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1. Allegory - a narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface meaning. A story, fiction or
nonfiction, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts.
4. Ambiguity – an event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.
5. Anachronism – something out of its place in time or history (i.e. mention of a clock in Julius Caesar)
6. Analogy – the comparison of two things which are alike in several respects for the purpose of explaining or
clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object
7. Anaphora – repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.
8. Anecdote – short narrative (story) used in a longer work or speech – to make a point, often humorous
9. Antagonist – the character who is in conflict with the main character; doesn’t have to be a person; can also be the
main character in conflict with him/herself
10. Antecedent – the noun to which a pronoun refers in a sentence or closely related sentences.
12. Archetype – a character or plot element known throughout all cultures and time periods (quest, wise old
man/mentor, tyrannical king, temptress, . . .)
13. Arguments – assertions made based on facts, statistics, logical reasoning, hard evidence, etc.
14. Aside – statement delivered by an actor in such a way that the other characters on stage are presumed to not have
heard
15. Assonance – repetition of a vowel sound in two or more words with different consonant sounds surrounding the
vowel
18. Cacophony – jarring, discordant sound; the use of such sound in literary composition for effect.
19. Catharsis – The process by which an unhealthy emotional state produced by an imbalance of feelings is corrected
and emotional health is restored.
20. Characterization – the method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work.
Personality may be revealed by 1. What the character says about him/herself, 2. What others reveal about the
characters, and 3. By the character’s own actions
21. Chronological order – arrangement of ideas in the order in which things occur.
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22. Climax – moment of great or culminating intensity in a narrative or drams; turning point in the plot or action
24. Comic relief – something of humor interrupts an otherwise serious, often tragic, literary work
25. Conceit – an extended metaphor that carries through an entire piece of literature.
26. Conflict – a struggle between opposing forces: man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. himself (external and
internal)
27. Connective or transition – word or phrase that links ideas, sentences, or paragraphs together to create logical
organization in writing
28. Connotation – the emotional implications that word may carry; implied or associated meaning for a word
29. Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds within words with differing vowel sounds
32. Dialect – speech particular to a region; exhibits distinctions between two groups or even two persons (examples
in this country: northeastern, southern)
33. Dialogue – conversation between/among two or more characters, usually set off with quotation marks
34. Diction – author’s choice of words (simple, sophisticated, colloquial, formal, informal)
35. Digression – a temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing
38. Ellipsis – in grammar, the omission of a word or words necessary to complete construction but understood in
contest ( . . . )
39. Epic – long narrative, usually written in elevated language, which relates the adventures of a hero upon whom
rests the fate of a nation
40. Epigraph – quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of a theme
41. Epiphany – an awakening; a sudden understanding or burst of insight; key moment in Greek plays
43. Ethos/Ethical appeal – writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him/her based on a
presentation of image of self through the text in order to gain the audience’s confidence
44. Euphemism – use of a word or phrase less direct and less offensive: “He is at rest” for “he is dead” or
“Technicolor yawn” for “vomiting.”
45. Euphony – quality of style marked by pleasing, harmonious sounds (opp. of cacophony)
46. Explication – an analysis of the piece of writing, looking at all facets of its creation
47. Exposition – the introductory material which sets the tone, gives the setting, introduces the characters, and
supplies the necessary facts
48. Falling action – everything that happens in plot between the climax or crisis and the denouement
49. Farce – comedy in which one-dimensional characters are put into ridiculous situations; ordinary standards of
probability and motivation are freely violated in order to evoke laughter
51. Figurative language – writing or speech not meant to be taken literally; figure of speech; states something that is
not literally true in order to create an effect. Similes, metaphors, personification, . . . are figures of speech.
52. Flashback – device by which an author can present action or scenes that occurred before the opening scene in a
work
54. Foil – character who provides a contrast to another character, thus emphasizing the other’s traits
55. Foreshadowing – the arrangement and presentation of events and information in such a way that prepares for
later events in a work
56. Form – the structure, shape, pattern, organization, or style of a piece of literature
57. Free verse – unrhymed poetry with lines of varying lengths, containing no specific metrical pattern
58. Freytag’s Pyramid – Gustav Freytag was a 19th century German novelist who saw common patterns in the plots
of stories and novels and developed a diagram to analyze them. (See diagram and explanation on last page.)
59. Genre – a specific kind or category of literature (mystery, poetry, short story, novel, . . .)
60. Hero/Heroine – main character who has strength or moral character, noble cause
62. Iambic pentameter – most common meter in English verse. Consists of a line 10 syllables long that is accented
on every 2nd beat
63. Idioms – expressions that do not translate exactly into what a speaker means; idioms are culturally relevant; when
a person uses an idiomatic expression, he/she truly “thinks” in the language
64. Imagery – devices which appeal to the senses: visual, tactile, auditory, . . . group of words that create a mental
“picture”
65. Irony – surprising, amusing, or interesting contrast between reality and expectation - there are three types:
verbal – words are used to suggest the opposite of their actual meaning; dramatic – when the audience knows
something that some/all of the characters in the work don’t know; situational – when the opposite of what is
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expected to happen happens
66. Legend – a widely told tale about the past, one that may have a foundation in fact
67. Logos/Logical appeal – relies on the audience’s logical faculties, moves from evidence to conclusion
69. Metaphor – a figure of speech wherein a comparison is made between two unlike quantities without the use of
the words “like” or “as.”
