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Literary Terms
These are the terms Honors English 10 students should learn
| Term | Definition | Example of available |
|---|---|---|
| allegory | a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. | The entire novel The Alchemist could be considered allegory because even though the protagonist experiences a certain quest, the quest itself and the elements within it represent bigger morals and ideas than simply a shepherd seeking his treasure. |
| alliteration | repetition of a consonant sound | Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. |
| allusion | a reference to another work of literature, history, archetype, or work | In Fahrenheit 451, Montag (which is an allusion to the day "Monday" in German and to its roots--Moon-en-tag--Day of the Moon) attempts to read the Bible and is unable to understand the quote "Consider the lilies of the field…" which is also an allusion. |
| anaphora | in rhetoric, the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. | It was the best of times. It was the worst of times…(A Tale of Two Cities) |
| anecdote | a short story meant to illustrate or serve as evidence to prove a point | Antony's speech to the plebeians includes anecdotes of things Caesar did when he was a general with the intent of proving that Caesar was not "ambitious." |
| antagonist | a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary. | After Brutus and the conspirators killed Julius Caesar, by Act IV Octavius becomes Brutus' antagonist because he must avenge the death of his uncle. |
| antithesis | a figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other | “hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” |
| apostrophe | when a character in a literary work speaks to an object, an idea, or someone who doesn't exist as if it is a living person | Is this a dagger before me? |
| archetype | a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology. | the epic hero, the tragic hero, flood stories, stories in which it is perilous to look back |
| assonance | repetition of a vowel sound | Down town we looked around… |
| caricature | an imitation or comically exaggerated representation of someone or something | Mad magazine is notoriously good at creating caricatures in their comics. |
| climax | the most intense, exciting, or important point of something. The conflict is usually taken head-on at this point. | If you don't know this, you are an idiot. |
| connotation | the implied, connected, or symbolic meaning of something as opposed to its denotation or dictionary definition of something | In the beginning of The Alchemist, the sycamore tree that is growing in the sacristy in the abandoned church connotes its importance and is an allusion to the Tree of Life in the book of Revelations. |
| consonance | a specific form of alliteration in which the repetition of consonant sounds takes place near each other from word to word and can include sounds at the beginnings, middles, and ends of the words. | Pitter patter |
| denotation | literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests | blue is an actual wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum (denotation) whereas it has symbolic meaning for the sea, water, or nobility. |
| dichotomy | a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different. | Iago in Othello is dichotomous in his interactions with characters as are the sisters Regan and Goneril when they are in the process of getting Lear's inheritance versus when they actually own it later. |
| diction | the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing | plenty of examples |
| direct characterization | What a character actually says or does | Cassius is perfidious because of his participation in the murder of Julius Caesar. |
| epiphany | a sudden realization where a character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story | In Act V of Julius Caesar, Brutus realizes he will not win the day but that he will have greater glory on this dying day. In Macbeth, Macbeth himself has an epiphany that he is so overstepped in blood that he cannot turn back. |
| exposition | a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory. | plenty of examples |
| falling action | the events after the climax but before the final resolution of a story | plenty of examples |
| foreshadowing | events or images and other elements which are indicative of future events within the story | the lion in the market place, the earth quakes, the meteor shower are all used to foreshadow future events in Julius Caesar |
| flashback | a literary technique in which the author goes back in time to events prior than the present to tell the story | many examples |
| hyperbole | an overstatement that is so large that it is not believeable | most "yo mama" jokes adhere to this |
| imagery | words that appeal to any of the 5 senses | many examples |
| in media res | translated as "in the middle of the action," when a story begins in the middle of the events that are unfolding | The Illiad begins in the middle of the action taking place. |
| indirect characterization | what characters say about another character | Cassius is also described by Julius Caesar as having "a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much and such men are dangerous." |
| irony | the discrepancy between two things: (verbal) what is said versus what is meant; (situationa) what is expected versus what actually happens; (dramatic) what the reader or watcher of the story knows versus what the characters know. | many examples |
| juxtaposition | the strategic placement of elements near each other for artistic effect usually for contrasting effect | Sheldon on Big Bang Theory is juxtaposed with just about every other character because he is so different. This is done for comedic effect. |
| metaphor | a comparison of two unlike things without using "like" or "as" | plenty of examples |
| 1st person | narrative point of view in which the narrator uses pronouns such as "I," "we," or "me" in which the narrator is a participant in the story itself | plenty of examples |
| 2nd person | this is the command form of language in which the narrator tells the reader what to do. Most instructional manuals follow this format i.e. "first you open the box and then…" | only in instructions |
| 3rd person | narrative point of view in which the narrator uses pronouns such as "they," "it," "he," or "she." | plenty of examples |
| 3rd person limited | A specific narrative point of view in which the narrator uses pronouns such as "they," "it," "he," or "she" while the narrator can only explain details from their perspective and not the thoughts of participants in the story. | plenty of examples |
| 3rd person omniscient | A specific narrative point of view in which the narrator uses pronouns such as "they," "it," "he," or "she" while the narrator can explain the thoughts of others and things that only an omniscient persona would be able to explain. | plenty of examples |
| metonymy | the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, | for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing |
| monologue | one character alone speaking directly to the audience or reader | stand-up comedy, soliloquy |
| mood | the emotional setting of the story | plenty of examples |
| motif | a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition | the imagery of fire and burning in the story "The Monkey's Paw." |
| narrator | the person who narrates something, especially a character who recounts the events of a novel or narrative poem | you should know this… |
| overstatement | action of expressing or stating something too strongly; exaggeration | plenty of examples |
| paradox | statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory | Sometimes you have to lose to win. |
| parallel structure | the repetition of a chosen syntax form to express ideas. Sometimes done with phrasing or entire sentences. | plenty of examples |
| persona | the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others | plenty of examples |
| personification | to give human characteristics to nonhuman ideas and objects | plenty of examples |
| plot | the events within a story usually made up of setting, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution | plenty of examples |
| protagonist | the main character of a story | plenty of examples |
| retrospect | retro=backward spect=look at or see retrospect means to reflect backward in time or sequence | plenty of examples |
| rising action | when the conflict becomes more complicated | plenty of examples |
| sentence structure | describes the patterns of subjects, verbs, phrases within sentences | plenty of examples |
| setting | the time and place where a story takes place | plenty of examples |
| simile | a comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as" | plenty of examples |
| soliloquy | sol= alone loq=words. When a character is on stage by themselves revealing their thoughts or intentions directly to the audience | plenty of examples |
| speaker | the persona delivering the message or speaking | plenty of examples |
| stereotype | a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. | plenty of examples |
| style | the way in which an author uses words to convey meaning, tell stories, or achieve rhetorical intentions usually influenced by the genre or design | plenty of examples |
| suspense | state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. | plenty of examples |
| symbolism | use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities | common symbols include the use of white for purity, blue for nobility, roses to represent love, etc. |
| synechdoche | a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. | referring to the executives as "the suits." |
| syntax | the study of sentence structures for rhetorical effect and patterns. | parallel structure, anaphora |
| theme | the underlying moral, lesson, or statement about life that a story teaches | plenty of examples |
| tone | the attitude of the speaker in how something is stated or written | caustic, vitriolic, comedic, sincere, authentic, patronizing, didactic |
| voice | the unique style of a particular author in a given story. This can include elements of tone, diction, and syntactical structures among other things. | plenty style examples |
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t9bailey
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