alliteration
repetition of the beginning consonant sound (ex: rough and ready, Peter Piper)
allusion
reference to something outside of the work, usually mythical, Biblical, or historical
anecdote
short summary of a funny event
antagonist
the person or thing that opposes the protagonists; sometimes called the villain
archetype
a recurring and familiar pattern in literature, like a journey or a wise old man
aside
when a character in a play speaks to the audience and not to the other characters
assonance
repetition of internal vowel sound, as in "how now brown cow
autobiography
a story about a person written by that person
ballad
poem which tells a story of a person from the past and is often set to music
biography
an author's account or story of another person's life
characterization
the way an author reveals his characters; can be done directly or indirectly
clich�
a word or phrase that is so overused, like "busy as a bee" or "I slept like a log
climax
high point in a story, point of most intense interest, and point of no return
conflict
the problem or complication in a story, usually between a person and something else...either another person, a force of nature, fate, or the person himself
connotation
all the emotions or feelings a word arouses, such as negative feelings about 'pig'
denotation
the literal, dictionary definition of a word
dialogue
conversation carried on by the characters in a work of literature
dramatic POV
a play, in which all events are told in dialogue
end rhyme
rhyming words that appear at the ends of two or more lines of poetry
epic poetry
a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character
epithet
a word or phrase used in place of a person's name to help characterize the person
exposition
the part of a story or play that explains the background or makes conflict clear
falling action
the action that takes place in a story after the climax and that resolves the conflict
fantasy
highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life
fiction
prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events
figurative language
writing or speech not meant to be taken literally; similes, metaphors, and personification are examples of this
first person point of view
told from the perspective on one character in the story; designated by the pronoun 'I'
flashback
when a story's sequence is interrupted and a character goes back to an earlier time
foreshadowing
the use of clues that suggest events yet to come
free verse
poetry that is not written with a regular pattern of rhythm and rhyme
genre
a French word meaning form or type
hero
a character whose actions are inspiring or noble, and who overcomes difficulties
haiku
a Japanese form of poetry with three lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables
historical fiction
stories that center upon or incorporate some significant historical events
hyperbole
exaggerating or stretching the truth for literary effect. "My shoes are killing me!
iambic pentameter
a metrical pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables common in poetry and in Shakespearean plays. The line contains ten syllables in the pattern ~/~/~/~/~/
imagery
words that describe sights, sounds, movements and recreate sensory experience
irony
when something is different than it is supposed to be or thought to be; kinds include verbal, dramatic, and situational
lyric poetry
poetry that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker
metaphor
comparison of two unlike things without using like or as
mystery
a story that involves the reader in guessing who committed the crime or deed
myth
a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or heroes, or the causes of natural phenomenon, or both. These can be Greek, Norse, Roman, or Celtic in origin.
narrative poetry
poems that tell a story
non-fiction
prose that explains ideas or is about real people, places, objects, or events
omniscient POV
when the story is told from the perspective of someone outside of the events but who knows and reveals all the character's thoughts and feelings
onomatopoeia
the use of words that imitate sounds, as in buzz, hiss, or murmur
oxymoron
two words used together that contradict each other, as in icy fire or sweet sorrow
paradox
a statement that seems to be contradictory but that actually presents a truth
parallelism
repetition of phrases that have similar grammatical patterns
personification
giving human characteristics to a non-human thing or substance
plot
the sequence of events in a literary work
point of view
the perspective from which a story is told; types are first person, third person limited, omniscient, stream of consciousness, and dramatic
poetic justice
when a character 'gets what he deserves'
prologue
the opening lines of a drama that give background information
prose
the ordinary form of written language, not poetry, drama, or song
protagonist
the main character in a literary work who drives the plot forward
pseudonym
the assumed or false name of an author
pun
a play on words when a word has more than one meaning
refrain
the regularly repeated group of lines in a poem or song
rhyme
repetition of sounds at the ends of words
science fiction
fictional stories that center upon scientific elements
second person
designated by the pronoun 'you'; this does not exist in storytelling
setting
time and place of a literary work
simile
a comparison of two unlike things using the word like or as
soliloquy
speech delivered by a character when he is alone on stage
sonnet
fourteen lines of iambic pentameter -- a very common form of poetry
stream of consciousness
a narrative technique, or point of view, that presents thoughts as if they were coming straight from a character's mind, with story events and character feelings combined
stanza
a unit or group of lines in poetry that are separated by spaces
style
an author's unique way of writing that involves word choice and sentence patterns
symbol
something seen that stands for something unseen, as a rose for love, flag for a country
theme
central truth or idea in a story
third person POV
when the story is told from the perspective of someone outside of the events of the story but who only reveals one character's thoughts
tone
the writer or speaker's attitude towards the subject of the work
tragedy
a type of story that portrays the fall of a noble person, usually due to a tragic weakness or flaw in his/her character