| Term | Definition |
|---|
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| allusion | a reference to another work of literature, person, or event |
| antagonist | a character in conflict with protagonist |
| antithesis | the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas |
| apostrophe | direct address of an inanimate object, dead or absent person, or an idea |
| assonance | the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words |
| consonance | identical consonant sounds preceded by similar vowels |
| details | the facts described by the author or speaker that contribute to tone or meaning |
| flat character | one-sided and often stereotypical character |
| round character | complex character displaying the inconsistencies of most humans |
| dynamic character | character who undergoes a permanent change in response to plot events |
| static character | character who remains unchanged thorughout the literature |
| archetype | universal symbols that evoke deep, unconscious responses |
| diction | word choice that contributes to tone and meaning |
| figurative language | writing that is not meant to be taken literally |
| flashback | a shift to an previous event that interrupts the chronological development of the plotline |
| foreshadowing | suggestion or hint of future developments |
| hyperbole | extravagant exaggeration |
| imagery | description that appeals to the senses |
| dramatic irony | reader is more aware of a plot event than a character |
| situational irony | utcome of events turn is the opposite of what is expected |
| verbal irony | what is said contradicts what is meant or thought |
| metaphor | makes a direct comparison between two unlike things |
| mood | a prevailing emotional tone of a literary work |
| onomatopoeia | words formed in imitation of natural sounds; ex: "hiss" |
| oxymoron | pair of contradictory words; compact paradox |
| paradox | contradictory statement that, on closer look, reveals truth |
| personification | attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas or inanimate objects |
| plot | the sequence of events in a story |
| point of view | Perspective from which a story is told |
| first-person POV | speaker tells the story as "I" and is a minor or major participant |
| second-person POV | speaker tells the story directly to "You"; rarely used |
| third-person POV | speaker narrates the story using "he, she, they" |
| stream of consciousness POV | speaker shares thoughts as they scroll through his or her mind |
| omniscient POV | all-knowing speaker shares the actions, thoughts, and dialogue of all characters |
| objective narrator POV | speaker reports the plot line objectively without access to thoughts of any character |
| limited omniscient POV | speaker shares actions/dialogue of all characters, but the thoughts of one or two characters only |
| protagonist | main character who must overcome obstacles and resolve the conflict |
| sarcasm | cutting ironic remark; scornful remarks; stinging rebuke |
| setting | the time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs |
| simile | figurative language comparing two unlike things using like, as, seems, etc. |
| sound devices | rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and onomatopoeia that give lit a musical quality |
| structure | the arrangement of the text--paragraphs, stanzas; linear or nonlinear |
| style | writer's characteristic manner of using language to convey meaning |
| suspense | Feeling of growing uncertainty or tension about the outcome of events in lit |
| symbol | something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible |
| synecdoche | figure of speech in which a part represents the whole |
| metonymy | figure of speech in which a word/phrase is substituted for a closely associated word/phrase |
| syntax | sentence structure; word order |
| theme | a unifying, central idea in a literary work wholly expressed as an attitude plus topic |
| tone | attitudes and presuppositions of the author as discovered through analysis of the text |
| understatement | opposite of hyperbole; words say less than is intended |
| meiosis | expressive understatement for rhetorical effect |
| litotes | understatement that expresses an affirmative by negating the contrary |
| claim | assertion that requires support (thesis or topic sentence) |
| data | evidence from the literature, preferably direct quotes |
| warrant | statement(s) that justify the relevance of the data; connection from data to claim |
| connotation | associations/implications beyond word definition |
| colloquial diction | conversational, slang word choices |
| dialect | diction that reveals characters' geographic or social connections |
Combine with other sets
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