70. Monologue – long, uninterrupted speech (in a narrative or drama) that is spoken in the presence of other
characters. Unlike a soliloquy and most asides, it’s meant to be heard by at least one other character
71. Mood – atmosphere created by a writer’s word choice (diction) and the details selected.
77. Onomatopoeia – the use of a word to represent or imitate natural sounds (buzz, pop)
78. Oxymoron – rhetorical antithesis; juxtaposing two contradictory terms like “wise fool,” “deafening silence,” or
“pretty ugly”
80. Paradox – statement which contains seemingly contradictory elements or appears contrary to common sense, yet
can be seen as perhaps trued when viewed from another angle
81. Parallel structure/Parallelism – the repetition of syntactical similarities in passages closely connected for
rhetorical effect
82. Paraphrase – a restatement of an idea in such a way as to retain the meaning while changing the diction and form
83. Parody – ludicrous imitation, usually for comic effect but sometimes for ridicule of the style and content of
another work. The humor depends upon the reader’s familiarity with the original work
84. Pathos/ Emotional appeal – writer appeals to an audience’s emotions (often through pathos) to excite and
involve them in an argument
86. Personification – figure of speech in which inanimate objects are given qualities of speech and/or movement
(human qualities)
89. Point of view – the narrator or speaker perspective from which a story is told. Two main points of view are first-
person (I, we – narrator is part of the story) and third-person (he, she – narrator is outside the story). Second-
person uses the indefinite “you.” Omniscient narrators share the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.
Limited or objective narrators share thoughts and feelings only through dialogue and actions.
90. Prose – all forms of written expression not having a regular rhythmical pattern (not poetic)
92. Pun – a play on words wherein a word is used to convey two meanings at the same time.
93. Repetition – word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity
94. Resolution – the part of the story or drama which occurs after the climax and which establishes a new norm, a
new state of affairs – the way things are going to be from then on
95. Rhetoric – the art of speaking or writing effectively; skill in the eloquent use of language
96. Rhetorical device – used to produce effective speaking or writing (ethos, pathos, logos)
97. Rhetorical question – a question solely for effect with no answer expected. By the implication that the answer is
obvious, it is a means of achieving an emphasis stronger than a direct statement
100.Romance – works having extravagant characters, remote or exotic settings, adventure, magic, chivalry, and love
101.Round character – a fully developed character; a character who is complex, multidimensional, and convincing
103. Satire – literary technique or writing which exposes the follies of its subject to ridicule, often as an intended
means of provoking or preventing change – designed to ridicule the subject matter of another work or issue
104. Setting – the time(s) and place(s) of the story – including the historical period, social milieu of the characters,
geographical location, descriptions of indoor and outdoor locales
105. Short story – has many of the same characteristics of the novel but details are arranged to achieve a single effect,
with action moving rapidly and with minimal complication or detail of setting
106. Simile – a figure of speech which takes the form of a comparison between two unlike quantities for which a basis
for comparison can be found, and which uses the words “like” or “as” in the comparison
109. Soliloquy – a long speech made by a character who is alone on the stage in which he reveals his innermost
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thoughts and feelings
110. Sonnet – 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter. Rhyme scheme and format vary with type. Shakespearean
(English) – ababcdcdefefgg; 3 quatrains followed by a couplet; Spenserian sonnet has the same format as the
Shakespearean, but the rhyme scheme is different ababbcbccdcdee; Petrarchan (Italian) – 8 lines abbaabba and 6
lines cdecde or cdcdcd
112. Static character – stays the same sort of person throughout the story
113. Stereotype – characterization based on conscious or unconscious assumptions that one aspect (gender, age,
ethnicity, race, religion, . . .) determines what humans are like and is accompanied by certain traits, actions, and
value
114. Stress – pronouncing certain syllables or words in a line with more emphasis or volume
117. Theme – an ingredient of a literary work that gives the work unity. It answers the question, “What is the
message in the work?”
118. Thesis – the statement of the main position in an essay or speech; defines scope or answers prompt
121. Tragic flaw – imperfection in character or judgment that brings about the downfall of a character
123. Voice – the “speaker” or narrator; the person – and style – of the one who tells the story
Freytag’s Pyramid
1. Exposition – setting the scene: introducing characters and setting and giving background
2. Inciting incident – something happens to begin the action, usually a single event that signals the beginning of the
main conflict. Sometimes called the complication
5. Falling action – events happen as a result of the climax leading to the end of the story
7. Denouement – (French term pronounced day-noo-moh) the ending. At this point, any remaining secrets,
questions, or mysteries which remain after the resolution are solved by the characters or explained by the author.
Sometimes the author leaves the reader to think about the theme or future possibilities for the characters.