9TH GRADE LITERARY TERMS
Mrs. Davis
1. Allegory
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A story or tale with two or more
levels of meaning-a literary level and
one or more symbolic levels. The
events, setting, and characters in an
allegory are symbols for ideas and
qualities. The overall purpose is to
teach a moral lesson. (“The Tortoise
and the Hare”)
2. Alliteration
The repetition of initial
consonant sounds. (Once upon
a midnight dreary, while I
pondered weak and weary,…)
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3. Allusion
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A reference to a well-known
person, place, event, literary
work, or work of art. (Is there
Balm in Gilead? …Biblical
Allusion from “The Raven”)
4. Ambiguity
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A statement which has two or more possible
meanings or a statement whose meaning is unclear.
(In “The Raven”, when the poem speaks of the man’s
soul being on the floor, never to be lifted, it is
unclear exactly what Poe meant. Perhaps the raven
physically killed him, or maybe he has just lost hope
in the face of his sorrowful life. The true origin and
actions of the raven, and for that matter Lenore, are
never concretely revealed, and Poe’s ambiguity,
which is shown through confusion of characters and
their origins, is consistent throughout.)
5. Analogy

Makes a comparison between two
or more things that are similar in
some ways but otherwise unalike.
(Elie Wiesel:Tzipora::the narrator
in “The Raven”: _____________)
6. Analysis
To examine critically,
carefully, and in detail.
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7. Anecdote
A brief story about an interesting,
amusing, or strange event told to
entertain or make a point.
 In Night, Elie Wiesel tells the story of
the French girl who cared for him
after his beating. He meets her later
in life and learns she is actually a
Jew.
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8. Antagonist
A character or force in conflict
with main character, or
protagonist.
 The raven is the antagonist to the
narrator in The Raven.
 The Nazi party is one antagonist
to Elie in Night.
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9. Argument
A logical way of presenting
a belief, conclusion, or
stance. A good argument is
supported with reasoning
and evidence.
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10. Aside
A short speech delivered by a
character in a play in order to
express his or her true thoughts
and feelings. Traditionally, the
aside is directed to the
audience and presumed to be
inaudible to the other actors.
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11. Assonance
The repetition of vowel
sounds. True assonance
does not rhyme.
Purple curtain
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12. Audience
Person or people reading or
viewing the story, play, or
movie.
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13. Autobiography
A form of nonfiction in which a
writer tells his or her own life
story.

14. Ballad
A relatively short narrative
poem, written to be sung, with
a simple and dramatic action.
Ballads tell of love, death, the
supernatural, or a combination
of these.

15. Biography
A form of nonfiction in which a
writer tells the life story of
another person.

16. Blank Verse
Poetry written in unrhymed
iambic pentameter lines.
This verse form was widely
used by William
Shakespeare.
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17. Characterization
The act of creating and
developing a character.
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18. Chronological Order

Time order
19. Cliché
An overused expression.
Lost track of time or at the
speed of light are both
clichés.
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20. Climax
The high point of interest
or suspense in a story,
play, or novel.

21. Comedy
A literary work,
especially a play, that
has a happy ending.

22. Comparison/Contrast

To determine similarities and
differences between two
elements. A mode of writing in
which similarities and differences
of pieces of writing are discussed.
23. Conflict
A struggle between opposing
forces
 External – the main character
struggles against an outside force
 Internal – involves a character at
conflict with himself or herself.

24. Connotation
The set of ideas associated with a
word in addition to its explicit
meaning – may be negative or
positive.
 Sip vs. Slurp
 Slim vs. Bony
 Fat vs. Voluptuous
 Inform vs. Gossip

25. Couplet
A pair of rhyming lines, usually of the
same length and meter.
 His red sports car is just a dream
It needs no gas, it runs on steam
 The children like the ocean shore
We want to leave but they want more
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26. Denotation
A word’s dictionary
meaning.

27. Description
A portrait in words of a
person, place, or an object.
Descriptive writing uses sensory
details, those that appeal to
the senses.
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28. Dialect
The form of language spoken
by people in a specific region
or group, may involve changes
in the pronunciation,
vocabulary, and sentence
structure of standard English.
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29. Denouement
The unraveling and
resolution of a problem in a
story.
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30. Dialogue
Conversation between
characters that may reveal
their traits and advance the
action.

31. Diction
Refers to an author’s choice
of words, especially with
regard to range of
vocabulary, use of slang,
and colloquial language.

32. Drama
A story written to be
performed by actors.

33. Dramatic Monologue
A poem in which a character
revels himself or herself by
speaking to a silent listener.

34. Dramatic Irony
A contradiction between what
a character thinks and what the
reader or audience knows to
be true.

35. Essay
A short nonfiction work
about a particular
subject.

36. Euphemism
The substitution for a mild word or
phrase for a word that would be
considered undesirable because it is
too direct, unpleasant, or offensive.
 Passed away instead of died
 Restroom instead of bathroom

37. Evaluate
Forming a personal
judgment about an
idea’s or a literary
work’s value.

38. Exposition
In the plot of a story or drama, this
introduces the characters, the setting,
and the basic situation, or conflict.
 The exposition in Poe’s “The Raven” is a
chamber on a dark, stormy night at
midnight in December. He is reading,
almost asleep, when he hears a tapping
sound.
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39. Fable
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fa·ble
noun 1. a short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with
animals or inanimate objects as characters; apologue:
the fable of the tortoise and the hare; Aesop's fables.
2. a story not founded on fact: This biography is largely
a self-laudatory fable.
3. a story about supernatural or extraordinary persons
or incidents; legend: the fables of gods and heroes.
4. legends or myths collectively: the heroes of Greek
fable.
5. an untruth; falsehood: This boast of a cure is a
medical fable.
40. Falling Action
The events leading to the
resolution in which the action
begins to wind down.
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