Anaphora
repetition of a word or phrase as the beginning of successive clauses
Apposition
the act of positioning close together (or side by side)
Asyndeton
a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
Chiasmus
inversion in the second of two parallel phrases
Cumulative Sentence
a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases (main clause is at the beginning)
Ellipsis
omission or suppression of parts of words or sentences
Freight train
Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions.
Hypozeugma
use of a series of subjects with a single predicate
Inverted Syntax
syntax is word order; inverted syntax is unusual, “backward” sounding syntax
Parallel Syntax
repetition of words, phrases, and clauses used in a concise manner
Periodic Sentence
a complex sentence in which the main clause comes last and is preceded by the subordinate clause
Polysyndeton
use of many conjunctions to slow pace
Syntax
the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences
Cosmic Irony
when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or humankind in general
Dramatic Irony
when a reader is aware of something that a character isn’t
Situational Irony
occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected
Verbal Irony
occurs when what is said contradicts what is meant or thought
Allusion
passing reference or indirect mention
Antithesis
the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance
Apostrophe
A figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction
Conceit
the trait of being vain and conceited, a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor
Double Entendre
an ambiguity with one interpretation that is indelicate
Epic Simile
a simile developed over several lines of verse
Sarcasm
witty language used to convey insults or scorn
Hyperbole
extravagant exaggeration
Idiom
an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up
Litotes
understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)
Zeugma
use of a word to govern two or more words though appropriate to only one
Euphemism
an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive
Understatement
a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
Synesthesia
a sensation that normally occurs in one sense modality occurs when another modality is stimulated
Synecdoche
substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa
Syllepsis
use of a word to govern two or more words though agreeing in number or case etc. with only one
Paradox
(logic) a self-contradiction
Simile
a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with ‘like’ or ‘as’)
Oxymoron
conjoining contradictory terms (as in ‘deafening silence’)
Metonymy
substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in ‘they counted heads’)
Metaphor
a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity
Extended Metaphor
the comparison between two things is continued beyond the first point of comparison. This extends and deepens a description.
Alliteration
use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
Assonance
the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words
Consonance
the repetition of consonants (or consonant patterns) especially at the ends of words
Onomatopoeia
using words that imitate the sound they denote
Rhyme
a piece of poetry, correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)
Abstract Diction
refers to language that denotes ideas, emotions, conditions, or concepts that are intangible.
Abstract Generalization
vague, opposite to concrete
Ad hominem
appealing to personal considerations (rather than to fact or reason)
Anecdote
short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
Archetype
A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response
Colloquial
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
Concrete Diction
specific words that describe physical qualities or conditions.
Connotation
an idea that is implied or suggested, what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression
Convention
something regarded as a normative example
Denotation
the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression
Atmosphere
a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing
Dialect
the change in speech patterns related to class, region, or other culture change
Diction
the manner in which something is expressed in words
Equivocation
falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language
Foreshadowing
The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot
Imagery
the ability to form mental images of things or events
In Media Res
a piece of writing that begins in the middle of the action
Motif
a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work
Non Sequitur
(logic) a conclusion that does not follow from the premises
Pathetic Fallacy
the fallacy of attributing human feelings to inanimate objects
Pathos
a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)
Personification
representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature
Prose
ordinary speech or writing without rhyme or meter; referring to speech or writing other than verse
Mood
The overall emotion created by a work of literature
Rhetorical Function
the purpose for which the communication is designed or why it exists
Rhetorical Question
A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
Setting
arrangement of scenery and properties to represent the place where a play or movie is enacted
Symbol
something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible
Tone
The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous).
Anapest
a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed-stressed syllables
Dactyl
a metrical unit with stressed-unstressed-unstressed syllables
Spondee
a metrical unit with stressed-stressed syllables
Trochee
a metrical unit with stressed-stressed-unstressed syllables
Iambic Pentameter
10 syllables to a line
Ballad
a type of poem that is meant to be sung and is both lyric and narrative in nature
Blank Verse
unrhymed verse (usually in iambic pentameter)
Caesura
a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line
Couplet
a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse
Dramatic Monologue
a poem in which a speaker addresses a silent listener
Free Verse
Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme
Lyric Poetry
poetry that expresses that poet’s thoughts and feelings
Meter
rhythm as given by division into parts of equal time, a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry
Ode
A poem usually addressed to a particular person, object or event that has stimulated deep and noble feelings in the poet
Quatrain
a stanza of four lines
Scansion
analysis of verse into metrical patterns
Sonnet
a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
First Person Point of View
the narrator is a character in the story and used words like I, me, we
Second Person Point of View
The narrator tells the story using the pronouns “You”, “Your,” and “Yours” to address a reader or listener directly
Limited Omniscient Point of View
The author tells the story, using the third person, but is limited to a complete knowledge of one character in the story and tells us only what that one character thinks, feels, sees, or hears.
Omniscient Point of View
the narrator is capable of knowing, telling, and seeing all
Editorial Point of View
(also Authorial Intrusion) The effect that occurs when a third-person narrator adds his or her own comments into the narrative.
Narrator
someone who tells a story
Climax
the decisive moment in a novel or play
Conflict
opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot)
Denouement
the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work
Exposition
an account that sets forth the meaning or intent of a writing or discourse
Falling Action
events after the climax, leading to the resolution
Plot
the story that is told in a novel or play or movie etc.
Rising Action
events leading up to the climax
Allegory
A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
Aphorism
a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance
Autobiography
a biography of yourself
Bildungsroman
A coming of age story, novel that focuses on moral and psychological factors throughout story. Character matures
Ex:
Great Expectations
Ex:
Great Expectations
Biography
an account of the series of events making up a person’s life
Didactic Literature
writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach, usually formal and focused on moral or ethical concerns
Elegy/Lamentation
a mournful poem
Epic
a long narrative poem telling of a hero’s deeds
Epistolary
written in the form of or carried on by letters or correspondence
Essay
an analytic or interpretive literary composition
Fable
a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
Farce
a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations
Genre
a kind of literary or artistic work
Gothic Novel
A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action
Harangue/Invective
a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
Lampoon
a composition that imitates somebody’s style in a humorous way
Mock Epic
Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature.
Parody
humorous or satirical mimicry
Satire
witty language used to convey insults or scorn
Vignette
a brief literary description
Antagonist
the character who works against the protagonist in the story
Byronic Hero
A kind of hero found in several of the works of Lord Byron.A Byronic hero is a melancholy and rebellious young man, distressed by a terrible wrong he committed in the past.
Caricature
a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect
Direct Characterization
Author directly describes character
Dynamic Character
One whose character changes in the course of the play or story
Epic Hero
the main character or protagonist in an epic that heroically larger than life, often the source and subject of a legend or a national hero
Flat Character
A character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story
Foil
anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing’s good qualities
Indirect Characterization
The character is revealed through their personality, appearance, words, actions, and effect on others
Motivation
a character’s incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act
Protagonist
the principal character in a work of fiction
Round Character
this character is fully developed – the writer reveals good and bad traits as well as background
Static Character
a character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end
Stock Character
The stereotyped character in which he is immediately known from typical characters in history
Anagnorisis
Recognition of truth about one’s self and his actions; moment of clarity
Aside
a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage
Catharsis
a release of emotional tension
Dialogue
a literary composition in the form of a conversation between two people
Epilogue
a short passage added at the end of a literary work
Hamartia
the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall
Hubris
overbearing pride or presumption
Monologue
a (usually long) dramatic speech by a single actor
Peripeteia
a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work)
Prologue
an introduction to a play
Soliloquy
a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections
The Unities
time, place, and action
Tragic Flaw
the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall