Literary Terms

LOIBNER-WAITKUS

LITERARY

TERMS

LITERARY TERMS • ALLEN LOIBNER-WAITKUS • UA-PTC • 1

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LITERARY TERMS • ALLEN LOIBNER-WAITKUS • UA-PTC

A allegory—a narrative in which abstract qualities are personified as characters alliteration—the repetition of the same consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words in close proximity allusion—a reference in a literary work to something outside the work anapest—a three-syllable metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable antagonist—a character who comes into conflict with the main character in a narrative

opposed to those who perform singly climax—the point of highest interest in a piece of literature connotation—emotional or empathetic dimension to the literal meaning of a word or idea consonance—repetition of the final consonant sounds in stressed syllables conventions—defining characteristics, or must-haves, of a given literary genre couplet—a pair of rhymed lines courtly love—a highly conventionalized code that prescribed the behavior of ladies and their lovers

aside—words spoken aloud by one of the characters in a play to the audience

D

assonance—the repetition of vowel sounds in a line, stanza, or sentence

dactyl—a three-syllable metrical foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables

B blank verse—lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter buldingsroman—a narrative about the moral and psychological growth of the main character

C cacophony—language embodying sounds unpleasing to the ear caesura—a strong pause within a line of poetry

denotation—the literal meaning of a word or phrase denouement—the final resolution to a piece of literature dialect—a variety of language distinguished by its pronunciation, vocabulary, rhetoric, and grammar dichotomy—a literary technique that divides a thing into two equal and contradictory parts or between two opposing groups diction—the choice of words in a work of literature didactic—a term applied to works with the primary and avowed purpose of persuading the reader that some philosophical, religious, or moral doctrine is true

catharsis—emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal, or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress

dimeter—a line of poetry consisting of two metrical feet

chorus—those who perform vocally in a group as

dramatic irony—a literary device by which the audiLITERARY TERMS • ALLEN LOIBNER-WAITKUS • UA-PTC • 3

ence’s or reader’s understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters

first person—the narrator or speaker is a character in a literary work

dynamic character—a character who changes over the course of a narrative

flat character—an underdeveloped, 2-D character

E

foreshadowing—hints of clues of what is to come

elegy—a form of literature that can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of someone deceased

H

epic poem—a long narrative poem, which is usually related to heroic deeds of a person of an unusual courage and unparalleled bravery

heroic couplet—iambic pentameter lines that rhyme aa, bb, cc, and so on

epic hero—a character in an epic poem who is noble and brave and is affected by great events or admired for his achievements

hexameter—a line of verse consisting of six metrical feet

epilogue—short concluding section in a literary work

hubris—a hero’s excessive pride that causes his downfall and the downfall of people around him; a feeling of being better than gods and being over confident

epiphany—a sudden realization

hyperbole—exaggeration for literary effect

epistolary—a literary genre pertaining to letters, in which writers use letters, journals, and diary entries in their works, or they tell their stories or deliver messages through a series of letters

I

epithet—a descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something euphony—language embodying sounds pleasing to the ear exposition—the basic situation (or introduction) to a piece of literature

F fable—a short fictional story that has a moral or teaches a lesson free verse—poetry, usually unrhymed, that does not adhere to the metrical regularity of traditional verse

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foil—a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character

LITERARY TERMS • ALLEN LOIBNER-WAITKUS • UA-PTC

iamb—a metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable imagery—language that embodies an appeal to a physical sense in medias res—the practice of beginning an epic or other narrative by plunging into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events; the situation is an extension of previous events and will be developed in later action invocation—an appeal for aid (especially for inspiration) is made to a muse or deity, usually at or near the beginning of the work irony—figurative language in which the intended meaning differs from the literal meaning

J juxtaposition— a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters, and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem, for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts

K kenning—a compound poetic phrase, a figure of speech, substituted for the usual name of a person or thing künstlerroman— a narrative about an artist’s growth to maturity

L litotes—a figure of speech that employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, a positive statement expressed by negating its opposite expressions lyric—a relatively short poem expressing the thoughts of a single speaker

M malapropism—the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance metaphor—a figurative expression consisting of two elements in which one element is provided with special attributes by being equated with a second, unlike element meter—recurrent patterns of accented and unaccented syllables in verse metonymy—a figure of speech in which a word stands for a closely related idea

monologue—the speech or verbal presentation given by a single character in order to express his or her collection of thoughts and ideas aloud muse—a person who serves as an artist’s inspiration

O onomatopoeia—language that sounds like what it means oxymoron—a word or group of words that is self-contradicting

P paradox—an anomalous juxtaposition of incongruous ideas for the sake of striking exposition or unexpected insight pentameter—a line containing five metrical feet personification—the attribution of human qualities to nonhuman things plot—a series of events in a story or drama that bear a significant relationship to each other poetic license—variation from standard word order to satisfy the demands of rhyme and meter point of view—the person or intelligence a writer of fiction creates to tell the story to a reader prologue—a preface or introduction to a literary work; a speech, often in verse, addressed to the audience by one or more of the actors at the opening of a play prose—ordinary written or spoken expression resembling everyday language or speech protagonist—the main character in a narrative pun—a play on words that produces a humorous effect by using a word that suggests two or more meanings,

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or by exploiting similar sounding words that have different meanings

stanza—the grouping of a fixed number of verse lines in a recurring metrical and rhyme pattern

Q

static character—a character who does not change of the course of a narrative

quatrain—a four-line stanza

R

subplot—a second plot, usually involving minor characters

red herring—false hint or clue of what is to come

symbol—an object, an action, or a person that represents more than itself

refrain—repetition in a poem of a word or group of words

synecdoche—a figure of speech in which a part is used to signify the whole

rhyme—the repetition of the final stressed vowel sound and any sounds following

synesthesia—an image that uses a second sensory impression to modify the primary sense impression

rhythm—the quality created by the relationship between stressed and unstressed syllables

T

round character—a well-developed, 3-D character

S satire—writing in a comic mode that holds a subject up to scorn and ridicule, often with the purpose of correcting human vice and folly setting—the place, time, and social context in which a work occurs

tetrameter—a verse line containing four metrical feet theme—the statement or underlying idea of a literary work third person—the narrator or speaker is not a character in a literary work tone—the attitude embodied in the language a writer chooses

simile—a comparison of unlike things introduced by the words like or as

tragedy—the dramatic representation of serious and important actions that culminate in catastrophe for the protagonist in the play

situational irony—the final outcome is contradictory to what was expected

tragic flaw—a trait in a character leading to his downfall

soliloquy—a popular literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character

trimeter—a verse line consisting of three metrical feet

sonnet—a lyric poem of fourteen lines spondee—a metrical foot consisting of two stressed syllables

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stock character—a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype

LITERARY TERMS • ALLEN LOIBNER-WAITKUS • UA-PTC

triplet—a sequence of three verse lines that rhyme trochee—a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable

V verbal irony—when a speaker says something contradictory to what he intends to say verisimilitude—the quality of seeming real

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LITERARY TERMS • ALLEN LOIBNER-WAITKUS • UA-PTC