| A | B |
|---|
| alliteration | repetition of sounds at the beginning of words |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art, always indirect |
| atmosphere | the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage done through the writer’s choice of words, events in the work, or physical setting |
| connotation | emotional implications that words may carry |
| cliche | any overused expression whose freshness and clarity have worn off |
| denotation | the specific, exact meaning of a word, independent of its emotional coloration or association; dictionary definition |
| foot | a unit of rhythm in a verse |
| hyperbole | a conscious exaggeration used without the intent of literal persuasion |
| metaphor | comparison of unlike things without using the words like or as |
| meter | the rhythmical pattern of a poem, determined by the number and types of stresses, or beats, in each line |
| oxymoron | a figure of speech that combines two opposing or contradictory ideas |
| personification | literary device where the writer attributes human qualities to objects or ideas |
| rhyme | the repetition of sounds at the ends of words |
| satire | writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, institutions, social conventions, or other works of art or literature |
| simile | comparison of one thing to another using the words like or as |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter, focused on a single theme |
| theme | the main idea in a piece of literature,; topic or subject and author’s comment |
| tone | the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject, characters, or audience |
| foreshadow | hints during the narrative about what will happen later |
| irony | a contrast between what is stated and what is meant or between what is expected and what actually occurs |
| paradox | a statement that seems to be contradictory but actually presents a truth |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds |
| consonance | repetition of consonant sounds |
| archetype | a generic, idealized model of a person, object, or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated |
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter; generally accpeted as that best adapted to dramatic verse in English |
| conflict | the struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces |
| aside | a dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the audience but is not supposed to be heard by the other actors on the stage |
| monologue | a composition, oral or written, presented entirely by one person or character and meant to be heard by all listeners |
| soliloquy | a long speech in a play or in a prose work made by a character who is alone and thus reveals his or her private thoughts and feelings to the audience or reader |
| couplet | two lines of verse with similar end-rhymes |
| comedy | a light form of drama that aims primarily to amuse and that ends happily |
| diction | the vocabulary used by a writer--the specific word choices, often with reference to connotation |
| epic | a long narrative poem written in elevated style which tells of the deeds and adventures of a hero |
| epithet | a word or phrase used repeatedly to characterize or describe someone or something |
| foil | character who serves as a contrast in personality and motivation |
| narrative | any type of writing that is mainly concerned with relating an event or a series of events |
| Homeric simile | an long or extended simile |
| syntax | the way in which words are put together to form phrases or clauses |
| tragedy | a drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow as a consequence of a tragic flaw, a moral weakness, or an inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances |
| hubris | arrogance or overweening pride which cause the hero's transgression against the gods |
| hamartia | a tragic flaw, weakness of character or error in judgement which causes the downfall of the hero |
| TLC | transition, lead-in, citation |
| commentary | the writer's opinion or comment about the concrete detail |
| concrete detail | specific details that form the backbone or core of the paragraphs |
| chunk | the smallest unified group of thoughts that can be written |
| thesis | a sentence with a subject and opinion--which controls the focus of the essay |
| mood | the feeling created in the reader by a passage |
