Literary Term Definitions

Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound of adjacent or closely connected words.
   Ex. Carrie's cat clawed her couch, creating chaos.
Allusion- an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
   Ex. In the poem "Yet Do I Marvel" by Countee Cullen makes an allusion of the punished King Sisyphus.
Ambiguity- a doubtfulness or uncertainty about the intention or meaning of something, may be something that has more than one interpretation.
   Ex. I saw her "duck."
Antagonist- a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or to something; an adversary.
   Ex. The antagonist of Super-Man would be Lex Luthor.
Apostrophe- a digression in the form of an address to someone or something not present or dead as if they were alive.
   Ex. "Oh Death where is thy sting!"
Protagonist- the leading character, or hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
   Ex. Super-Man in the movie.
Assonance- rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words.
   Ex. That solitude that which suits abstruser musings.
Chronology- the sequential order in which past events occur.
   Ex. The way that events happen in order in the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God."
Conflict- is the struggle between the opposing forces on which the action in a work of literature depends.
   Ex. From the movie Rocky, he has internal conflict.
Connotation-an idea or feeling that a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
   Ex. Snake - evil and dangerous.
Anthropomorphism- the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.
   Ex. Mickey Mouse
Denotation- the literal or primary meaning of a word in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.
   Ex. The word Home, where a person lives at any given time.
Dialect- a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group.
   Ex. Janie's dialect from Their eyes were watching God, "ah wanted to see mah chillun."
Diction- the choice and use of words and phrases in each speech or writing.
   Ex. "Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and teeth!"
Epiphany- a term in literary criticism for a sudden realization.
   Ex. "He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." 1984
Euphemism- the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt.
   Ex. "There embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory." (105) 1984
Foil- is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.
   Ex. Horatio is Hamlet's foil.
Hyperbole- is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech.
   Ex. "I had a ton of homework last night."
Imagery- when an author of some sort is being visually descriptive or figurative language.
   Ex. "I could smell the flowers as they embraced me with their colorful passion, and their pedals were gleaming in the sun and a rainbow had sprung up out of the overwhelming brightness."
Irony- the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, usually for humorous or sympathetic effect.
   Ex. He was running across the street in a hurry for his life-or-death shot that could save his life, when an ambulance rushes by and kills him on impact.
Juxtaposition- means put two things next to each other to make them stand out.
   Ex. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the juxtaposition between the dialect of the characters and the eloquent narration.
Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or a phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
   Ex. A deep dark crowd of evergreens standing arms linked for miles in a silent choir.
Mood- the atmosphere that provides the literary work with the intention of evoking a certain emotion or feeling from the audience.
   Ex. Night by Elie Weisel, the mood could make you feel dark and sad.
Motif- a reoccuring image or phrase in literary work.
   Ex. Trees are a motif in Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Motivation- the reason a character does something or behaves in a certain way.
   Ex. The reason why Janie was still with Jody was because she thought she always needed a man to be happy.
Oxymoron- a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.
   Ex. "Icy Hot"
Paradox- a statement that contradicts itself but in reality it can be true.
   Ex. Ignorance is strength
Parallel Structure- is a balance of two or more similar words, phrases, or clauses.
   Ex. We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.
Personification- the attribution to a personal nature or character to inanimate objects or abstract notions.
   Ex. The sea inhaled and exhaled deeply.
Point of View- the narrators position in relation to the story being told.
   Ex. "I saw his face, and it looked bad." first person
Onomatopoeia- the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.
   Ex. Cuckoo, sizzle, bark!
Satire- holding up human vices and gollies to ridicule and scorn.
   Ex. Political comic strips in the newspaper.
Plot- the events that make up a story, particularly as they relate to one another in pattern, sequence, through cause and effect, how the reader views the story , or simply by coincidence.
   Ex. Their Eyes Were Watching God; Janie gets married, runs away, finds another man, man dies, marries younger man, has to kill younger man, goes back to town to tell story.
Simile- is a figure of speech that directly compares two things, usually by employing the words "like" or "as".
   Ex. Curely was flopping like a fish on a line.
Structure- framework of a work of literature.
   Ex. Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story starts on a porch and ends on a porch.
Symbol- a thing that stands for something else, something material representing something abstract.
   Ex. The American flag is a symbol for freedom and for our country.
Syntax- the arrangement of words or phrases to create well formed sentences in a language.
   Ex. Eyeing the puddle, she jumped in her red galoshes into the massive puddle in front of her; She walked through a puddle in her red shoes.
Theme- is a central topic, subject, or concept the author is trying to point out not to be confused with any message, moral or commentary it might send.
   Ex. The theme of Romeo and Juliet is that fate is inevitable.
Tone- is a literary technique that is part of composition which conveys the authors attitude on a certain subject and is directed toward the audience/readers.
   Ex. The tone in the poem White Man by Langston Hughes, is portrayed as angry and sarcastic
Universality- the quality of being universal, being everywhere.
   Ex. When a person lives a life of goodness he or she is rewarded for those things with good events.