Allegory
Definition: This is a type of story in which people, things or happenings have a symbolic
meaning.
Example: Avatar- Colonization of North America.
Alliteration
Definition: Repetition of a particular sound (consonant) in the stressed syllables of a
series of words or phrases.
Example: James Thomson's verse "Come…dragging the lazy languid line along".
Allusion
Definition: A figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something
that happened. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including
paintings, opera, folk lore, mythical figures, or religious manuscripts. The reference can
be direct or may be inferred, and can broaden the reader’s understanding.
Example: “He was a real Romeo with the ladies.” Romeo was a character in
Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, and was very romantic in expressing his love
for Juliet.
Definition: Occurs when a person or thing that is placed in a time where it does not fit.
Anachronism
Example: A movie about ancient Egypt that shows a Pharaoh wearing a wristwatch.
Definition: A likeness or a comparison between two things that have some features that
are the same and others which are different.
Analogy
Example: “If people were like rain, I was like drizzle and she was a hurricane.”
― John Green, Looking for Alaska
Antagonist
Definition: A character, group of characters, force, or institution that poses a major
threat or obstacle to the main character by their very existence, without necessarily
deliberately targeting him or her.
Example: The big bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. The environment in 127 Hours.
Definition: An act or speech directed to the audience that is not supposed to be heard
by other actors on the set.
Aside
Example: In the movie Ferris Bueller’s day off Ferris turns the camera to himself and
stops acting and actually talks to the audience.
Atmosphere
Definition: (Also called mood): The emotional feelings inspired by a work. The term is
borrowed from meteorology to describe the dominant mood of a selection as it is
created by diction, dialogue, setting, and description. Often the opening scene in a play
or novel establishes an atmosphere appropriate to the theme of the entire work.
Example: The opening of Shakespeare's Hamlet creates a brooding atmosphere of
unease.
Audience
Definition: The person(s) reading a text, listening to a speaker, or observing a
performance.
Example: The audience was fascinated at the performance that was occurring.
Autobiography
Definition: An autobiography is a written account of the life of a person written by that
person.
Example: The Diary of Anne Frank.
Ballad
Definition: A ballad is a poem or song that focuses on a specific story. Often, ballads
are about love--either lost or found-- or about an event or interaction that says
something about the human condition. They are thought of as romantic and are often
tragic.
Example: The song Imagine, by John Lennon, is an example of a ballad.
Definition: An author prejudices the audience in favor of one side of an issue by not
covering the topic fairly. Extreme forms are described as propaganda.
Bias
Example: In Germany in the 1930s, propaganda was in full swing and being used by
Hitler’s advisers to call the German people to arms and spread lies about the Jews.
Blank verse
Definition: Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described
as probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since
the sixteenth century. It is the rhythm of our English language and of our bodies – a line
of that poetry has the same rhythm as our heartbeat. A line of iambic pentameter fills
the human lung perfectly, so it’s the rhythm of speech.
Example: In this exchange from Shakespeare’s King John, one line is broken between
two characters:
My lord? A grave. He shall not live. Enough.
Definition: A person in a novel, play, poem, or film.
Character
Example: Katniss, Gale, and Peeta are characters from the Hunger Games.
Definition: The arrangement of things following one after another in time.
Chronological order
Cliché
Example: First came the chicken, then came the egg, then came a little chicken, then
the chicken grew, then it became fried chicken.
Definition: An expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused
to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time
it was considered meaningful or novel.
Example: Waste of time. What goes around comes around.
Definition: The final, culminating element or event in a series of events; the highest
point of interest or excitement in a novel, play, film or short story.
Climax
Example: When a protagonist dies (or nearly does). Or when the “good guy” nearly
gets caught.
Definition: Words and phrases used in everyday speech and dialogue in narrative
writing, but avoided in formal, analytical, or persuasive writing.
Colloquial
Example: “Jack was bummed out about his chemistry grade” uses colloquial
language; whereas, “Jack was upset about his chemistry grade” uses formal language.
Comedy
Definition: A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune,
usually for the better. In comedy, things often start out with complications, but
eventually they work out happily in the end. Shakespeare’s comedies often end in a
marriage.
