Definitions I
Definitions II
Examples
Give me an example of...
Wait, these are literary terms?!
100

What is a symbol?

An object, person, image, situation, or action that represents a more abstract idea

100

What is setting?

The time and place in which a story takes place

100

Ms. Budnik is as busy as a bee grading all these literary analysis essays!

Simile: comparison using "like" or "as"

100

A sentence with a metaphor.

Comparison between two unlike things WITHOUT using "like" or "as"

100

A Foil

Type of character that is set in contrast of another

200

What is diction?

A writer's word choice

200

What is foreshadowing?

Hints and details within a narrative to help predict something that will occur later in the text

200

The students were dying when Ms. Budnik wouldn't plus add them to resource.

Hyperbole: an overstatement or exaggeration

200

A sentence with an allusion.

A reference to an outside source.

200

Hubris

An extreme amount of pride, arrogance, or overconfidence leading to a character's downfall

300

What is mood/atmosphere?

The feeling or emotional reaction of the READER when reading a text

300

What is tone?

The AUTHOR'S attitude towards their subject, character, or work as a whole

300

Someone who loves the hot, sunny weather but gets sunburnt.

Irony: contrast between reality and expectations; incongruity between what is expected vs. what actually happens

300

A sentence or two containing detailed imagery.

The use of descriptive language to create mental pictures in the reader's mind.

300

Intertextuality

the relationship and commonalities between texts

400

What is a motif?

A reoccurring image, symbol, or idea that appears throughout a story

400

What is an epigraph?

A brief passage at the beginning of a text that sets the tone or theme of what comes after

400
The experienced commander was fearless on the violent battlefield, often charging straight into danger. Back at home, however, his wife was terrified of the dark and slept with a nightlight.

Juxtaposition: placing two ideas/things next to each other to reveal a contrast

400

A sentence or two containing personification.

Adding human-like qualities to non-human things

400

Dues Ex Machina

plot device where an external force resolves a seemingly insolvable conflict or problem

500

What is an allegory?

The abstract or symbolic representation a narrative has

500

What is interior monologue?

A writing technique that exhibits a character's thoughts, feelings, and associations occurring within their mind

500

If you don't risk anything, you risk everything.

Paradox: a statement that contradicts itself, but reveals a deeper truth or hidden meaning

500

A few sentences or a passage using anaphora.

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences.

500

Analepsis

plot device that interrupts the chronological sequence of a narrative with a scene from the past

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