Literary Terms
1. alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds in a poem, most often at the beginning of words. Example: “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.”
2. allusion—a reference in a work of literature to a person, place, or event from history, another work of literature, or a work of art. Example: “The rise in poverty will unlock a Pandora’s box of crimes.” This is an allusion to the Greek myth “Pandora’s box."
3. assonance—the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a poem. Example: “Our toes, our noses, take hold on the loam.” This phrase repeats the long “o” sound.
4. audience—the type of reader for whom a literary work is intended. Example: Harry Potter was written for an audience of children and young adults.
5. characterization—the personality of a character and the way in which an author reveals that personality. An author may directly state opinions about a character. An author may also reveal a character’s personality indirectly through the character’s words and actions. Example: “Even though he was wrong, she sat still and said nothing.” This phrase might characterize the woman as passive, weak, or unable to stick up for herself.
6. climax—the point of the reader’s highest interest and emotional involvement in a story, novel, or play. It is also called the turning point. Example: The climax of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” occurs when Wonka tells Charlie he will inherit the factory.
7. concrete language—specific words that appeal to the five senses and are used to create language. The opposite is “abstract” language. Example: A more abstract sentence would be “We went to the restaurant and ate dinner.” A sentence that uses concrete language would be “We went to Chuck E. Cheese’s and ate pepperoni pizza.”
8. conflict—in the plot of a story, novel, or play, a struggle between two or more opposing forces. An external conflict is a character’s struggle against an outside force, such as nature, fate, or another person. An internal conflict is a struggle that takes place within a character’s mind. Example: The central conflict in the book The Outsiders is external, between the Greasers and the Socs. One major conflict in “Ol’ Yeller” is internal, between Travis’ love for the dog and his awareness that he must kill it.
9. dialogue—the conversation between characters in a literary work. Example: “‘Well, hello,’ Jack said.”
10. diction—the selection of words in a literary work to convey meaning, suggest the author’s attitude, and create images. It is also called “word choice.” “Denotation” refers to a word’s literal definition. “Connotation” refers to the feelings that a specific word evokes. Example: One writer might say, “The dress made Jan look skinny.” The word “skinny” has a negative connotation, and it makes the reader think that the dress did not make Jan look attractive. Another writer might say, “The dress made Jan look lithe.” The word “lithe” has a positive connotation, and it makes the reader think that Jan looks attractive. The choice of one word over the other is called diction.
11. foreshadowing—the use of clues by an author to prepare the reader for future developments in a story, novel, or play. Example: Early in Ol’ Yeller, a visitor warns the kids to beware of hydrophobia. This foreshadows events later in the story when the dog contracts the disease.
12. imagery—language that appeals to the senses. Imagery is the combination or collection of images in a literary work. An “image” is a picture, or likeness, that is created with words. Images are often visual, but they may appeal to any of the five senses. Example: “A blanket of glittering, white snow covered the field.” This is visual imagery.
13. irony—a difference between the way things seem to be and the way they actually are. Example: A traffic officer is suspended because he had too many unpaid parking tickets.
14. lyric poem—a poem that expresses a personal thought or emotion. Most lyric poems are short, musical, and full of vivid images. Example: “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.”
15. metaphor—a figure of speech that compares or equates two basically different things. Example: “That girl is a fox!”
16. narrative poem—a poem that tells a story. Narrative poems usually include setting, characters, action, and conflict. Example: “Paul Revere’s Ride.”
17. narrator—in a short story or novel, the person who tells the story. A first-person narrator is a character in the work who tells the story as he or she experiences it. A third-person narrator is an outside observer (not a character in the story) who refers to the characters as “he” and “she.” A third-person narrator can usually describe the thoughts of all the characters in the work. In a poem, the narrator is called the “speaker.” Example: The Outsiders uses a first-person narrator names Ponyboy Curtis.
18. personification—a figure of speech in which an animal, object, or idea is given the characteristics of a human being. Example: “The wind gave a shout and began thumping leaves across the lawn.”
19. point of view—the relationship of the narrator, or storyteller, to the story. See “Narrator” above. Example: Killing Mr. Griffin is written in third-person point of view.
20. rhyme scheme—the pattern made by the end rhymes in a poem. The rhyme scheme of a poem is indicated by the assignment of a different alphabet letter to each new rhyme. Example:
“Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Candy is sweet,
And so are you.”
This poem follows an ABCB rhyme scheme.
21. rhythm—the pattern of beats made by stressed and unstressed syllable in the lines of a poem. A poem’s rhythm usually reflects its meaning. For instance, a fast rhythm fits a poem of action, while a slower rhythm is appropriate in a poem that expresses a calm feeling.
22. setting—the time and place in which a work of literature happens. Example: The setting of To Kill a Mockingbird is in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama.
23. simile—a figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to directly compare two seemingly unlike things. Example: “Ben was as fast as a rocket.”
24. stanza—a group of lines forming a unit in a poem.
25. theme—what a literary work tries to teach the reader about life, usually expressed as a generalization. Example: One theme of “The Wizard of Oz” is that there is no place like home.
1. alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds in a poem, most often at the beginning of words. Example: “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.”
2. allusion—a reference in a work of literature to a person, place, or event from history, another work of literature, or a work of art. Example: “The rise in poverty will unlock a Pandora’s box of crimes.” This is an allusion to the Greek myth “Pandora’s box."
3. assonance—the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a poem. Example: “Our toes, our noses, take hold on the loam.” This phrase repeats the long “o” sound.
4. audience—the type of reader for whom a literary work is intended. Example: Harry Potter was written for an audience of children and young adults.
5. characterization—the personality of a character and the way in which an author reveals that personality. An author may directly state opinions about a character. An author may also reveal a character’s personality indirectly through the character’s words and actions. Example: “Even though he was wrong, she sat still and said nothing.” This phrase might characterize the woman as passive, weak, or unable to stick up for herself.
6. climax—the point of the reader’s highest interest and emotional involvement in a story, novel, or play. It is also called the turning point. Example: The climax of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” occurs when Wonka tells Charlie he will inherit the factory.
7. concrete language—specific words that appeal to the five senses and are used to create language. The opposite is “abstract” language. Example: A more abstract sentence would be “We went to the restaurant and ate dinner.” A sentence that uses concrete language would be “We went to Chuck E. Cheese’s and ate pepperoni pizza.”
8. conflict—in the plot of a story, novel, or play, a struggle between two or more opposing forces. An external conflict is a character’s struggle against an outside force, such as nature, fate, or another person. An internal conflict is a struggle that takes place within a character’s mind. Example: The central conflict in the book The Outsiders is external, between the Greasers and the Socs. One major conflict in “Ol’ Yeller” is internal, between Travis’ love for the dog and his awareness that he must kill it.
9. dialogue—the conversation between characters in a literary work. Example: “‘Well, hello,’ Jack said.”
10. diction—the selection of words in a literary work to convey meaning, suggest the author’s attitude, and create images. It is also called “word choice.” “Denotation” refers to a word’s literal definition. “Connotation” refers to the feelings that a specific word evokes. Example: One writer might say, “The dress made Jan look skinny.” The word “skinny” has a negative connotation, and it makes the reader think that the dress did not make Jan look attractive. Another writer might say, “The dress made Jan look lithe.” The word “lithe” has a positive connotation, and it makes the reader think that Jan looks attractive. The choice of one word over the other is called diction.
11. foreshadowing—the use of clues by an author to prepare the reader for future developments in a story, novel, or play. Example: Early in Ol’ Yeller, a visitor warns the kids to beware of hydrophobia. This foreshadows events later in the story when the dog contracts the disease.
12. imagery—language that appeals to the senses. Imagery is the combination or collection of images in a literary work. An “image” is a picture, or likeness, that is created with words. Images are often visual, but they may appeal to any of the five senses. Example: “A blanket of glittering, white snow covered the field.” This is visual imagery.
13. irony—a difference between the way things seem to be and the way they actually are. Example: A traffic officer is suspended because he had too many unpaid parking tickets.
14. lyric poem—a poem that expresses a personal thought or emotion. Most lyric poems are short, musical, and full of vivid images. Example: “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.”
15. metaphor—a figure of speech that compares or equates two basically different things. Example: “That girl is a fox!”
16. narrative poem—a poem that tells a story. Narrative poems usually include setting, characters, action, and conflict. Example: “Paul Revere’s Ride.”
17. narrator—in a short story or novel, the person who tells the story. A first-person narrator is a character in the work who tells the story as he or she experiences it. A third-person narrator is an outside observer (not a character in the story) who refers to the characters as “he” and “she.” A third-person narrator can usually describe the thoughts of all the characters in the work. In a poem, the narrator is called the “speaker.” Example: The Outsiders uses a first-person narrator names Ponyboy Curtis.
18. personification—a figure of speech in which an animal, object, or idea is given the characteristics of a human being. Example: “The wind gave a shout and began thumping leaves across the lawn.”
19. point of view—the relationship of the narrator, or storyteller, to the story. See “Narrator” above. Example: Killing Mr. Griffin is written in third-person point of view.
20. rhyme scheme—the pattern made by the end rhymes in a poem. The rhyme scheme of a poem is indicated by the assignment of a different alphabet letter to each new rhyme. Example:
“Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Candy is sweet,
And so are you.”
This poem follows an ABCB rhyme scheme.
21. rhythm—the pattern of beats made by stressed and unstressed syllable in the lines of a poem. A poem’s rhythm usually reflects its meaning. For instance, a fast rhythm fits a poem of action, while a slower rhythm is appropriate in a poem that expresses a calm feeling.
22. setting—the time and place in which a work of literature happens. Example: The setting of To Kill a Mockingbird is in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama.
23. simile—a figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to directly compare two seemingly unlike things. Example: “Ben was as fast as a rocket.”
24. stanza—a group of lines forming a unit in a poem.
25. theme—what a literary work tries to teach the reader about life, usually expressed as a generalization. Example: One theme of “The Wizard of Oz” is that there is no place like home.