Humanities: All Literary Terms

a story in which objects, characters, and actions are symbols of something outside the narrative. Example: Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm

the repetition of initial sounds. Ex: ―The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew...‖ Coleridge

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.

something out of its normal time

repetition when it is specifically used at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences.

a comparison that explains or describes one subject by pointing out its similarities to another subject.

involves a direct contrast of structurally parallel word groupings, generally for the purpose of contrast. Ex: ― It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...‖ Dickens

a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person or a personified quality. Ex: ―Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!‖ Shakespeare

the placing next to a noun another noun or phrase that explains it. Ex: Pollution, the city's main problem, is an issue.

an image, a descriptive detail, a plot pattern, or a character type that occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore and is, therefore, believed to evoke profound emotion because it touches the unconscious memory and thus calls into play illogical but strong responses.

repetition of vowel sounds. Ex: The bows glided down...

a moral and spiritual cleansing; an emphatic identification with others. Ex; watching a protagonist overcome great odds to survive, confession cleanses the soul.

creating and developing a character

when a writer arranges ideas in order of importance

the set of associations that occur to people when they hear or read a word. Ex: The word home evokes feelings of warmth, safety, etc.

repetition of consonant sounds. Ex: Even, Heaven, striven

the dictionary meaning of a word

a portrait in words of a person, place, or object

the facts given by the author or speaker as support for the attitude or tone

language spoken by people in a particular region or group

conversation between characters

(word choice)

the author directly states a character's traits

a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true.

a sudden understanding or realization of something notknown or understood to this point.

an inscription used to mark burial places

a word or phrase used in place of a person's name. Ex: Material Girl, Honey

indirect words replace directness to avoid unpleasantness Ex: instead of ―die‖, use ―passed away‖

several comparisons are made and extended throughout the passage (text)

a character in the story is telling the story; readers see only what this character sees, hears, etc.

writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally. Ex: simile, metaphor, personification

a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time

the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

a form of oral religious instruction given by a minister to a church congregation (it usually gives pratical moral counsel)

means ―excessive pride‖. In Greek tragedy, hubris is often viewed as the flaw that leads to the downfall of the tragic hero.

a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement Ex: ―That story is as old as time.‖

a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell.

the figurative language that appeals to one or more of the five senses

a command or order

the conclusions a reader draws about a character based on the appearance, behavior, speech, private thoughts, effect he/she has on other characters.

a question, query

literary technique that involves differences between a. appearances and reality b. expectation and result c. meaning and intention

an event occurs that directly contrasts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

the entire body of words in a text. Language is abstract in that it describes the force or quality of the diction, images, and details the author uses. It qualifies how the work was written.

words in their ordinary senses (the opposite of figurative language)

a comparison between two unlike things, not using ―as‖. ―like‖,―than‖ or ―resembles‖

a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. Ex: The monarch is spoken of as ―the crown‖

a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem in which he/she has listeners who do not speak

the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage

a simple device that serves as a basis for an expanded narrative. Ex: the house in The House on Mango Street

the reason that explains or partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior

a speaker or character who tells a story...may also be an outside observer

an inference that does not follow from the premise Ex: She is thin; therefore, she is hungry.

an ―all-knowing‖ 3rd person narrator...can reveal to readers what the characters think and feel.

words that imitate the sounds. Ex: hiss, buzz, coo

a figure of speech that combines two opposing or contradictory ideas. Ex: jumbo shrimp, tough love

a statement that seems to contradict itself but actually contains truth or common sense. Ex: The coach considered this a good loss.

giving human characteristics to a nonhuman subject

the perspective from which a story is told

a play on words that have different meanings but sound the same Ex: ―I‖ and ―eye‖

the use, more than once, of any element of language:a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence

a change from one tone, attitude, etc... Look for key words like but, however, even though, although, yet, etc.

a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it. Ex: ―She's a real winner.‖ (the opposite is meant.)

writing or speech that appeals to one or more of the senses

the time and place of the action of a literary work

a comparison between two unlike things using words such as ―as‖, ―like‖, ―than‖, or ―resembles‖. Ex: My love is like a red, red rose.

a speech delivered by a character when he or she is alone on stage

a writer's distinctive mode of expression

a feeling or uncertainty or curiosity about the outcome of events in a literary work

a formula for presenting an argument logically. It consists of three divisions: Major premise: All libraries should serve the people MInor premise: This is a public library Conclusion: Therefore, this library should serve the people.

anything that stands for or represents something else...an object that serves as a symbol has its own meaning, but also represents abstract ideas. Ex: heart = love

the physical arrangement of words in a sentence

a central message or insight into life revealed throughout a literary work. It must be expressed in sentence form.

the narrator reveals thoughts and feelings of only one character

the writer's attitude toward his/her subject and audience.

speaking with sly sarcasm

saying less than is actually meant, generally in an ironic way.

the type of irony in which words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant.

a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation