Literary Terms

allegory

a literary work with two or more levels of meaning - one literal and one or more symbolic levels. Events, settings, objects or characters in allegory stand for ideas or qualities beyond themselves.

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds

allusion

reference to well-known person, place, event, literary work or work of art, which the author expects the reader to be familiar with

antagonist

character or force in conflict with protagonist

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables containing dissimilar consonant sounds

blank verse

poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines (or in different precise meter). Begun in 1500, used by Shakespeare and Milton

caricature

distorted or exaggerated portrayal of a person, used to ridicule personal flaws and general social failings

character

dynamic: one who changes (ex: Sydney Carton) static: one who does not change (ex: Lucie Manette)

Characterization

the act of creating and developing a character Direct: author explicitly states his or her traits Indirect: author reveals character's traits by some other means, such as dialogue, describing what he or she does, describing his/her appearance, through thoughts of other characters, etc

climax

high point of interest or suspense in literary work

conceit

unusual and surprising comparison between 2 very different things, often basis for whole poem (extended metaphor)

conflict

struggle between two opposing forces, either internal or external

connotation

association that a word calls to mind + word's dictionary meaning

denotation

word's dictionary meaning

denouement

anything that happens after resolution of plot, ties up loose ends, conflict is over and consequences for protagonist are already decided

diction

word choice

ekphrasis

literary description of a work of art, more specifically a poem that is a vivid description of a scene or work of art, means description in Greek (ex: "Ode on a Grecian Urn")

elegy

solemn and formal lyric poem about death

epigraph

quotation that appears at beginning of a literary work, generally introduces a motif or theme that is developed in work itself

exposition

writing or speech that explains, informs, or present information

farce

a kind of comedy that features physical horseplay, stereotypical characters, and absurd plots

figurative language

writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally

foil

character who provides contrast to another character, thus intensifying the impact of that other character

foreshadowing

use of clues in a story that suggest events that have yet to occur. often done to create suspense or to prepare the audience for the eventual outcome of events

free verse

poetry without a consistent rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or musical form. became popular in 19th century. Whitman frequently used this.

hero

character whose actions are inspiring or noble

hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

imagery

descriptive language used in literature to re-create sensory experiences, helps make writing concrete rather than abstract

in media res

story-telling method in which story begins in middle of action

irony

dramatic: when audience knows something characters don't verbal: words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning irony of situation: an event occurs that directly contradicts expectations of characters, reader, or audience

juxtaposition

to place side by side for sake of comparision

metaphor

figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, comparison is suggested or implied

mood

atmosphere, feeling created in reader by literary work or passage

motif

recurring literary convention or an element that is repeated with a literary work

mythology

system of hereditary stories of ancient origin which were once believed to be true by a particular cultural group, and which serve to explain why the world is as it is and things happen as they do, to provide a rationale for social customs and observances, and to establish the sanctions for the rules by which people conduct their lives

onomatopoeia

use of words that imitate sounds (ex: boom, crack, pop)

oxymoron

figure of speech that fuses two contradictory or opposing ideas (ex: happy misery)

paradox

statement that seems to be contradictory but that actually presents a truth (ex: Death, thou shalt die.)

parody

humorous, mocking imitation of something in a literary work

pastoral

literary work that deals with pleasures of a simple, rural life or with escape to a simpler place or time

personification

type of figurative language in which nonhuman subject is given human characterisitics

plot

what happens in story, sequence of events

prose

ordinary form of written language (works that aren't poetry, drama, or song)

protagonist

main character of literary work

pun

play on words, may use word or phrase that has two different meanings or two different words or phrases with same sound

romance

story that presents remote or imaginative incidents rather than ordinary, realistic experience

satire

writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of individuals or of groups. use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and to criticize people's stupidity or vices

setting

time and place of the action

simile

figure of speech that compares two dissimilar things by using key words like and as

soliloquy

long speech made by character who is along and reveals his or her private thoughts and feelings to the audience/reader

stanza

group of lines in poem considered as a unit

stream of consciousness

literary technique that presents thoughts as if they were coming directly from a character's mind

subplot

second, less important plot within a story or play

symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else

syntax

sequence in which words are put together to form sentences. syntactic languages (English) use word order to indicate word relationships. inflected languages (Greek or Latin) use word endings and other inflections to indicate relationship

theme

central idea, concern, or purpose in literary work

tone

writer's attitude towards readers and towards subject

tragedy

according to Aristotle, is "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, having magnitude, complete in itself" involving "incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions." Abrams 332,

tragic hero

protagonist of tragedy, most effectively evoke both audience's pity and terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor bad but a mixture of both