unraveling of the plot; main character resolves the conflict

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Couplet

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pair of successive lines of verse that rhyme

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Quatrain

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verse stanza of four lines

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Sestset

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second, six-line division of a Petrarchan sonnet--usually makes specific a general statement that has been presented in the octave; six line stanza

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Octave

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first eight lines of a Petrachan sonnet; eight-line stanza

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Blank verse

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unrhymed Iambic pentameter

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Free verse

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poetry with rhythm and other poetic devices, but without meter or regular rhyme scheme

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Stanza

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a group set of lines in a poem

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Refrain

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repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines in poetry

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Rhyme Scheme

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pattern of end rhyme in a stanza

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Scansion

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system for describing more or less convential poetic rhythms by dividing the lines into feet; includes analysis of rhyme sceme

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Prose

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ordinary language of speaking and writing

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Pseudonym

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A "false name" or alias used by a writer desiring not to use his or her real name. Sometimes called a nom de plume or "pen name".

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Pulp Fiction

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Novels written for the mass market, intended to be a "good read" --often exciting, titillating, thrilling. Historically they have been very popular but critically sneered at as being sub-literary quality.

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Pun

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rhetorical figure involving a play on words that capitalizes on a similarity in spelling and/or pronunciation between words that have multiple meanings.

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Regionalism

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emphasis in fiction on the environment of a specific region - distinguished from local color in that it applies to fiction that emphasizes the effect of the setting on the characters.

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Rhetoric

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the art of persuasion through speaking and writing

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Roman a clef

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[French for "novel with a key", pronounced roh MAHN ah CLAY] A novel in which historical events and actual people are written about under the pretense of being fiction (ex: The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway)

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Romance

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An extended fictional prose narrative about improbable events involving characters that are quite different from ordinary people. Knights on a quest for a magic sword and aided by characters like fairies and trolls would be examples of things found in romantic fiction.

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Setting

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combination of place, historical time, and social environment that provides background for characters and a plot of literary work.

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Style

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the way in which a literary work is written; the message or material the author communicates to the reader, along with how the author chooses to present it

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Syllogism

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formula for presenting an argument logically, consisting of a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion; 1) All men are mortal

2) Socrates is a man; therefore 3) Socrates is mortal

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Symbol

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something that, although it is of interest in its own right, stands for or suggests something larger and more complex; generally something relatively concrete signifying something relatively abstract

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Syntax

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physical arrangement of words to form phrases, clauses, sentences

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Theme

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the statement(s), express or implied, that a text seems to be making about its subject; generalization about human beings or life that the work communicates

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Tone

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attitude of the author toward the reader, audience, or subject

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Travesty

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A work that treats a serious subject frivolously

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Understatement

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lack of emphasis in a statement or point, restraint in language often used for ironic effect

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Versimilitude

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How fully the characters and actions in a work of fiction conform to our sense of reality. To say that a work has a high degree of so means that the work is very realistic and believable-- it is "true to life"