| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allegory | the recounting of an unreal series of experiences bearing such close resemblance to reality as to encourage the reader to make the association; an extended metaphor |
| allusion | a reference to a person, place, event or other source meant to cause an effect or enrich the meaning of an idea |
| antithesis | the rhetorical opposition or contrast of words, clauses or sentences |
| bathos | the use of ludicrous, commonplace language; the use of insincere or overdone sentimentality |
| bombast | inflated language; the use of high-sounding language for a trivial subject |
| colloquial | the use of slang or informalities; giving the work a conversational, familiar tone |
| connotation | the suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase |
| denotation | the dictionary definition of a word |
| didactic | works that have the primary aim of teaching or instructing |
| ellipsis | three periods (...) indicating the omission of words |
| empathy | a feeling of association or identification with an object; experiencing its sensations and responding with similar feelings |
| epigram | the ingenious, witty, thoughtful, provocative statement |
| explication | the interpretation or analysis of a text |
| exposé | a piece of writing, often journalistic, meant to reveal or expose weakness, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings |
| figurative language | figures of speech, among them metaphor, simile, personification, synecdoche, metonomy, allusion, and symbol |
| genre | a term used to describe literary forms such as tragedy, comedy, novel, and essay |
| humanism | an attitude that emphasizes human interests; an optimistic view of human potential |
| hyperbole | overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect |
| imagery | the use of words to represent what can be seen, touched, smelled, tasted, or felt |
| invective | in satirical writing, the use of denunciatory, angry and insulting language |
| irony | a form of expression in which the meaning intended is the opposite from what is stated |
| lampoon | a violent and scurrilous satirical attack against a person or institution |
| loose sentence | a sentence that follows the customary word order--- subject-verb-object; the main idea is presented first, followed by one or more phrases or subordinate clauses |
| maxim | a saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that compares unlike objects |
| metonomy | a figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated |
| mood | the emotional response that a piece of literature stimulates in the reader |
| motif | a device that serves as a unifying agent in conveying a theme |
| non-sequitur | a statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before |
| paradox | a statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true |
| parody | a satirical imitation of a work for the purpose of ridiculing its style and subject |
| pathos | element of literature that stimulates pity or sorrow in th order to persuade the reader to feel sympathetic pity |
| periodic sentence | a sentence that departs from the usual word order by expressing the main thought only at the end; the particulars are presented ahead of the ideas they support |
| rhetoric | the language of a work and its style; similar to diction |
| sarcasm | a sharp, causitc expression or remark; a bitter gibe or taunt |
| satire | a literary style used to make fun of or ridicule an idea or human vice or foible, frequently with the idea of changing or altering the subject being attacked |
| style | the manner in which an author uses words, shapes ideas, sentences, and creates a structure to convey ideas |
| stylistic devices | all of the elements in language that contributes to style, such as diction, syntax, tone, attitude, figures of speech, connotation and repetition |
| syllogism | system of formal logic that presents two premises which lead to a sound conclusion |
| synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part |
| syntax | the way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences; consider such elements as the length or brevity of sentences, unusual sentence constructions, the sentence patterns used, and the kinds of sentences used-- includes classifications such as periodic, loose, simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. |
| tone | the author's attitude toward the subject being writen about; the characteristic emotion that pervades a work or part of a work-- the spirit or character that is a work's emotional essense |
Combine with other sets
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