Glossary of Literary Terms (Short Form)
alliteration: repetition of initial consonant sounds in two or more consecutive words
("Bring me my bow of burning gold.")
allusion: comparison, using reference to something real or fictious outside of the work
assonance: repetition of internal vowel sounds surrounded by differing sounds in words in proximity
(tide/mine) ("We real cool. We/Left school.)
consonance: pattern of identical consonant sounds and differing vowel sounds in words in proximity
(fail/feel; hill/hall; reader/rider)
dramatic irony: situation in which the reader knows something the characters do not
figurative language: writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally; it is language used to create vivid word pictures, to make writing emotionally intense and concentrated, and to state ideas in new and unusual ways
flashback: interruption of the narrative to show an episode that happened before that point in the story
foreshadowing: hint to the reader of what is to come
hyperbole: obvious exaggeration
imagery: sensory details which provide concrete mental pictures for the reader
irony: contrast between what is expected and what actually occurs (See also verbal irony and dramatic irony.)
metaphor: figure of speech which directly compares two unlike things; "like" or "as" is not used in the comparison
mood (atmosphere): feeling created in the reader by the passage
onomatopoeia: use of a word whose sound echoes or suggests its meaning (buzz, hiss, crack)
oxymoron: word combination in which the words have contradictory meanings (contentious harmony)
paradox: statement that seems to be contradictory or ridiculous but is actually quite true
parable: short tale that teaches a lesson or illustrates a moral truth (The Pearl, "The Minister's Black Veil")
personification: figure of speech giving human qualities to non-human things
point of view: the vantage point from which a story is told:
first-person - the story is told by a character within the story
third-person - the story is told by a narrator outside the story
limited - the storyteller knows the internal state of one character
omniscient - the storyteller knows the internal states of all characters
rhyme: repetition of sounds at the ends of words
rhythm: pattern of stressed or unstressed sounds in spoken or written language
sentence structure: varied length and arrangement of words to produce a desired effect
setting: time and place of action
simile: figure of speech in which an indirect comparison of unlike things is made, using "like" or "as"
structure: overall design or arrangement of material
style: mode of expression, the devices an author employs in his writing, the way the content is presented
syntax: arrangement of words to show their mutual relations
tone: author's attitude toward his subject expressed through stylistic techniques (examples of tone: humorous, serious, bitter, angry, detached, sympathetic, indifferent, sarcastic)
verbal irony: situation in which the writer says one thing but means something entirely different
word choice (diction): particular choice of words for meaning and suggestion
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