Literary Terms
English 12
A broad comparison between
two basically different things
that have some points in
common.
Aspirations
toward space are
not new.
Consider the
worm that
becomes a
butterfly.
A direct comparison between
two basically different things.
A simile is introduced by the
words “like” or “as”.
My love
is like a
red, red
rose.
A great exaggeration to
emphasize strong
feeling.
I will love
you until
all the
seas run
dry.
An implied comparison
between two basically
different things. Is not
introduced with the words
“like” or “as”.
His eyes
were
daggers that
cut right
through me.
A reference to a
historical figure, place,
or event.
The teams
competed in a
David and Goliath
struggle.
Human characteristics are
given to non-human
animals, objects, or ideas.
My stereo
walked
out of my
car.
An absent person or
inanimate object is directly
spoken to as though they
were present.
Brutus:
“Ceasar, now
be still. I killed
not thee with
half so good a
will.”
Hints given to the
reader of what is to
come.
“The stalwart
hero was
doomed to suffer
the destined end
of his days.”
The use of concrete
details that appeal to
the five senses.
Cold, wet
leaves floating
on mosscolored water.
A contrast between what is
said and what is meant. Also,
when things turn out different
than what is expected.
“The treacherous
instrument is in thy
hand, unbated and
envenomed. The
foul practice has
turned itself on me.”
Laertes
The overall atmosphere
or prevailing emotional
feeling of a work.
“It was the
best of times,
it was the
worst of
times.”
A seemingly selfcontradictory
statement that still is
true.
The more
we learn,
the less
we know.
A series of events that
present and resolve a
conflict. The story being
told.
The plot of “The Most
Dangerous Game” is
that Rainsford is being
hunted by General
Zaroff.
The vantage point from
which an author
presents the action in a
work.
1st person-tale related by a
character in the story. “I or me”
3rd person-story told by someone
not participating in the plot. “he,
she, they”
The time (both the time of
day and period in history)
and place in which the
action of a literary work
takes place.
“Tiger! Tiger!
burning
bright
In the forests
of the night”
The repetition of
consonant sounds at
the beginnings of
words.
“Swiftly,
swiftly flew
the ship”
The use of words whose
sounds suggest the sounds
made by objects or
activities.
Other examples:
buzz, hum, kiss
“Blind
eyes could
blaze like
meteors”
Something concrete, such as an
object, action, character, or
scene that stands for something
abstract such as a concept or an
idea.
Both phrases are symbols that
stand for death.
“Do not go gentle into that good night
Rage, Rage against the dying of the light”
The main idea or
underlying meaning
of a literary work.
“Don’t judge
a man until
you’ve walked
a mile in his
shoes”
• A story with more than one meaning,
usually moral or religious.
“The Boy Who Cried Wolf”
and “The Tortoise and the
Hare” by Aesop are examples
of allegories.
• The Antagonist is a character or force in
conflict with a main character, or
protagonist.
When we read “Othello”,
you will recognize Iago
As the antagonist.
When you think about
Antagonists, remember
the saying “Don’t antagonize
me!”
• The Protagonist is the main character in
a literary work. The protagonist is the
“Hero”.
When we read “Othello”,
you will recognize Othello
as the Protagonist.
•
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Diction is the manner in which we
express words; the wording used.
Diction = enunciation
Some easy examples are:
Don’t say ‘goin’ – say ‘going’, Don’t say ‘wanna’ – say ‘want to’
• A flashback is a literary device in which
an earlier episode, conversation, or
event is inserted into the sequence of
events. Often flashbacks are presented
as a memory of the narrator or of
another character.
• The movie Titanic is told almost entirely
in a flashback.
Tone is a reflection of a writer’s or speaker’s
attitude toward a subject of a poem, story, or
other literary work. Tone may be
communicated through words and details that
express particular emotions and that evoke
and emotional response from the reader.
For example, word choice or phrasing may
seem to convey respect, anger,
lightheartedness, or sarcasm.
• Figurative language is used for
descriptive effect, often to imply ideas
indirectly. It is not meant to be taken
literally. Figurative language is used to
state ideas in vivid and imaginative
ways.
An Oxymoron is a figure of speech that is
a combination of seemingly
contradictory words.
Examples:
Same difference
Pretty ugly
Roaring silence
• The ideas of a writer are imitated
through word and style to make them
ridiculous.
Daffy Duck as “Stupor Duck”
Daffy Duck as “Robin Hood Duck”
• Text that reveals a critical attitude
toward some element of human
behavior by portraying it in an extreme
way.
• Satire is meant to improve society
through humor, not to tear it down
through vicious ridicule.
• Doesn’t simply abuse (as in invective)
or get personal (as in sarcasm).
• Targets groups or large concepts rather
than individuals
• Many shows are satirical, such as “The
Simpson’s” and “South Park”.
• Author’s attitude toward subject matter
as revealed through style, syntax,
diction, figurative language, and
organization.
• Author’s tone creates mood in the text
by use of the above tools.
• The effect of purification experienced
by the audience which is achieved by
tragic drama. The audience is made to
feel pity for a character, but in the end
the audience feels that the character
deserved the tragic end.
• When we read “Oedipus Rex”, you will
“feel” catharsis for Oedipus, Jocasta,
and Creon.
• Humorous interludes, usually found in
tragedy, which relieves tension and
heightens the tragic element.
• In plays, clowns and court jesters are
frequently used to “lighten” the mood.
• The type, species, or class of a literary
work.
• Some genres are romance, mystery,
comedy, adventure, crime, horror, etc…
• The way in which words and clauses
are ordered and connected so as to
form sentences, or the set of words
governing such word order.
• The story of a person or persons who
face misfortune and which ends in
disaster.
Let’s Practice…
• http://www.quia.com/hm/95378.html