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Literary Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Allegory | Writing that has a deeper meaning hidden beneath the obvious; an extended metaphor; a story in which the people, places, and things represent general concepts or moral qualities. |
| Anaolgy | A comparison between two things in which the more complex is explained in terms of the more simple; often a simile or metaphor. |
| Ambiguity | Having more than one meaning, used in verbal, written, and nonverbal communication. Ex: He reminded me of a pig eating his swill. |
| Anaphora | The repetition of a word/words at the beginning of two or more successive line of verse, sentences, etc. Ex: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn..." etc. |
| Anecdote | A short entertaining account of some happening, frequently personal or biographical. |
| Antithesis | A figure of speech in which contrary ideas are expressed in a balanced sentence; oxymoron; opposing view, view contrasted with thesis |
| Aphorism | Wise saying, usually short and written, reflecting a general truth. Ex: Haste Makes waste. |
| Apostrophe | A figure of speech in which a person not present, an inanimate object is addressed (spoken to) directly. Ex: "Oh love, why dost thou now leave me lonely." |
| Caveat | A warning or caution; objection; dissent. |
| Colloquial Expression | Words and phrases used in everyday speech but avoided in formal writing. Ex: Jack was bummed out his chemistry grade. INSTEAD OF, Jack was upset about the chemistry grade. |
| Connotation | Surrounding feelings and associations added to word meaning. Ex: mother-kindly, self-sacrificing, nurturing woman. |
| Deduction (Deductive reasoning) | A form of reasoning that begins with a generalization, then applies the generalization to a specific case or cases; opposite of induction (see syllogism). |
| Didactic | Describes literary works meant to teach a moral or a lesson (such as a fable). Dramatic Irony |
| Dramatic Irony | A condition in which the audience is made aware of information unknown to some of the actual characters. |
| Empathy | Identification with an object & sharing in its physical and emotional sensations. It involves ascribing the feelings and attitudes present I oneself to the plight of characters in a literary work & the conditions of their lives. |
| Ephemeral | An adjective meaning short-lived, transitory. |
| Epiphany | A sudden understanding or realization which prior to this was not thought or understood. |
| Euphemism: | More palatable word for less pleasant subject. Ex: "Lady of the evening" is a euphemism for "prostitute". |
| Expository Writing | Writing that explains or analyzes |
| Foil | Character opposite or different from the protagonist, sued to highlight the protagonist's traits; incidents or setting may also be used as foils. |
| Genre, Literary | A particular type or category of writing. |
| Hyperbole | Use of extreme exaggeration. |
| Idiom | Phrase in common use that does not literally mean what it says. |
| In Media Res | "in the midst of things" starting a story in the middle of the action, Later the first part will be revealed. |
| Jargon | Words peculiar to a particular occupation. |
| Metonomy | Figure of speech. The substitution of the name of an object with a word closely associated with it. Ex: the White house for the President.. |
| Non Sequitar | A statement that does not follow logically from what preceded it. Ex: I made an "A" on the test because I wore my yellow shirt. |
| Objective | A tone of fairness and even discussion of a subject; it usually suggests that there is a distance between the author and the subject being discussed. (Be careful, this tone can also be cold and impersonal). |
| Paradox | A statement that seems to be contradictory or absurd; however, it is found to be true. |
| Periodic Sentence | A sentence written so that the full meaning cannot be understood until the end. The dependent clause is at the beginning and it ends with the independent clause. |
| Pronoun | A word which takes hte place of a noun to prevent repetition or to act as the subject of the clause (Persona: he/she/you/they; Demonstrative: this/that/those/these; Reflexive: himself/herself; Relative:t hat/which/who/whom). |
| Rhetoric | The arts of using owrds effectively. The art of persuasion and employing the devices to persuade. Persuasion extends to the construction of a work so that you believe it it be true even though it is fiction. |
| Syntax | The arrange and grammatical relations of words in a sentence. Word order in a sentence. |
| Understatement | A form of irony where the author intentionally understates the facts (says it less that it is) Ex: We have a little problem here (referring to AIDS Epidemic). |
Created by:
FaithRaquel2015
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