Ms. Crandell
AP English Lit and Comp
Literary Terms for Analyzing Style and Writing Literary Criticism
Literary Criticism: the analysis or interpretation of a literary work in order to enlarge a reader’s
appreciation or comprehension of the work. Critics may reveal hidden meaning, seek the logic of
arguments, compare works, and provide measured and intelligent commentary.
For a more complete list of terms, see
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nawol3/literaryterms.aspx
Allusion – an indirect or passing reference to an event, person, place or artistic work that the author
assumes the reader will understand.
Anachronism – an event, object, custom, person or thing that is out of its natural order of time. (Ex: A
clock strikes in Julius Caesar.)
Analogy – a comparison of similar things, often to explain something unfamiliar with something
familiar. (Ex: the branching of a river system is often explained using a tree and its branches.)
Anti-climax: a disappointing situation or a sudden transition in discourse from an important idea to a
ludicrous or trivial one.
Anti-hero: a prominent character who has characteristics opposite to those of a conventional hero. The
protagonist is generally admired for his bravery, strength, charm, ingenuity etc. while an anti-hero is
typically clumsy, unsolicited, unskilled, and has both good and bad qualities.
Antithesis-- a figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism
of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other, such as “Hatred stirs up
strife, but love covers all sins.”
Aphorism – A terse statement of a principle or truth; a maxim. (Life is long,etc.)
Apostrophe – a rhetorical device in which the speaker addresses a dead or absent person, or an
inanimate object or abstraction.
Chiasmus: a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the
reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect. Example: “Never let a fool kiss you or a
kiss fool you.”
Cliché – Any expression that has been used so often it has lost its freshness. (Sharp as a tack, the last
straw, etc.)
Diction: word choice (Consider: is the diction vivid and vigorous or dull? Is it denotative or
connotative? Conversational or formal and ornate? Is it abstract or concrete, general or specific,
modern or archaic, elevated/lofty or simple? Is it euphemistic? Polysyllabic or
monosyllabic?)
Additional style terms to describe and analyze diction:
baroque: a grand and exuberantly ornamental style
invective: direct denunciation or name-calling
Epigram – any terse, witty, pointed saying. For example, “She knows the cost of everything, but the
value of nothing”. OR: “Knowledge is knowing that Frankenstein is not the monster. Wisdom is knowing
that Frankenstein is the monster.”
Euphemism – the substitution of a mild term for one more offensive or hurtful.
Figurative language – language that contains figures of speech, such as metaphor, simile,
personification, etc.
Hyperbole – exaggeration for the sake of emphasis in a figure of speech not meant literally. “I’ve been
waiting here for ages.”
Irony: discrepancy between intent and actual meaning:
--verbal irony: a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant.
--situational: contrast between what is intended or expected and what actually occurs.
--dramatic: a situation in which the audience knows more about a character’s situation than the
character does, foreseeing an outcome contrary to the character’s expectations.
Kenning – a metaphoric compound word or phrase used as a synonym for a common noun. “Ringbestower” for king; “whale-road” for sea; “candle of heaven” for the sun; “war-brand” for a sword.
Litotes (LIE-toe-tees)– a figure of speech by which an affirmation is made indirectly by saying its
opposite, usually with an effect of understatement. “I’d not be averse to a drink.” or “She’s no fool.”
Malapropism – the comic substitution of one word for another similar in sound, but quite different in
meaning. “I would have her instructed in geometry (geography) that she might know of contagious
(contiguous) countries.”
Metaphor – the most important and widespread figure of speech in which one thing, idea, or action is
referred to by a word or expression normally denoting another thing, idea or action, so as to suggest
some common quality (qualities) shared by the two. “He is a pig.”
Extended metaphor – an idea sustained throughout the work
Dead metaphor – one that has been used so much it has lost its figurative meaning and is taken
literally (eye of a needle, head of the class)
Mixed metaphor – a combination of two or more inconsistent metaphors in a single expression (He’ll
have to take the bull by the horns to keep the business afloat.)
Metonymy – figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea. The pen is
mightier than the sword.
Narrative Pace: the speed at which an author tells a story; the movement from one point or section to
another.
