Lite rary Ele m e nts & Tec h niq ue s to K n o w
Literary Elements
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Plot-
the sequence of events and happenings that make up a story.
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Character–
Protagonist–
Antagonist–
the figures within a story
the main character; usually the character who we are most interested in
the character or force in conflict with the main character, of a literary work
(usually the “bad guy”)
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Point of view–
from whose perspective the story is told. Can be first person, third person.
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Tone–
the attitude of the writer towards the subject
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Setting–
the time and place the story takes place (consider on both large and small scales)
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Theme–
a universal message about life an author is trying to tell the audience.
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Mood–
the feeling the author creates
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Conflict-
a struggle between opposing forces;
within the protagonist of major character: man vs. self or
man vs. nature, man vs. man, man vs. society
internal conflictexternal conflict-
Literary Techniques
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Allusion–
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Rhetorical question- question posed that does not require an answer
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Symbol–
a concrete item that represents an abstract idea
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Irony–
an unexpected twist
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Diction-
author’s word choice
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Flashback-
a look back at past events
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Foreshadowing–
clues for what will happen in the future
when an author refers to a work of literature, historical event, or other commonly
known idea in a piece of literature
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Understatement-
when something is said in such a way as to appear far less serious than it in fact is.
Figurative language
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Oxymoron–
two opposite words that contradict each other: jumbo shrimp, pretty ugly
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Metaphor-
comparison not using the words like, as: He is a lion on the battlefield.
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Simile-
comparison using the words like, as, than: He is like a mouse in front of the teacher.
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Alliteration-
repetition of beginning consonant sounds
The Wicked Witch of the West went her own way.
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Assonance-
repetition of vowel sounds: A long song.
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Onomatopoeia-
words to express a sound: buzz, snap
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Hyperbole-
an extreme exaggeration
I am so tired I cannot walk another inch, or I’m so sleepy I might fall asleep
standing here.
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Imagery-
words or phrases that appeal to the senses
The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, dotted with tiny
flowers in a riot of colors and trees coming alive with gaily chirping birds.
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Personification-
to give life-like characteristics to a non-living object: The raging winds, the wise owl,
the warm and comforting fire.
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Idiom-
a commonly used phrase:
talked out the problem, on the phone, or she really gets into her studying
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Paradox-
statement that seems to be contradictory but actually presents a truth: It was the
best of times; it was the worst of times.
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P o e t r y Te r m s t o K n o w
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Allegory-
a poem, play, picture, etc. in which the apparent meaning of the characters and
events is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning
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Ballad-
a simple song (mostly sentimental/romantic) having 2 or more stanzas all
sung in the same melody
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Blank verse-
unrhymed verse or iambic pentameter
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Elegy-
a mournful, melancholy, sad poem
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Epic-
a long narrative poem telling of a hero’s deeds
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Free verse-
a verse that doesn’t follow a mixed metrical pattern
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Iambic pentameter- a meter containing one, ten-syllable long line accented on every second beat
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Internal rhyme-
a rhyme created by 2 or more words in the same line of verse
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Lyric-
expressing spontaneous, direct feelings, song line
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Meter-
the unit of measurement in terms of number of beats
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Rhythm-
poem with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent
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Ode-
lyric poem or elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted
or enthusiastic emotion
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Prose poem-
a composition written as prose but having the concentrated, rhythmic,
figurative language characteristic of poetry
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Quatrain-
a stanza or poem of four lines with alternate rhymes
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Rhyme scheme-
the pattern or rhymes used in a poem, usually marked by letters to
symbolize correspondences, as rhyme royal
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Sonnet-
lyric poem of fourteen lines, often about love, that follows one of several strict
conventional patterns of rhyme
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Speaker-
person who speaks in the poem or story
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Stanza-
the arrangement of certain number of lines, usually four or more, sometimes
having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme, forming a division of a poem
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