| A | B |
|---|
| alliteration | the repetition of initial consonant sound |
| allusion | a reference in literature to previous literature, history, mythology, or Bible |
| ambiguity | quality of being intentionally unclear |
| anachronism | an element in a story that is out of historical time frame |
| anapest | a foot that follows the pattern unaccented, unaccented, accented |
| anecdote | a short and often personal story to emphasize a point, to develop a character or theme, or to inject humor |
| antagonist | a character who functions as a resisting force to the goals of the protagonist |
| anticlimax | an often disappointing, sudden end to an intense situation |
| antihero | a protagonist who carries the action of the literary piece but does not embody the classic characteristics of courage, strength, etc----Mersault |
| antithesis | a concept that is directly opposed to a previously presented idea |
| apostrophe | a rhetorical direct address of an object, abstract entity---"Death, Be Not Proud" |
| apotheosis | elevating someone to the level of a god---Kurtz |
| archetype | a character situation, or symbol that is familiar to people of all culture---repeated pattern |
| assonance | the repeated use of a vowel sound |
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter--favored technique of Shakespeare |
| cacophony | harsh, discordant sounds; unpleasant to the hear |
| carpe diem | seize the day |
| catharsis | emotional cleansing or feeling of relief |
| colloquial | relating to slang or regional dialect, used in everyday conversation |
| comic relief | humor that breaks up a serious episdoe |
| conceit | a far-fetched comparison between two seemingly unlike things |
| connotation | associations a word calls to mind |
| consonance | same consonant sounds in words with different vowel sounds |
| couplet | two successive rhyming lines |
| dactyl | foot of poetry with three syllables---one stressed and two short or unstressed |
| denotation | the dictionary or literal meaning of a word or phrase |
| denouement | the winding down from the climax to the ending |
| deus ex machina | literally, when the gods intervene at a story's end to resolve a seemingly impossible conflict |
| diction | the deliberate choice of style of langauage for a desired effect or tone |
| didactic | a story, speech, essay, or play in is one in which the author's primary purpose is to instruct, teach, or moralize |
| distortion | an exaggeration or stretching of the truth to achieve a desire effect |
| epigram | a short, clever poem with a witty turn of thought |
| epigraph | a brief quotation found at the beginning of a literary work, reflective of theme---Beloved--Sixty Million and More |
| epiphany | a sudden flash of insight |
| epistolary novel | a novel in letter form written by one or more of the characters --Frankenstein and The Color Purple |
| essay | a short composition on a single topic |
| euphemism | substitution of an inoffensive word or phrase for another that would be harsh or offensive---"He passed on" rather than "he died" |
| euphony | pleasant or harmonious sound of a word or group of words |
| farce | a kind of comedy that depends on exaggerated/impropoble situations to amuse the audience |
| figurative language | using figures of speech--metaphor, simile, metonymy, personification, hyperbole |
| first person | character in the story tells the story, using the pronoun "I" |
| flashback | interruption of a narrative by the introduction of an earlier event or by an image of a past experience |
| flat character | a simple, one-dimensional character who remains the same |
| foil | a character whose contrasting personal characteristics draw attention to, enhance, or contrast with those of the main character. A character who, by displaying opposite traits, emphasizes certain aspects of another character |
| foreshadowing | hints at what is to come |
| free verse | poetry that does not have regular rhythm or rhyme |
| genre | the category into which a piece of writing can be classified---poetry, drama, novel, short story |
| heroic couplet | a rhymed couplet written in iambic pentameter |
| hubris | insolence, arrogance, or pride |
| hyperbole | an extreme exxaggeration for literary effect that his not meant to be interpreted literally |
| iambic pentameter | a five-foot line made up of an unaccented followed by an accented syllable |
| imagery | anything that affects or appeals to the reader's senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell |
| in medias res | a work that begins in the middle of the story |
| interior monologue | used in poetry and prose to reveal a character's unspoken thoughts and feelings--"My Last Duchess" |
| internal rhyme | a rhyme that is within the line, rather than at the end |
| inversion | a switch in the normal word order, used for emphasis or rhyme scheme---Strong he was. |
| Italian/Petrarchan sonnet | 14 line poem divided into an octave and sestet |
| litotes | affirmation of an idea by using a negative understatement--opposite of hyperbole--"She is not saint." |
| lyric poem | a short, emotionally expressive poem that expresses the feelings and observations of a single speaker |
| metamorphosis | a radical change in character, either physical or emotional |
| metaphor | a comparison between two dissimalar things--"Life's but a walking shadow." |
| meter | rhythmical pattern of a poem |
| metonymy | a figure of speech that replaces the name of something with a word or phrase closely associated with it--"brass" to mean "military officers" |
| myth | a story, usually with supernatural significance |
| narrative poem | a poem that tells a story |
| slant rhyme | a rhyme based on an imperfect or incomplete correspondence of end syllable sounds |
| onomatopoeia | words that imitate sounds |
| oxymoron | a figure of speech that combines two contradictory words--wise fool |
| parable | a story illustrating a moral or religious lesson |
| paradox | a statement that contradicts itself |
| parallelism | the repeated use of the same grammatical structure in a sentence or series of sentences |
| parody | a humorous imitation of a serious work |
| pastoral | a poem, play, or story that idealizes the simple life of sheppards and shepherdesses |
| pathos | the quality of a literary work or passage which appeals to the reader's or viewer's emotions--especially pity, compassion, and sympathy |
| personification | the attribution of human characterisitcs to an animal or to an inanimate object |
| point of view | perspective of the speaker or narrator in a literary work |
| protagonist | the main of principal character in a work |
| pun | humorous play on words |
| quatrain | four-line stanza |
| refrain | repetition of a line, stanza, or phrase |
| repetition | a word or phrase used more than once to emphasize an idea |
| rhetorical question | a question with an obvious answer, so no response is expected; used for emphasis or to make point |
| satire | the use of humor to ridicule and expose the shortcomings and failings of a society, individuals, and institutions, often in the hope that change and reform are possible |
| sestet | a six line stanza of poetry |
| shift | in writing, a movement from one thought or idea to another; a change |
| simile | a comparison of unlike things using the words--like, as, so |
| soliloquy | a character's speech to the audience (alone) |
| English/Shakespearean sonnet | 3 quatrains and a couplet |
| stanza | a grouping of poetic lines |
| stock character | a stereotypical character; a type |
| stream of consciousness | a form of writing that replicates the way the human mind works--- ideas are presented in random order--thoughts are often unfinished |
| structure | the particular way in which the parts of a written work are combined |
| style | the way a writer uses language--takes into account word choice, diction, figures of speech, and so on |
| symbol | a concrete object, scene, or action which has deeper significance because it is associated with something else, often an important idea or theme in a work |
| synecdoche | a figure of speech where one part represents the entire object, or vice versa.--"All hands on deck; lend me your ears." |
| syntax | the way in which words, phrases, and sentences are ordered and connected |
| theme | the central idea of a literary work |
| tone | refers to the author's attitude toward the subject, and often sets the mood of the piece |
| tragic flaw | traditionally a defect in a hero or heroine that leads to his or her downfall |
| transition | the means to get from one portion of a poem or story to another---it is way of smoothly connecting different parts of a work--authors often use transitional sentences or phrases to achieve this |
