English: literary terms

alliteration

repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words

allusion

brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictional

characterization

used by writer to develop a character

conflict

plot struggle found in fiction

dialogue

conversation between two or more people

dynamic character

character who undergoes important, internal change

foil (character)

character that contrasts 2nd character

foreshadowing

what will happen

genre

type of category

hyperbole

exaggeration

imagery

the formation of mental images, figures, etc. figurative description/illustration

irony

using words to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal meaning

metaphor

something used, eg phrase, term, or symbol, to represent something else

onomatopoeia

the formation of a word, eg meow, by imitation of a sound made by its referent

oxymoron

a figure of speech that has self-contradictory effect

personification

giving human nature/character to an inanimate object

simile

a figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared using like

static character

character who undergoes no inner change

symbolism

the practice of representing things by symbols

theme

the subject of a piece of writing