Example: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Definition: An examination of similarities in literary works r texts.
Compare
Example: The setting in the novel The Maze Runner is similar to the setting in The
Hunger Games.
Definition: An elaborate or unusual comparison--especially one using unlikely
metaphors, simile, hyperbole, and contradiction.
Conceit
Example: All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They
have their exits and their entrances
(William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2/7)
Definition: Concrete poetry (also known as shape poetry) is a type of poetry that uses
some sort of visual presentation to enhance the effect of the poem on the reader.
Concrete Poem
Example:
Definition: A struggle between two opposing forces.
Conflict
Example: Person vs. Self, Person vs. Person, Nature, Society, Supernatural, etc.
Connotation
Definition: An idea or feeling that a word invokes a particular mood or feeling, in
addition to its literal or primary meaning.
Example: The image of a scale connotes justice.
Definition: To compare in order to show unlikeness or differences.
Contrast
Example: Edward, from Twilight, is a gorgeous man who is tall, sparkly, pale, and quite
the physical spectacle. This contrasts with Jacob, who is not as tall, darker skinned,
and less strong than Edward.
Definition: A style of poetry defined as a complete thought written in two lines with
rhyming ends.
Couplet
Example:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long as lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Definition: A particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social
group.
Dialect
Example: Someone who is from Newfoundland may have a distinctly different dialect of
English than a person from British Columbia.
Definition: Denotation refers to the use of the dictionary definition or literal meaning of a
word.
Denotation
Example: They made a house. In this sentence, house is meant literally as in a building
where a family lives. If the word "home" was used instead in place of "house", the
meaning would not be so literal as there are many emotions associated with the word
"home" beyond simply the structure where people live.
Definition: A spoken or written account of a person, object, or event.
Description
Example: The neighbors that had seen the thief were able to give a detailed description
to police.
Definition: The conversation between characters in a play, film, or narrative.
Dialogue
Direct presentation
Example: "Excuse me, John. What time is it?" is an example of dialogue. The words
are an exact transcription of one person's words to another.
Definition: An author will present a what a character is like directly, by having the
narrator state it or having someone else in the story describe what the character is like.
Example: “She was gorgeous, brilliant, and, surprisingly, she was my best friend.”
Dynamic Character
Definition: A character who undergoes an important change throughout the course of
the novel, play, poem, or film. The change occurs in personality, outlook, or attitude.
Usually the protagonist or at least a main character.
Example: Ebenezer Scrooge is a dynamic character.
Definition:A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
Elegy
Example: “If I cried out/who would hear me up there/among the angelic orders?/And
suppose one suddenly/took me to his heart/I would shrivel.” - Rainer Maria Rilke
Definition: A short poem, esp. a satirical one, having a witty or ingenious ending.
Epigram
Example: I'm tired of Love: I'm still more tired of rhyme. But money gives me pleasure
all the time. – Hilaire Belloc
Definition: A short text honoring a deceased person that is inscribed on their tombstone
or plaque.
Epitaph
Example: Against you I will fling myself, unvanquished and unyielding, O Death!
— Virginia Woolf
Definition: A piece of writing that takes a position on a topic for the purpose of
describing the topic or persuading the reader to agree with them on a particular subject.
Essay
Example: The typical grade 9 or 10 essat would have five paragraphs – An introduction
with a thesis occurring in the last sentence, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion.
Definition: The exposition is the portion of a story that introduces important background
information to the audience.
Exposition
Example: Information about the setting, events occurring before the main plot,
characters' back stories, etc.
Definition: A fictional narrative meant to teach a moral lesson
Fable
Example: The Tortoise and the Hare: Slow and steady wins the race
Falling action
Definition: The part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and
the conflict has been resolved.
Example: In a movie, the actions and the consequences that occur following the climax.
Figurative Meaning
Definition: The metaphorical, idiomatic, or ironic sense of a word or expression, in
contrast to its literal meaning. Conveys not just the facts but an idea. It encourages us
to use our imaginations.
