Allegory
story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities.
alliteration
repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together.
Allusion
reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to something (usually from literature, etc.).
analogy
Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike
Anecedote
Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual
antagonist
Opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story.
antithesis
Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure.
Antihero
Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. may lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples.
Characterization
the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.
indirect characterization
the author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the character looks and dresses, by letting the reader hear what the character says, by revealing the character's private thoughts and feelings, by revealing the characters effect on other people (showing howother characters feel or behave toward the character), or by showing the character in action. Common in modern literature
direct characterization
the author tells us directly what the character is like: sneaky, generous, mean to pets and so on. Romantic style literature relied more heavily on this form.
static character
is one who does not change much in the course of a story.
dynamic character
is one who changes in some important way as a result of the story's action.
flat character
has only one or two personality traits. They are one dimensional, like a piece of cardboard. They can be summed up in one phrase.
round character
have more dimensions to their personalities---they are complex, just a real people are.
cliche
is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse. Avoid clichés like the plague. (That cliché is intended.)
Colloquism
a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations.
conflict
the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story.
external conflict
conflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine or between a person a whole society.
internal conflict
a conflict can be internal, involving opposing forces within a person's mind.
connotation
the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition.
dialect
a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area.
diction
a speaker or writer's choice of words
elegy
a poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died. A Eulogy is great praise or commendation, a laudatory speech, often about someone who has died.
epic
a long narrative poem, written in heightened language , which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society.
essay
a short piece of nonfiction prose in which the writer discusses some aspect of a subject.
Arguementation
one of the four forms of discourse which uses logic, ethics, and emotional appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) to develop an effective means to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way.
persuasion
relies more on emotional appeals than on facts
argument
form of persuasion that appeals to reason instead of emotion to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way.
description
a form of discourse that uses language to create a mood or emotion.
Exposition
one of the four major forms of discourse, in which something is explained or "set forth.
Narrative
the form of discourse that tells about a series of events.
fable
a very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life.
farce
a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations.
figurative language
Words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms
flashback
a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time.
foil
A character who acts as contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero, or a villain contrasting the hero.
foreshadowing
the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot.
free verse
poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme.
hyperbole
a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times....
imagery
the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a thing, a place, or an experience
irony
a discrepancy between appearances and reality
verbal irony
occurs when someone says one thing but really means something else.
situational irony
takes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen.
dramatic irony
is so called because it is often used on stage. A character in the play or story thinks one thing is true, but the audience or reader knows better.
Juxtaposition
poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit. Ezra Pound: "The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/ Petals on a wet, black bough."Juxtaposition is also a form of contrast by which writers call attention to dissimilar ideas or images or metaphors.
lyric poem
a poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker. A ballad tells a story.
metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.
implied metaphor
does not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison: "I like to see it lap the miles" is an implied metaphor in which the verb lap implies a comparison between "it" and some animal that "laps" up water.
extended metaphor
is a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it. (conceit if it is quite elaborate).
mood
An atmosphere created by a writer's diction and the details selected.
motif
a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by one author), unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme. Kurt Vonnegut uses "So it goes" throughout Slaughterhouse-Five to remind the reader of the senselessness of death.
parable
a relatively short story that teaches a moral, or lesson about how to lead a good life.
paradox
a statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth.
parrallel structure (parallelism)
the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.
parody
a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer's style
personification
a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.
plot
the series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the storyline.
exposition
introduces characters, situation, and setting
rising action
complications in conflict and situations (may introduce new ones as well)
climax
that point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest. Also called "turning point
resolution
the conclusion of a story, when all or most of the conflicts have been settled; often called the denouement.
point of view
the vantage point from which the writer tells the story.
first person point of view
one of the characters tells the story.
third person point of view
an unknown narrator, tells the story, but this narrator zooms in to focus on the thoughts and feelings of only one character.
omnicient point of view
an omniscient or all knowing narrator tells the story, also using the third person pronouns. This narrator, instead of focusing on one character only, often tells us everything about many characters.
protagonist
the central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action. Usually the hero or anti-hero; in a tragic hero, like John Proctor of The Crucible, there is always a hamartia, or tragic flaw in his character which will lead to his downfall.
rhythm
a rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language.
rhetoric
Art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse.
rhetorical question
a question asked for an effect, and not actually requiring an answer.
satire
a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring about a change.
simile
a figure of speech that makes an explicitly comparison between two unlike things, using words such as like, as , than, or resembles.
soliloquay
a long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage.
stereotype
a fixed idea or conception of a character or an idea which does not allow for any individuality, often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices.
stream of consciousness
a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind.
style
the distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer's distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax.
suspense
a feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story.
symbol
a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself.
theme
the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.
tone
the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.
tragedy
in general, a story in which a heroic character either dies or comes to some other unhappy end.
understatement
a statement that says less than what is meant.
vernacular
the language spoken by the people who live in a particular locality.