| Allegory | representation of abstract ideas as actions and characters |
| Allusion | a symbol for the word “and” |
| Tone | author's attitude toward the subject matter |
| Catharsis | emotional purging |
| Anachronism | something out of place and time |
| Annotate | provide explanatory notes |
| Antagonist | opposes the main character |
| Metaphor | implied comparison |
Anthology
| published collection of works or parts of works by an author or several authors |
| Parable | brief fictional work teaching a lesson |
| Archetype | original model on which copies are made |
| Acronym | the repetition of initial sounds |
| Autobiography | personal account of one's life |
| Bard | poet |
| BellesLettres | beautiful letters |
| Bibliography | list of sources |
| Burlesque | comic or mocking imitation of something serious |
| Realism | way of representing life that emphasizes ordinary people |
| Stereotype | judgment based on only one aspect of a person's character |
| Ampersand | a word formed from the initial letters of other words |
Characters
| people in the story |
| Flat Character | one-sided (emotions) |
| End rhyme | rhyming of words at the ends of lines of poetry |
| Dynamic Character | always changing (actions) |
| Indirect Characterization | learn about characters actions, dialogue, etc. |
| Invocation | calling upon a divine power for aid |
| Cliché | overused expression or idea |
| Speaker | person talking in a poem |
Colloquial
| conversational |
| Theme | main idea of a piece of literature |
| Synonyms | words with virtually the same meaning |
| Internal struggle is the main conflict | Man vs.Self |
| Imagery | sensory details |
| Character against the environment | Man vs. Nature |
| Thesaurus | dictionary of synonyms |
| Continuous Form | lines follow each other without formal grouping |
| Symbol | something concrete represents something else |
| Conflict beyond one's control | Man vs. Supernatural |
| Hyperbole | extreme exaggeration |
| Character against another character | Man vs. Man |
| Consonance | repetition of final consonant sounds |
| Pagination | numbering of pages |
| Denouement | final solution of a play or story |
| Fixed Form | traditional pattern that applies to a whole poem |
| Assonance | repetition of vowel sounds |
| Dialect | major subdivision of a language |
| Parody | intended to mock a particular literary work or its style |
| Soliloquy | speech in which character does not address others |
| Repetition | repeating a word or phase to stress its importance |
| Analogy | a comparison of two or more objects, suggesting that if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well |
| Scansion | the analysis of the rhythm of any given verse |
| Third Person Omniscient | all knowing; the narrator knows everything about the characters |
| Discourse | all communication in language |
| Dialogue | conversation of characters |
| Drama | form of literature known as plays |
| Preface | brief introduction to a work stating an author’s intention (foreword) |
| Connotation | meaning reader believes the word means |
| Ballad | narrative in the oral tradition |
| Ellipsis | used to indicate leaving out a word or passage |
| Inference | reasonable conclusion |
| Plagiarism | duplicating another writer's work without giving proper credit |
| Epigram | short saying, usually satirical or ironic |
| Monologue | an extended speech by one person |
| Euphemism | using a less direct, offensive word or phrase |
| Simile | a comparison using like or as |
| Epitaph | inscription on a tomb |
| Epithet | descriptive name given to a person |
| Narrative poetry | poetry tells a story |
| Conflict | the problem or struggle in a story |
| Eulogy | spoken or written praise, often of somebody dead |
| Flashback | interruption to show episode from the past |
| Extended metaphor | metaphor developed at great length |
| Farce | highly humorous and improbable plot |
| Figurative Language | using figures of speech to heighten meaning |
| Vignette | written or verbal sketch of a brief scene or incident |
| Fantasy | takes place in an unreal world |
| Protagonist | main character |
| Syntax | word order |
| Character against the system | Man vs. Society |
| Persona | a role or character |
| Third Person | outside narrator tells the story |
| Folklore | customs, legends, songs, and stories of a people or nation |
| Genre | form or type of literature |
| Biography | story of one's life written by someone else |
| Denotation | dictionary definition |
| Homophones | sound alike, spelled differently |
| Foil | contrast or challenge to another character |
| i.e. | “that is” |
| Paraphrase | rewording |
| Fiction | writing from a writer's imagination |
| Climax | major turning point |
| Poetic Devices | terms used to describe features of a poem |
| Homonyms | spelled alike, sound alike, but have different meanings |
Motif
| recurring things a piece of literature |
| Alliteration | reference to something well-known |
| Foreshadowing | hint to the reader of what is to come |
| Prose | literary writing not marked by rhyme or meter |
| Elegy | a lyric poem on death or some other sombre subject |
| Onomatopoeia | words sounding like the thing being discussed |
| Verbal irony | opposite of what you say |
| Irony of situation | exact opposite of what you expect to happen, happens |
| Carpe Diem | “seize the day” |
| Mood | emotions the reader feels |
| Malapropism | type of pun that results when two words become jumbled in the speaker’s mind |
| Diacritical marks | indicate pronunciation |
| Static Character | never-changing (actions) |
| First Person | narrator is a character is in the story |
| Vernacular | native language of any particular place |
| Metonymy | one thing is substituted for another thing with which it is actually associated |
| Refrain | phrase of line repeated at regular intervals |
| Prologue | something that precedes and serves to introduce the main body of a work |
| Novel | long work of narrative prose |
| Antonyms | opposite meanings |
| Style | manner of expression characteristic of the author |
Myth
| traditional story connected with religion of a people |
| Antithesis | balancing of two contrasting things |
| Characterization | method of acquainting readers with characters |
| Nonfiction | writing about real people, places, things, and events |
| Novella | prose fiction shorter than a novel |
| Trilogy | group of three related works |
| et. al | “and others” |
| Ode | lyric poem usually composed in complex stanza form and intended to praise |
| Oxymoron | contradictory terms placed together |
| Internal Rhyme | rhyme that happens inside a line of poetry |
| Palindrome | word or phrase reading the same forwards and backwards |
| Aside | spoken to the audience |
| Paradox | statement that seems contrasting to common sense yet may be true |
| Sonnet | short poem, usually 14 lines |
| Anonymous | bearing no name |
| Rhyme scheme | pattern of rhyme in a stanza |
| Idiom | customary expression |
| Lyric poetry | rich in musical devices |
Neoclassicism
| writing that shows the influence of the Romans and Greeks |
| Tragedy | literature in which the character suffers disaster after a serious struggle but faces his or her downfall with heroic stature |
| Dramatic irony | events or facts are understood by the reader, but not the characters |
| Jargon | language of a trade or profession |
| Philosophical Phrases | wise, brief sayings embodying a moral |
| Poet Laureate | chief poet of a nation |
| Poetry | rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery that appeals to emotions and imagination |
| Shape Form | made to look like the topic which it addresses |
| Direct Characterization | author tells about characters |
| Dramatic poetry | characters speak in their own person, just like those in a stage play |
| Irony | contrast between what appears to be and what really is |
| Personification | giving human qualities to non-living objects |
| Synecdoche | part is substituted for the whole |
Pun
| play on words |
| Satire | literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness, often with the intent of correcting, or changing the way things are |
| Point of View | relationship between the teller of the story and the characters |
| Redundant | unnecessary use of words |
| Epic | long narrative poem |
| Rhetoric | art of persuasion by speech or writing |
| Fable | simple story teaching a lesson, generally with animals as characters |
| Rhythm | arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables |
| Romance | long narrative with adventure, love, and magic |
| Plot | sequence of events in a story |
| Round Character | many-sided (emotionally) |
| Surreal | bizarre, fantastic |
| Stanzaic Form | poet writes in a series of stanzas |