Example: “Mervin runs like a duck.” This does not mean that poor Mervin runs exactly
like a water bird. We’re using a figure of speech called a simile. By comparing the way
Mervin runs to the way a duck runs, we’re suggesting that Mervin waddles and that he
is awkward. If we wanted to be literal, we would say, “Mervin is awkward and he
waddles when he runs.” “Mervin runs like a duck” is far more colorful and interesting.
Definition: First person point of view is a point of view in which an "I" or "we" serves as
the narrator of a piece of fiction.
First Person Point of
View
Example: The narrator may be a minor character, observing the action, as the
character Nick does in The Great Gatsby, or the main protagonist of the story, such as
Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. In addition, a first-person narrator may be
reliable or unreliable.
Definition: A conversation, an episode, or an event that happened before the beginning
of the story.
Flashback
Example: I walked out of the room, and saw the portrait of my mother in the otherwise
empty hallway. *I remembered, years ago, my father would stare mindlessly at it for
minutes, sometimes hours, before a bird chirping would awaken him from his trance.*
Without warning, a bird chirped, and I immediately tore my eyes away from that portrait.
Definition: Also called a static character, a flat character is a simplified character who
does not change or alter his or her personality over the course of a narrative, or one
without extensive personality and characterization. The term is used in contrast with a
round character.
Flat Character
Example: Mr. Collins in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. A flat character, he serves
a vital role in the story of how Elizabeth and Darcy get together, and he provides
comedy, but his character stays essentially unchanged. (In fact, that’s part of what
makes him funny.)
Foil
Definition: A character that differs drastically from the protagonist in order to highlight
the difference between the two characters. The character may also be similar to the
protagonist, but with a key difference that sets them apart.
Example: Ron Weasley is a foil to Harry Potter.
Foreshadowing
Definition: This gives the reader a hint of what is to come through the setting, the
characters' words or actions, or a symbol.
Example: In Star Wars: Episode 2, Obi Wan says, "Why do I get the feeling you will be
the death of me?" to Anakin Skywalker. He is later killed by Anakin.
Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.
Free Verse
Genre
Ex: After the Sea-Ship—after the whistling winds;
After the white-gray sails, taut to their spars and ropes,
Below, a myriad, myriad waves, hastening, lifting up their necks,
Tending in ceaseless flow toward the track of the ship:
Waves of the ocean, bubbling and gurgling, blithely prying,
Waves, undulating waves—liquid, uneven, emulous waves,
Toward that whirling current, laughing and buoyant, with curves,
Where the great Vessel, sailing and tacking, displaced the surface.
-Walt Whitman
Definition: A style or category of art, music, or literature that can be used to categorize
texts with the same or similar characteristics.
Example: The Hills have Eyes is a horror movie.
Hyperbole
Definition: An extreme exaggeration used to make a point. It is like the opposite of
“understatement.” Hyperboles are comparisons, like similes and metaphors, but are
extravagant and even ridiculous.
Example: I am so hungry I could eat a horse. It was so cold the polar bears were
wearing parkas.
Image
Definition: A word or phrase in a literary text that appeals directly to the reader's taste,
touch, hearing, sight, or smell. An image is thus any vivid or picturesque phrase that
evokes a particular sensation in the reader's mind.
Example: Whitman's "vapor-pennants" and evocations of "golden brass" and "silvery
steel" in "To a Locomotive in Winter”.
Imagery
Definition: The "mental pictures" that readers imagine whilst reading a passage of
literature. It signifies all the sensory perceptions referred to in a poem, whether by
literal description, allusion, simile, or metaphor. Imagery is not limited to visual imagery;
it also includes auditory (sound), tactile (touch), thermal (heat and cold), olfactory
(smell), gustatory (taste), and kinesthetic (movement) sensations.
Example: The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, which were
dotted with tiny flowers that smelled of vanilla and trees alive with gaily chirping birds.
Definition: A technique of indicating, through character or plot development, an
intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually stated.
Irony
Example: In 1912 the Titanic was touted as "100% unsinkable", and yet the ship sank
on its maiden voyage.
Limited omniscient
Definition: A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or
minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.
