Literary Terms

denotation

Dictionary definition of a word The word “midnight” means the middle of the

night.

Dialect

Speech patterns in a particular region or of a particular group

dialogue

Talk or conversation between two or more people or characters

elegy

Mournful poem or lament, usually honoring someone who has died

epic

Long narrative poem that relates the deeds of a hero…hero often goes on a journey

fable

A brief story with a moral; it often has animals acting like humans

Figurative language

Any language that is not meant to be interpreted in a strict, literal sense

flashback

Interruption in a story that tells the reader about something that happened at an earlier time

Folk tale

Story that was not originally written down, but was passed on orally from one storyteller to another

foreshadowing

Use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest a certain action to come

limerick

A comic poem written in five lines, rhymed in a pattern of a a b b a

metamorphosis

In literature, a fantastic change, mainly in shape or form

myth

A story, often about gods and goddesses, that attempts to give meaning to the world; for example, why the sun crosses the sky; why there are stars; why there are tornadoes; why flowers die

paraphrase

A summary or restatement of a piece of writing, put in other words (not a direct quote)

Tall Tale

A highly improbable, humorous story that stretches facts beyond any hope of belief

metaphor

A literary device that compares two unlike things, saying that one thing IS another…

Life is just a bowl of cherries; my father was the sturdy oak tree, and we were saplings; you are a rock

simile

A literary device that compares two unlike things by using “like” or “as” in the comparison.

She is as calm as the eye of a hurricane He is like the tiger, always on the prowl The baby’s mind is like a sponge

personification

A literary device that gives human qualities to non-human things

The wind whispered my name. The bear said, “Yum, yum, humans.” The chair gave a sigh of relief when he got

up.

hyperbole

A literary device which uses exaggeration to give force or intensity to what we say or write.

He almost died of embarrassment. I have walked a thousand miles today. That teacher must be a hundred years old.

onomatopoeia

A literary form in which words sound like their meaning

The twig snapped. The bee buzzed. The bacon sizzled. The snake gave a warning hiss. The thunder boomed.

alliteration

The repetition of an initial sound is a group of words

The pupil’s purple prose was pompous This precious stone set in a silver sea Hungry hogs hug the trough

imagery

Words or phrases that create pictures or appeal to the reader’s senses

The soft breeze lifted her hair and the sun dazzled against her skin.

The stream gave off coolness and woodsy fragrance as the trees above rustled in the soft breeze.

Verbal irony

A contrast between what is stated and what is really meant

You’re a real cutie!” she said to the mud-spattered contestant

Situational Irony

When a situation turns out to be completely different from what we expect

In “The Ransom of Red Chief,” the parents didn’t want their child back. Normally, parents would do anything to get their child back

In “The Gift of the Magi,” the wife sold her hair in order to buy a watch chain for her husband, while her husband sold his watch in order to buy a decorative comb for his wife’s hair.

Dramatic Irony

When the reader or audience knows something that the characters do not know

In “Diary of Anne Frank,” we know that Anne will die in a concentration camp at the beginning of the play. (The characters do not know.)

Prose

All literature that is not written as poetry

Speeches

Plays

Essays

Novels

Paragraphs

refrain

A word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated regularly in a poem or song, usually at the end of each stanza

stanza

A group of lines forming a unit in a poem or song

symbol

Any person, place, or thing which has meaning in itself but which is made to represent, or stand for something else as well.

Dove = peace Heart = love Flag = country Statue of Liberty = freedom

Rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhyming words at the end of lines of poetry, denoted as repeating letters of the alphabet

Narrative poem

Poetry that tells a story “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”

Sonnet

A poem consisting of 14 lines

allusion

A reference to another written work in a passage.

In Tolstoy’s War and Peace, the writer begins a paragraph with the word, “The Lord is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23)

Literary allusion, mythical allusion, biblical allusion, historical allusion

anecdote

A very short story which is told to make a point

atmosphere

General mood or feeling established in a passage

ballad

A story-telling poem that uses regular patterns of rhythm and strong rhymes. Most are meant to be sung

biography

A true account of a person’s life – written by another person

characterization

Methods an author uses to create characters Physical description What the character says What the character does What other characters say to or about the

character What the character thinks

Conflict

The struggle or problem the main character faces

Person vs person Person vs self Person vs nature Person vs society Person vs machine

connotation

All the emotions and associations that a word or phrase arouses

In “the Raven,” the word “midnight” means more than the hour; it means an atmosphere of fright or death

Mood

The atmosphere is a feeling that a literary work conveys to readers

“The Woman in the Snow” has an ominous and heart wrenching mood

plot

Series of events in a story or poem that the character goes through in an attempt to resolve the conflict

Exposition

Climax

Resolution

Setting

The time, place, and general environment of a story or poem

tone

The writer’s attitude toward his subject Ex: the poem “I’m Making a List” is angry yet

sad and humorous

Author’s purpose

The reason the author writes To entertain To persuade To inform To describe

Style

The author’s manner of writing … just as every person’s thumbprint is unique, so is an author’s style

Elements – word choice, sentence length, tone and figurative language

Suspense

The feeling of growing tension and excitement

“Monkey’s Paw”

Theme

The central underlying idea in a story or poem – what the writer notices about life

Not a moral In “Lemon Brown,” the theme could be that

everyone has a treasure.