Major Literary Terms
allegory
- device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an
abstraction in
addition to the literal meaning
alliteration
- the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more
neighboring words
(e.g., "she sells sea shells")
allusion
- a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly
known, such as an
event, book, myth, place, or work of art
ambiguity
- the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word,
phrase, sentence, or
passage
analogy
- a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship
between them
antecedent
- the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
aphorism
- a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or
moral principle
apostrophe
- a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or
a personified
abstraction, such as liberty or love
atmosphere
- the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established
partly by the setting
and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described
clause
- a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
colloquial
- the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing
conceit
- a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or
surprising analogy between
seemingly dissimilar objects
connotation
- the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested
meaning
denotation
- the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion,
attitude, or color
diction
- refering to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially
with regard to their
correctness, clearness, or effectiveness
didactic
- from the Greek, literally means "teaching"
euphemism
- from the Greek for "good speech," a more agreeable or less
offensive substitute for a
generally unpleasant word or concept
extended
metaphor - a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or
throughout a work
figurative
language - writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and
is usually meant to
be imaginative and vivid
figure
of speech - a device used to produce figurative language
generic
conventions - refers to traditions for each genre
genre
- the major category into which a literary work fits (e.g., prose, poetry, and
drama)
homily
- literally "sermon", or any serious talk, speech, or lecture
providing moral or spiritual advice
hyperbole
- a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement
imagery
- the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion,
or represent
abstractions
infer
(inference) - to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
invective
- an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive
language
irony
- the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
verbal irony - words literally state the opposite of speaker's true
meaning
situational irony - events turn out the opposite of what was expected
dramatic irony - facts or events are unknown to a character but known
to the reader or audience or
other characters in work
loose
sentence - a type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by
dependent grammatical
units
metaphor
- a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or
the substitution of
one for the other, suggesting some similarity
metonomy
- from the Greek "changed label", the name of one object is
substituted for that of another
closely associated with it (e.g., "the White House" for the
President)
mood
- grammatically, the verbal units and a speaker's attitude (indicative,
subjunctive, imperative);
literarily, the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a word
narrative
- the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events
onomatopoeia
- natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words (e.g. buzz, hiss)
oxymoron
- from the Greek for "pointedly foolish," author groups apparently
contradictory terms to suggest
a paradox
paradox
- a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense
but upon closer
inspection contains some degree of truth or validity
parallelism
- from the Greek for "beside one another," the grammatical or
rhetorical framing of words,
phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity
parody
- a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the
specific aim of comic effect
and/or ridicule
pedantic
- an adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly
scholarly, academic, or
bookish
periodic
sentences - a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at
the end
personification
- a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts,
animals, or
inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions
point
of view - the perspective from which a story is told (first person, third
person omniscient, or third
person limited omniscient)
predicate
adjective - one type of subject complement, an adjective, group of adjectives,
or adjective clause
that follows a linking verb
predicate
nominative - another type of subject complement, a noun, group of nouns, or
noun clause that
renames the subject
prose
- genre including fiction, nonfiction, written in ordinary language
repetition - the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any
element of language
rhetoric
- from the Greek for "orator," the principles governing the art of
writing effectively, eloquently,
and persuasively
rhetorical
modes - the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing
(exposition explains
and analyzes information; argumentation proves validity of an idea;
description re-creates, invents,
or presents a person, place, event or action; narration tells a story
or recount an event)
sarcasm
- from the Greek for "to tear flesh," involves bitter, caustic
language that is meant to hurt or
ridicule someone or something
satire
- a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and
conventions for reform or
ridicule
semantics
- the branch of linguistics which studies the meaning of words, their
historical and psychological
development (etymology), their connotations, and their relation to one
another
style
- an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction,
syntax, figurative
language, and other literary devices;
or, classification of authors to a group and comparison of an
author to similar authors
subject
complement - the word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements,
or completes, the
subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it
subordinate
clause - contains a subject and verb (like all clauses) but cannot stand
alone; does not express
complete thought
syllogism
- from the Greek for "reckoning together," a deductive system of
formal logic that presents two
premises (first "major," second "minor") that
inevitably lead to a sound conclusion (e.g., All men are
mortal, Socrates is a man, Socrates is mortal)
symbol
(symbolism) - anything that represents or stands for something else (natural,
conventional, literary)
syntax
- the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences
theme
- the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life
thesis
- in expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of
sentences that directly express
the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition
tone
- similar to mood, describes the author's attitude toward his material, the
audience, or both
transition
- a word or phrase that links different ideas
understatement
- the ironic minimalizing of fact, presents something as less significant than
it is
wit
- intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights
Poetic Feet
U
- unaccented syllable, A - accented syllable
amphimacer
- AUA
anapest
- UUA
antibacchus
- AAU
bacchius
- UAA
chouambus
- AUUA
dactyl
- AUU
iambus
- UA
pyrrhic
- UU
spondee
- UU
trochee
- AU
breve
- symbol for unstressed syllable
macron
- a "-" symbol to divide syllables