Example: Harry Potter is written almost entirely from Harry’s perspective.
Definition: This term means that the words are describing the actual or true
circumstances. The dictionary meaning of a word.
Literal Meaning
Ex: “She threw him under the bus,” are usually used figuratively. However, if a woman
actually threw a person underneath a bus, the words would be literal.
Definition: This term indicates understatement, especially when an affirmative is
expressed by a double negative.
Litotes
Lyric
Metaphor
Here are three examples: "She is not as young as she was,” is used to mean, "She's
old;" "He's no oil painting," is used to mean, "He's ugly;" and "You are not wrong," is
used to mean, "You are correct."
Definition: A type of poetry that explores the poet’s personal interpretation of and
feelings about the world, often through song or music. They are usually in the present
tense.
Example: Elizabethan sonnets, like Shakespeare’s collection of sonnets.
Definition: Describes a subject by asserting that it is, on some point of comparison, the
same as another otherwise unrelated object.
Example: Our canoe flew down the river. My life is a roller coaster.
Mood
Definition: The atmosphere that pervades a literary work with the intention of evoking a
certain emotion or feeling from the audience. In drama, it may be created by sets and
music as well as words; in poetry and prose, it may be created by a combination of
such elements as SETTING, VOICE, TONE and THEME.
Example: Edgar Allen Poe’s narratives tend to be gloomy, horrific, and desperate.
Motivation
Definition: The mixture of situation and personality that impels a character to behave
the way he or she does. When an author fails to establish plausible the reason
characters behave in a certain way, they seems unconvincing and the action or work
itself fails the test of plausibility. In contrast, when the author does lay a reasonable
foundation, the action or work makes sense in light of a particular character's situation
and personality
Example: Katniss Everdeen is motivated to take care of her loved ones in The Hunger
Games.
Myth
Definition: A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or
explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings
or events. Any story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the
world is the way that it is. Myths are stories that are passed on from generation to
generation and normally involve religion. Most myths were first spread by oral tradition
and then were written down in some literary form.
Example:
~ The story of Ogopogo N'ha-a-itk (nutchalnuth). N'ha-a-itk which translates to " Water
Demon " or " Lake Monster " would demand a toll from travellers for a safe passage
through the waters it called home. Its home was said to be the waters near Squally
Point near Rattlesnake Island (also known as Monster Island). The fee for safe
passage was a live sacrifice. Whenever the Natives who lived around the lake would
venture out on the water they would sacrifice a small animal to appease the Monster.
Narrative
Definition: A story that has a series of events that lead to some complications, but are
usually resolved.
Example: The Cat in The Hat. The Hunger Games. Harry Potter.
Definition: A poem that tells a story and has a plot.
Narrative Poem
Example: Most Taylor Swift songs.
Narrator
Definition: A person who gives an account or tells the story of events and experiences
in a narrative. Also, a person who adds spoken commentary to a film, television
program, slide show, etc.
Example: The narrator of The Book Thief is death.
Objective point of
view
Definition: Objective point of view means that the reader doesn’t see any character’s
inner thoughts and feelings, not even those of the point of view character. Instead, the
reader is only witness to outer actions and dialogue. Think of this as using a movie
camera to record an event. A camera can’t record the thoughts or feelings of a person,
only what they say, do or display with expressions on their face or body language.
Example: Little Red Riding Hood opened the door to Grandma’s room and stepped
inside. She sniffed lightly. She squinted at Grandma. “Hello, my dear. Come closer.”
Grandma patted the bedspread beside her. Little Red moved closer to the bed. “What
big eyes you have today, Grandma.” “All the better to see you with, my dear.”
Definition: The omniscient point of view is a method of storytelling in which the narrator
knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story.
Omniscient point of
view
Onomatopoeia
Example: Snow White wandered listlessly around the forest. She shivered, and thought
to herself that she was definitely lost. Nearby, the nimble hunter had positioned himself
behind a large tree and was preparing to let loose the poisoned arrow. As he gazed at
Snow White’s porcelain skin and ruby red lips, he realized that he could never kill
someone so very beautiful.
