Download Literary Terms •Alliteration: the repetition of a sound in a group of

Literary Terms
•Alliteration: the repetition of a sound in a group of words
•Allusion: reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
•Anecdote: brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event
•Characterization: the methods used to present the personality of a character in a narrative; the way a
character acts, speaks, thinks, and looks
•Direct characterization: states traits or characteristics
•Indirect characterization: allows reader to draw his/her own conclusions based on information
presented
•Colloquialism: the use of ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or
writing; informal
•Conflict: the struggle that takes place between two opposing forces
(external and internal: self vs. self, self vs. environment, self vs. character)
•Figurative Language: any language that is not intended to be interpreted in a strict literal sense
•Hyperbole: exaggeration for effect
•Idiom: a common phrase that does not really mean what the words say
•Metaphor: a comparison made between two different things (without the use of like or as),
such as in the saying “Life is a dream”, “You are my sunshine”, or “He is a peach”
•Personification: a figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities
•Simile: comparison made between two different things, using a word such as “like” or “as”
•Symbol: any person, place, or thing which has meaning in itself but which is made to represent
(or stand for) something else as well
•Flashback: an interruption of the action in a story to tell about something that happened earlier in
time
•Foreshadowing: the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest action that is to come
•Imagery: words and phrases that describe something in a way that creates pictures, or images, that
appeal to the reader’s senses
•Inference: a reasonable conclusion made about something based on certain clues or facts
•Irony: a contrast between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to
happen and what actually does happen
•Main Idea: What you want to say about your topic is your main idea. The main idea is the most
important point the writer is making. The main idea is stated or implied. (When identifying the main
idea, analyze what topic the sentences have in common.)
•Mood: the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates
•Onomatopoeia: the use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning
•Oxymoron: words of opposite meaning or suggestion that are used together to create an added
emphasis. (cruel kindness, jumbo shrimp)
•Paraphrase: summary or restatement of a piece of writing which expresses its meaning in other words
•Parody: humorous imitation of a serious piece of literature, or some other art form, for the sake of
amusement or ridicule
•Plot: the sequence of events that take place in a story
•Rising Action: events that occur before the climax
•Climax: the highest point of interest or suspense
•Turning Point: the point from which the action changes, leading to the climax and/or resolution
•Falling Action: events that occur after the climax (resolution)
•Point of View: the perspective or vantage point from which a story is told
•Purpose: the reason the author wrote the story
•Setting: the time, weather, and place of the action in a story; where and when the action takes place
•Style: the way in which a writer uses language; the choice and arrangement of words and sentences
•Suspense: that quality in a literary work that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about
what is to come next
•Theme: the author’s central message or basic meaning of a literary piece; can be expressed as a
generalization or statement about human beings or about life
•Tone: the attitude the writer takes toward his or her subject