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Literary terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| alliteration | repetition of consonants, especially at the beginning of words |
| allusion | reference to a person, place, story etc, which the reader is assumed to know |
| analogy | comparison or parallel underlying a simile or metaphor |
| anaphora | repetition of word or phrase at the beginning of several clauses or sentences |
| antithesis | contrasting words or phrases balanced against one another |
| apostrophe | address to person, place or abstract quality as an aside from the narrative |
| archaism | an old form of a word used to create an effect of solemnity or pathos |
| assonance | repetition of similar vowel sounds in two or more words |
| asyndeton | omission of conjunctions |
| chiasmus | contrast of phrases by reversal of word order |
| ellipsis | the omission of word(s) necessary for the grammatical structure of a sentence |
| epithet | an adjective or phrase commonly associated with a noun, conveying a special quality or characteristic |
| hendiadys | phrase with two components which amount to one concept |
| hyperbaton | alteration of natural order of words, displacement of word outside its phrase or clause |
| hyperbole | deliberate exaggeration not intended to be taken literally |
| interjection | a sudden phrase or word that interrupts the grammatical progress of the sentence |
| litotes | expressing an idea through its negative, eg ‘not bad’ meaning ‘good’ |
| meiosis | deliberate understatement |
| metaphor | an implied comparison; words or expressions literally belonging to one subject, but used of another to create an image |
| metonymy | a proper noun or an associated word used for a whole concept |
| onomatopoeia | words whose sound imitates the sound being described |
| oxymoron | combination of contradictory terms in one phrase |
| personification (prosopopoeia) | a non-human addressed or spoken of as a person |
| polysyndeton | using more conjunctions than necessary |
| rhetorical question | question asked for effect, where no answer is expected |
| simile | comparison introduced by terms such as velut, similis or qualis |
| synecdoche | the part standing for the whole |
| transferred epithet | agreement of an adjective, not with the noun to which it really refers, but with another noun in close proximity |
| tricolon | a series of three similar phrases or clauses, often building up in intensity or length |
| zeugma | the linking of two words or expressions with a single word which, strictly speaking, cannot apply to both |
| bathos/ anticlimax | descent from the grand to the trivial |
| climax | a high point of effect led up to gradually; the culmination of a series of ideas, events or expressions |
| connotation | the implicit or associated meanings of a word |
| convention | an accepted literary practice or tradition |
| device | a stylistic feature |
| diction | the deliberate choice and arrangement of words |
| didactic | designed to instruct |
| epic | long narrative poem in lofty style involving both mortal heroes and supernatural forces in large-scale events, written in hexameter verse in Greek and Latin |
| figurative language | language that departs from the literal standard meaning in order to achieve a special effect e.g. metaphor, personification, simile |
| imagery | use of stylistic features to create a word picture |
| irony | the use of words that convey a sense or attitude contrary to what is literally expressed; a deeper awareness of the significance of words or actions, which the author shares with the audience, but which the characters in the narrative do not understand |
| mood | an emotional atmosphere created by the author |
| paradox | a statement which seems contradictory but which reveals a coherent truth |
| pathos | the creation of pity or sorrow in the reader |
| rhetoric | the presentation of ideas in a persuasive manner using such stylistic features as anaphora, hyperbole or rhetorical question |
| structure | how the text is put together – development of theme, sections, word order |
| theme | an underlying idea, which may be sustained throughout the text |
| tone | the attitude and/or the feeling writers express through their choice of words or literary devices |
Created by:
Arie1
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