| A | B |
|---|
| Allusion | A reference to something in previous literature, history, or culture that adds to or emphasizes a theme of the work. |
| allegory | A narrative or description with a secondary or symbolic meaning underlying the literal meaning. |
| anecdote | A clever little story; a short account of an interesting situation. |
| Anti-hero | A protagonist whose attributes are opposite of what is expected of heroes |
| archetype | A symbol that recurs often enough in literature over time to be easily recognizable, such as water as a purifying element or the sun as knowledge; also, character types that are common are the prodigal son, a wise grandfather, etc. |
| atmosphere | The emotional quality of the setting. |
| epiphany | A moment of insight, spiritual or personal; a character’s sudden revelation about life or his or her own circumstance. |
| eulogy | A speech given at the memorial or funeral service in remembrance of one who has died. |
| foil | A character who possesses traits that emphasize the characteristics and qualities of another character, either by being similar to or opposite from that character |
| imagery | Language that appeals to the senses. Images are emotionally evocative. There are seven types of imagery: visual (sight), auditory (sound), tactile (touch), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), kinesthetic (movement), and organic (internal sense of being) |
| invocation | A prayer or a statement that calls for help from a god or goddess. The Odyssey begins with Homer’s invocation: “Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story…” |
| irony | A discrepancy between appearance and reality. |
| Verbal irony | When what a character says is different from what he means. |
| Dramatic irony | When the reader knows something a character does not know. |
| Situational irony | When something in the situation is incongruous with what may be expected. |
| metaphor | A metaphor compares two generally dissimilar things (objects, places, ideas, etc.) in order to show something new or to help readers see something in a new way. |
| mood | The dominant tone in a piece of literature, typically the emotional quality of the scene or setting |
| motif | A recurring element, an image or idea, in a work of literature, whose repetition emphasizes some aspect of the work (theme, plot, etc.) |
| parable | A short tale that teaches through example. |
| paradox | A situation or statement containing contradictory elements which nonetheless seem plausible or true |
| parody | A work of satire where the author imitates the language and form of another work to ridicule the author or work. |
| soliloquy | Primarily found in Shakespeare’s plays, a soliloquy is a monologue with one character on stage, or in the spotlight, who relates his/her plight. |
| symbol | A person, place, thing or idea that represents something else |
| syntax | In general, the order of words in a sentence that results in various sentence types used for a variety of rhetorical effects. |
| tone | The speaker or narrator’s attitude towards something or the emotional quality of a passage. |
| verisimilitude | The quality in literature of being true to life: details seem realistic and believable, even if the setting is supernatural. |
| vernacular | The ordinary, everyday speech of a region. |
| First person point of view | The narrator tells his/her own story using first person pronouns (I, me, we, us). This point of view is limited by what the narrator can know, see, or understand. These narrators cannot always be trusted to assess the situation honestly. They may be blind to their faults. |
| Second person point of view | The narrator uses second person pronouns (you) to make immediate connections with readers (very rare point of view in fiction). |
| Third person-limited point of view | This narrator tells the story from one character’s point to view using third person pronouns (she, her he, him, it they, them); limited by the same constraints as first person narrators. |
| Third person-omniscient point of view | This narrator is god-like, seeing and knowing all without constraints of time or space, seeing even beyond earthly existence. Third person narrators often digress into contemplative or philosophical forays. |
| Objective point of view | This narrator tells a story like a camcorder would, simply revealing the sights and sounds it perceives (though not, of course as strictly as that). You can recognize an objective narrator by the that person’s lack of emotion or personal interest in the subject. |
| Bildungsroman or coming-of-age novel | The protagonist is a child whose experiences teach him or her about the realities of the adult world. This transformation is often complex, painful, and filled with disillusionment. |
| Dystopian novel | Present readers with an apparent perfect (Utopian) society where human life is somehow diminished. Dark, prophetic themes: oppression, abuse of powers, loss of individuality. |
| Epistolary novel | Consists of letters written by one of more characters. |
| Gothic novel | Characterized by dark, mysterious setting; has supernatural elements, especially ghosts. Gothic novels tend to be highly emotional, even melodramatic. |
| Historical novel | Story is immersed in historical events; characters interact with history |
| Novella | Prose fiction longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel |
| Novel of Manners | The author details the social customs of an era and/or the social behaviors of a particular social group. |
| Picaresque novel | An episodic novel (string of episodes or adventures) starring a picaro or rogue (a person of low social status) who wanders or has adventures. |
| Social novel | Concerned with the effect of societal institutions and social conditions on humanity |
| Utopian novel | Presents an ideal (perfect) society free from typical social problems |
