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Literary Terms

Terms in this set (29)

allegory
a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
alliteration
the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words
allusion
a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize
anecdote
a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
archetype
a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response
aside
a part of an actor's lines supposedly not heard by others on the stage and intended only for the audience.
assonance
the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words
chorus
in dramatic literature; gave expression, between the acts, to the moral and religious sentiments evoked by the actions of the play
cliché
an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off
climax
the point of highest interest in a literary work
colloquialism
informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
complex sentence
a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
compound sentence
a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions
concrete details
details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events
connotation
the implied or associative meaning of a word
denotation
the literal meaning of a word
deux ex machine
(in acient greek and roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot
dialect
a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region
dialogue
a conversation between two persons
diction
the word choices made by a writer
dramatic irony
occurs when readers know more about a situation or a character in a story than the characters do
end rhyme
rhyme that occurs at the end of lines of poetry
epic
a long narrative poem written in elevated style which present the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation
epic simile
a simile developed over several lines of verse, especially one used in an epic poem
epistolary narrative
a story told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters
epithet
a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives ("swift-footed Achilles") that become an almost formulaic part of a name. Epithets can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of given epithets ("The Rocket")
eulogy
a formal speech praising a person who has died
figurative language
language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)
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