Definition: A word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes.
Example: the explosion boomed over the countryside.
Definition: A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms that still produce an
inherent truth.
Oxymoron
Example: “Cruel kindness” or “jumbo shrimp.”
Paradox
Definition: A statement or proposition that seems contradictory or absurd, but in reality
expresses a possible truth.
Example: If someone says to you, "I'm a compulsive liar," do you believe them or not?
Paraphrase
Definition: A restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form. Used
to increase understanding of a text. Simply put, rewrite something in your own words.
Example: The second step of TPCASTT.
Passive voice
Definition: Verbs are either active (The council approved the new policy) or passive
(The new policy was approved by the council). In the active voice, the subject is a do-er
In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by something unnamed. There is
nothing inherently wrong with the passive voice, but if you can say the same thing in
the active voice, your text will have more pizzazz as a result.
Example: “The tree was pulled down,” (passive) versus, “The thrashing bear pulled
down the tree” (active).
Definition: The act of giving human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract notions.
Personification
Example: The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
Definition: Ehe action or process of persuading someone to do or believe something.
Persuasion
Plot
Example: In a persuasive essay the writer attempts to persuade the reader to look at
an issue from their perspective.
Definition: Also called a storyline. The plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or
dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.
Example: Contains exposition, rising action, climax, falling action.
Propaganda
Definition: A form of communication aimed towards influencing the attitude of the
community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument.
Example: In World War 2, both sides published propaganda to generate support for
the war effort.
Pun
Definition: A play on two words similar in sound, but different in meaning. Usually used
to promote humor.
Example: I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.
Definition: An opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background
details.
Prologue
Prose
Example: Shakespeare’s prologue to Romeo and Juliet sets up the setting, conflict,
resolution, of the play: “Two households, both alike in dignity/ (In fair Verona, where we
lay our scene)/ From ancient grudge break to new mutiny/ Where civil blood makes civil
hands unclean/ From forth the fatal loins of these two foes/ A pair of star-crossed lovers
take their life/ Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/ Doth with their death bury
their parents’ strife/ The fearful passage of their death-marked love/ And the
continuance of their parents’ rage/ Which, but their children’s end, naught could
remove/ Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage/ The which, if you with patient ears
attend/ What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”
Definition: The ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure,
as distinguished from poetry or verse.
Example: A short story, essay, or novel are written in prose.
Protagonist
Definition: The leading character or a major character in a drama, movie, novel, or
other fictional text that usually undergoes some sort of change.
Example: Harry Potter.
Refrain
Definition: A line or set of lines at the end of a stanza or a section of a longer poem or
song these lines repeat at regular intervals.
Example: A chorus in a song.
Definition: It is the part in a story or plot in which the conflict and/or problems of the
story are being resolved.
Resolution
Example: The resolution of Romeo and Juliet has the parents of the “star-crossed
lovers” resolve their feud.
Rhyme Scheme
Definition: The rhyme scheme is the practice of finding the pattern of rhyming words
placed at the end of the lines in the prose/ poetry. Rhyme scheme refers to the order in
which particular words rhyme.
Example:
Roses are red (a)
Violets are blue (b)
Beautiful they all may be (c)
But I love you (b)
Definition: A strong, regular, and repeated pattern of movement or sound in a poem.
Rhythm
Example: A sonnet’s pattern is in Iambic Pentameter.
Definition: A related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of
greatest interest.
Rising action
Example: A series of complications. In The Hunger Games, Katniss’ family loses their
father, are on the verge of starvation, and Katniss resorts to committing illegal acts to
keep them alive.
Definition: A round character is a major character in a work of fiction that encounters
conflict and is changed by it. Round characters tend to be more fully
Round character
Sarcasm
Example: Katniss Everdeen because she changes during the series because in the
beginning she was solely devoted to her family and Gale. However, as the novel
progresses she becomes increasingly committed to the wellbeing of all the people in
her society.
Definition: Also, known as verbal irony. The use of words that mean the opposite of
what you really want to say, especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or
to be funny.
Example: I majored in liberal arts. Will that be for here or to go?
