Literary Terms

Parallelism- repetition of a sentence pattern or grammatical structure

• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Fiction- a prose story based on the author’s imagination; can use nonfiction or
historical information. Often used to say something significant of human
existence
Novel- a story with multiple characters, settings, and themes
Personification- giving non-human subjects human qualities
Satire- writing that ridicules the faults of individuals or a group
Foreshadowing- use of literary clues to suggest events yet to occur
Symbol- a person or object understood to mean something beyond its meaning
Allusion- indirect reference
Characterization- 5 basic techniques used to develop characters
• Physical description
• Character’s actions
• Character’s dialogue
• Narrator’s thoughts
• Other characters’ thoughts, actions, and dialogue
Idiom-a use of words that produce a unique meaning within groups, regions, classes,
or time periods
• Wicked
• Throw in the towel
• Beat around the bush
• Stellar
• Kill two birds with one stone
• Groovy
• Righteous
• Square peg in a round hole
• Eat them out of house and home
• Hang
Conflict- a struggle between opposing forces
Theme- a message or central idea implemented through a story; what the story
reveals about life
Mood- the atmosphere or feeling created in the reader in a literary work
Flashback- an interruption of present time to relate to an event from an earlier time
Plot- the arrangement of actions and events in a story
• Exposition- background information
• Conflict- a struggle between opposing forces
o Man vs. man
o Man vs. self
o Man vs. society
o Man vs. nature
o Man vs. supernatural
• Rising action- conflict develops
• Climax- turning point/ decision is made deciding the outcome
• Resolution- problems solved
• Falling action- after the climax; tie in loose ends
Setting- the natural or artificial environment in which a story takes place
Irony- the use of language or situations that are opposite of what is expected
• Verbal irony- words used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning
• Dramatic irony- a contradiction between what the character thinks and what the
reader knows
• Situational irony- and event that directly contradicts the expectations of the
reader
Stream of Conscience- all of the conscious thoughts of the author are being
expressed
Diction- word choice
Non-fiction- literature that is true
Soliloquy- a long speech made by a character that is alone; reveals their private
thoughts and feelings to the audience
Aside- a character speaks so the audience hears but not the other characters on stage
Antagonist- villain, ‘bad guy’, anti-hero
Protagonist- main character, hero, ‘good guy’
Omen- a sign of something bad to come
Tragic flaw- a characteristic that leads to a character’s downfall
Tragic realization- a character recognizes that they have made a big mistake
Tone- the writer’s attitude towards a subject
Point of view- the position or perspective from which a writer tells a story
• 1st person- character in a story describes actions as a participant or eyewitness
• 3rd person limited- the narrator outside the action describes the events and
thoughts of one character
• 3rd person omniscient- the narrator outside the action describes the events and
thoughts of all the characters
Iambic pentameter- a line of poetry with five iambic feet each with one unstressed
syllable followed by one stressed syllable
Rhetorical question- a question not meant to be answered
Alliteration- the repetition of initial consonant sounds
Assonance- the repetition of similar vowels in conjunction with dissimilar consonants
Consonance- the repetition of consonant sounds at the middle or the end of words
Metaphor- a figure of speech which one thing is spoken of as though it were
something else
Simile- a direct comparison between two subjects using ‘like’ or ‘as’
Hyperbole- a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement that is not meant to be taken
literally
Synecdoche- when the part represents the whole
Repetition- the use of any element of language (sound, phrase, etc) more than once
Onomatopoeia- the use of words that imitate sounds
Rhyme scheme- the regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem
• To describe rhyme scheme, use different letters of the alphabet for the different
sounds at the ends of the lines. Always start with lowercase a
 Speaker- the imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem
Imagery- descriptive language used to recreate sensory experiences
Autobiography- a work of literature where the author tells his or her own life story
Biography- a work of literature where the author tells another person’s life story
Essay- a short work of non-fiction about a particular subject
Subjective point of view- an opinionated work of literature
Objective point of view- fact-based literature

Elements of Genres
Short story-
1. fictional
2. short, concentrated
3. read in a single sitting
4. leaves a powerful impression
5. limited number of characters
6. restricted settings
7. narrow range of actions
Important:
Plot
Characterization
Point of view
Setting
Symbols
Tone & irony
Theme
Novel-
1. multiple characters
2. wide range of settings
3. detailed plotlines
4. multiple/detailed themes
Poetry-
• blank verse- poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
• concrete poetry- poem with a shape suggesting its subject
• couplet- a pair of consecutive rhyming lines
• dramatic poem- a verse presenting the speech of one or more
characters
• foot- a group of two or three with a particular pattern of stresses
• free verse- poetry without a regular rhythmical pattern or meter
• lyric poem- a highly musical verse expressing the thoughts of one
speaker
• meter- the rhythmical pattern of a poem
• narrative poem- a poem that tells a story
• quatrain- as four line poem/ a stanza with four lines
• refrain- a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem
• sonnet- a 14 line lyric poem
 • Shakespearian sonnet- 3 quatrains and a couplet (ababcdcdefefgg)
• Italian sonnet- 8-line stanza & 6-line stanza (abbaabbaacdecde)
• stanza- group of lines in a poem
• slant rhyme- sounds are similar or approximate
• rhyme scheme- the regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem

Non-fiction-
Based on real-life events and happenings; facts or sciences

Drama-
• pun- play on words
• omen- a sign of something bad to come
• nature as foreshadowing- elements of nature used to hint at bad things to come
• aside- a character speaks so the audience can hear but not the other characters
• tragic flaw- a characteristic leading to a character’s downfall
• soliloquy- a long speech made by a character who is alone; reveals their
private thoughts and feelings to the audience
• speech- a long public address to a group of people
• repetition- the use of any element of literature more than once
• climax- the turning point in the story
• rhetorical question- a question not meant to be answered
• supernaturalism- ghosts, aliens, etc
• tragic realization- a character recognizes that they have made a huge mistake

Important Themes
Tale of Two Cities-
• revenge/justification of revenge
• obligation vs. desire
• honor vs. dishonor
• individuals developed through crisis
The Catcher in the Rye-
• the impact of depression & loneliness
• not to run from problems
• turn words into actions
• cynicism isn’t always in your best interests
Night-
• can one be guilty simply by association
• to what extent would you go to help a loved one
• to what extend would you go to help yourself
• staying silent vs. speaking up for wrongdoings
Julius Caesar-
• betrayal: friends and enemies
• is what’s good for the group good for the individual
• fate vs. free will