Nemesis: refers to a situation of poetic justice where the good characters are rewarded for their virtues
and the evil characters are punished for their vices. The term comes from Nemesis in Greek mythology,
the goddess of revenge or divine retribution against the people guilty of hubris i.e. showing arrogance
before gods.
Onomatopoeia – the use of words that seem to imitate the sounds they refer to (whack, fizz, crackle,
etc.).
Oxymoron – A figure of speech in which two contradictory words or phrases are combined in a single
expression. (wise fool, living death, etc.)
Paradox: a statement containing two diametrically opposing ideas that ultimately join together in one
meaning.
Personification – the technique by which animals, abstract ideas, or inanimate objects are referred to
as if they were human. “The wind howled through the trees.”
Point of View: perspective and vantage point, sometimes called narrative perspective.
--First person – the story is told by one of its characters, using the first person pronoun “I”
which does not give the reader insight into other characters’ motives or thoughts.
--Third person objective – the author limits him/herself to reporting what the characters say or
do; he or she does not interpret their behavior or tell us their private thoughts or feelings.
--Third person omniscient – the author knows all (godlike) and is free to tell us anything,
including what the characters are thinking or feeling and why they act as they do.
--Third person limited – the author limits him/herself to a complete knowledge of one character
in the narrative.
Proverb – a short saying that expresses some commonplace truth or bit of folk wisdom. “A stitch in
time saves nine.”
Pun – a form of wit, not necessarily funny, involving a play on a word with two or more meanings.
Simile – a less direct metaphor, using like or as. “He is like a pig.”
Solecism: derived from Greek; means to speak incorrectly. It is a stylistic device, a grammatical
mistake or intentional use of incorrect grammar in written language and speech.
Structure:
--Diatribe – violently bitter verbal attack.
--Digression – A portion of a written work that interrupts or pauses the development of the
theme or plot.
--Epigraph – the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.
--Juxtaposition – the “side by side” comparison of two or more objects or ideals for the purpose
of highlighting similarities or differences.
Syllogism – A form of logical reasoning, consisting of two premises and a conclusion. Ex: All humans
are mortal. Ms. Crandell is human. Therefore, Ms. Crandell is mortal.
Synaesthesia – The description of one kind of sensation in terms of another. “He is wearing a loud
shirt.”
Synecdoche – figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. (e.g. ‘hands’ for
manual laborers; ‘the law’ for a police officer).
Syntax: structure and pattern of sentences (consider: are the sentences periodic, loose, simple,
complex, parallel, short, long, questions, exclamations, imperative, declarative, rhetorical, fragmented,
inverted?
--Anastrophe: inverted syntax as in “Blessed are the meek.” (Yoda-speak: “Great this class is.”)
Always analyze the EFFECT. Anastrophe tends to create a sage-like or Biblical effect.
--Anaphora: repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of two or more successive clauses,
verses, or sentences, in order to create a rhetorical or poetic effect: “First in war, first in peace, first in
the hearts of his countrymen…” --from Henry Lee’s eulogy for George Washington
--Loose sentence (non-periodic): begins with the main idea and ends with subordinate details.
--Periodic sentence: withholds its main idea until the end.
--Polysyndeton: uses repeating coordinating conjunction such as ‘and’ to join phrases. Ex: We
have ships and stores and men.
--Stream-of-consciousness: a technique that allows the reader to see the continuous, chaotic
flow of half-formed and discontinuous thoughts, memories, sense impressions, random associations,
images, feelings and reflections that constitute a character’s consciousness.
Tautology – needless repetition of an idea, creating a circular sort of rhetoric, without imparting
additional force or clearness. (Ex: parents at the end of their rope saying, “Why can’t you go? Because I
said so!”)
Tone: speaker’s manner or emotion in expressing his or her attitude toward the subject and implied
audience based on syntax, diction, and/or details. (Tone: emotional judgment. Attitude: intellectual
judgment)
Understatement – a type of verbal irony in which something is purposely represented as being far less
important than it actually is.
Zeugma: (from Greek “yoking” or “bonding”) a figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or an
adjective, applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different
ideas. For instance, in a sentence “John lost his coat and his temper”, the verb “lost” applies to both
noun “coat” and “temper”. Or, people die in bed and so does ambition.