Satire
Definition: The use of satire in literature refers to the practice of making fun of a human
weakness or character flaw. The use of satire is often inclusive of a need or decision of
correcting or bettering the character that is on the receiving end of the satire. In
general, even though satire might be humorous and may “make fun”, its purpose is not
to entertain and amuse but actually to derive a reaction of contempt from the reader.
Example: The best example of satire in modern pop culture is the TV series South Park
that uses satire as it primary medium for drawing attention the flaws in society,
especially American society at present. The scripts and writing for the show are an
excellent example of satire in written form.
Definition: When you mark the unstressed and stressed parts of a poem.
Scansion
Setting
Example: Marking iambic pentameter in a sonnet.
Definition: In literature, the word ‘setting’ is used to identify and establish the time,
place, and mood of the events of the story. It basically helps in establishing where and
when and under what circumstances the story is taking place.
Example: In the first installment of the Harry Potter series, a large part of the book
takes place at the protagonist, Harry’s, aunt’s and uncle’s place, living in the “muggle”
(non-magical) world with the “muggle” folks, and Harry is unaware of his magical
capabilities and blood. This setting establishes the background that Harry has a nonmagical childhood with other “muggle” people.
Simile
Definition: A figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by
employing the words "like" or "as" – also, but less commonly, "if", or "than".
Example: Her skin was white as snow.
Slang
Sonnet
Definition: A type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as
very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a
particular context or group of people.
Example: “Literary terms are siiiiick!” Sick doesn't refer to being ill or literally sick. It
usually refers to something that was awesome, cool, or surprising.
Definition: A poem properly expressive of a single complete thought, idea, or sentiment
in 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter.
Example: William Shakespeare’s “O Thou my Lovely Boy”
Definition: The voice or narrator in a poem or the narrator of the story.
Speaker
Stanza
Example: The speaker of Billy Collin’s “Introduction to Poetry” is a person that loves
experiencing poetry over analyzing poetry.
Definition: A division of a poem consisting of two or more lines arranged together as a
unit. More specifically, a stanza usually is a group of lines arranged together in a
recurring pattern of metrical lengths and a sequence of rhymes.
Example: Stanzas are to poetry what paragraphs are to prose.
Stereotype
Definition: A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type
of person or thing.
Example: “Blondes are not as smart as non blondes.” “Blondes have more fun.”
Suspense
Definition: Suspense is the intense feeling that an audience goes through while waiting
for the outcome of certain events. It basically leaves the reader holding their breath and
wanting more information
Example: The films Training Day and Taken are both suspenseful.
Definition: Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving
them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.
Symbol
Example:
Dove is a symbol of peace. A red rose stands for love. The color black represents
death.
Theme
Definition: The message the author is trying to convey about life, not to be confused
with the moral of the story. If you can find the topic of a text, then ask yourself, “What is
the author saying about this topic?”
Example: One of the major themes in The Hunger Games is that the inequity between
the rich and poor is unjust and should be rectified.
Definition: The attitude, emotional quality, or feeling of a particular text. It can change
throughout the text.
Tone
Example: The tone of “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins starts off by pleading, but
becomes resigned.
Tragedy
Definition: A play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially
one concerning the downfall of the main character.
Example: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Understatement
Unity
Definition: The presentation of something being smaller or less important then it really
is.
Example: Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice”.
Definition: The sense that all the elements in a piece of writing fit together to create a
harmonious effect.
Example: A well written essay is united by a strong thesis.
Vignette
Definition: A verbal sketch, a brief essay, or any carefully crafted short work of prose,
either fiction or nonfiction.
Example: A diary entry.
Wit
Definition: Refers to elements in a literary work designed to make the audience laugh
or feel amused. The term is often used synonymously with humor. In sixteenth-century
usage, this denotes intellectual originality, ingenuity, and mental acuity--especially in
the sense of using paradoxes, making clever verbal expressions, and coining concise
or deft phrases.
Example: Lady Astor told Churchill, 'If you were my husband, I'd poison your tea." He
replied, "Madam, if you were my wife I would drink it.'