| Definition | Literary Term |
|---|
| The rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences | |
| The irony in which what is said is the opposite of what it meant. | |
| A person, place, thing that is used in literature to represent something else. | |
| The events which occur after the climax and usually end the story. | |
| The measured arrangement of words in a line of poetry, as per syllable quantity or rhythmic value. | |
| A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener. | |
| The naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it. | |
| A narrative composed of loosely connected incidents, each one more or less self-contained, often connected by a central character or characters. | |
| Figure of speech in which a word is said to be another. | |
| A central character in a dramatic or narrative work who lacks the qualities of nobility and magnanimity expected of traditional heroes or heroines in romances and epics. | |
| The irony in which the implications of a situation, speech, etc, are understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. | |
| A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as. | |
| A subject which is commonly talked about or referenced in a literary work. | |
| A literary style characterized by gloom and the supernatural, popular esp in the late 18th century. | |
| A genre of fiction which is usually satirical and depicts the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives outside of society. | |
| Verse that lacks regular meter and line length but relies upon natural rhythms. | |
| The series of events that lead to the climax of the story. | |
| A variety of a language used by a group of speakers who live in a certain area. Eg. Southern. | |
| A character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has the self as the center of his or her own existence. | |
| A literary work's point of highest tension. | |
| A recurring subject, theme, idea, etc. (not theme) | |
| The suggestions and associations which people think of when they think of a word. | |
| An ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. | |
| A witty, ingenious, and pointed saying that is expressed tersely. | |
| The thing in a story or poem which deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character in some way. | |
| A narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. | |
| | Definition | Literary Term |
|---|
| The author’s or speaker’s attitude or feeling toward a subject conveyed through the author’s choice of words | |
| A literary device used to induce a tender emotional response disproportionate to the situation at hand. | |
| The term for any specific category of literature based on some loose set of stylistic criteria. Eg. mystery novels | |
| The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables | |
| When a writer makes a reference to another work of literature in writing. | |
| Words said by a character in a play, novel, or poem. | |
| A word or phrase describes a persons personal or physical attributes. It either is part of the name of set person or replaces it. | |
| Resemblance of consecutive vowel sounds | |
| The use of an indirect, mild, or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt. | |
| Doubtfulness or uncertainty of intention or meaning. | |
| An extreme exaggeration used as a literary device or figure of speech. | |
| A device in a narrative by which an event or scene taking place before the present time in the narrative is shown. | |
| Latin for 'Seize the day'; enjoy the present, as opposed to placing all hope in the future. | |
| The dictionary definition of a word | |
| When contradictory terms are combined to form words that mean something else | |
| A sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. | |
| A brief, pithy, unusually concise statement of a principle, truth, or sentiment. Notable more for its thought and wisdom than its wit. | |
| To begin in the middle of a sequence of events/the story. | |
| Poetry composed for a particular event. | |
| An ‘all‐knowing’ kind of narrator very commonly found in works of fiction written as third‐person narratives. | |
| The style of speaking and writing as reflected in the choice and use of words. | |
| Distinctive, sometimes picturesque characteristics or peculiarities of a place or period as represented in literature or drama, or as observed in reality. | |
| An often futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state. | |
| The irony in which fate, destiny, or a god controls and toys with human hopes and expectations; also, the belief that the universe is so large and man is so small that the universe | |
| A poem of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter, conveying strong emotions. | |
| An author who, in addition to reporting the events of a novel's story, offers further comments on characters and events, and who sometimes reflects more generally upon the signific | |
| | Definition | Literary Term |
|---|
| The problem in any piece of literature and is often classified according to the nature of the main characters. | |
| Two rhyming lines of verse in iambic pentameter. | |
| A literary character of great stature whose moral defect leads to tragedy but some self-awareness. | |
| The beginning of a story which provides some background and informs the reader about the plot, character, setting, and theme. | |
| The irony in which the outcome turns out to be very different from what is expected. | |
| The ridiculing of folly, stupidity, or vice; the use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule for exposing or denouncing frailties and faults of mankind. | |
| The act of a person or thing that sets, the surroundings or environment of a story. | |
| A flaw in the character of the protagonist in a tragedy that brings the protagonist to ruin or sorrow. | |
| An unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot. | |
| A figure of speech where animals, ideas, or inorganic objects are given human characteristics. | |
| A common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable. | |
| Unrhymed lines of ten syllables each, the even-numbered syllables bearing the accents or iambic pentameter. | |
| The main character or lead figure in a novel, play, story, or poem. It may also be referred to as the 'hero' of a work. | |
| A division of a poem; equivalent to a paragraph in prose. | |
| A second self, a second personality or persona within a person, who is often oblivious to the persona's actions. | |
| The use of vivid description, usually rich in sensory words, to create pictures, or images, in the reader's mind. | |
| The arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence. | |
| A character assumed by an author within a literary work. | |
| A work of literature or item in a work that is completely symbolic of something different. | |
| The metrical analysis of poetry; the division of a line of poetry into feet by indicating accents and counting syllables. | |
| A name given to something that represents something similar or when a part is used to describe a whole. | |
| This provides clues for the reader to be able to predict what might occur later on in the story. | |
| A sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction absent or present. | |
| A statement, or multiple statements that lead to an contradictory thought/situation. | |
| In drama, a speech directed to the audience that is supposedly is not audible to the other characters onstage at the time. | |
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