Literary Terms
1. Allegory-a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a
moral or political one. (Two meanings Literal /symbolic).
2. Alliteration-a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound,
occur close together in a series.
But a better butter makes a batter better.
3. Allusion-an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly;
an indirect or passing reference
"an allusion to Shakespeare"
4. Analogy- a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the
purpose of explanation or clarification.
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Antagonist- a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.
Aphorism- a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.”
Conflict-serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.
Connotation-an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning
Denotation-the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the
word suggests.
10.Diction- the accent, inflection, intonation, and speech-sound quality manifested by an
individual speaker, usually judged in terms of prevailing standards of acceptability;
enunciation.
11.Euphemism- The term euphemism refers to polite, indirect expressions which replace words and
phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant.
12.Foreshadowing- be a warning or indication of (a future event).
13.Genre- a specific type of music, film, or writing. Your favorite literary genre might be science
fiction, and your favorite film genre might be horror flicks about cheerleaders.
14.Hyperbole-exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
15.Imagery-visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
16.Irony-opposite of what you expect
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Verbal-saying the opposite of what you mean
Situational-twist at the end of the story
Dramatic-audience knows what is going to happen
17.Metaphor- direct comparison between two things
18.Mood- the atmosphere or pervading tone of something, especially a work of art.
19.Oxymoron-a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
Ex. Jumbo Shrimp
20.Personification- inanimate objects are given human characteristics
21.Point of View-) the narrator's position in relation to the story being told.
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1st person- I/We-seen through main characters eyes
3rd person- The third person point of view is a form of storytelling in which a narrator
relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as "he" or "she."
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Omniscient- All knowing-narrator knows characters in entirety
Unreliable-is a narrator who can't be trusted. Either from ignorance or self-interest,
this narrator speaks with a bias, makes mistakes, or even lies.
22.Prose- All writing other than poetry
23.Protagonist- the main character
24.Rhetorical Question- a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to make a
point rather than to elicit an answer.
25.Satire- the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity
or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
26.Simile- Comparison using “like or as”
27.Symbolism- he use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings
that are different from their literal sense.
28.Theme- Central message or moral of the story
29.Thesis- Claim. Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that
you have reached about your topic.
30.Tone- the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.
31.Static character- stays the same throughout the story
32.Dynamic character- changes and grows throughout the story
33.Round character- a character in fiction whose personality, background, motives, and other
features are fully delineated by the author.
34.Flat character- are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change
throughout the course of a work.
35.Direct characterization-the process by which the personality of a fictitious character is
revealed by the use of descriptive adjectives, phrases, or epithets.
36.Indirect Characterization-the process by which the personality of a fictitious character is
revealed through the character's speech, actions, appearance, etc.