Character
a minor character who illuminates traits of a major character by contrast
Foil
situation or statement in with a notable difference between what is expected and what actually happens or is meant.
Irony
Comprised of an octave, developing a single thought, and a sestet that comments on or provides a solution for the original idea
Petrarchan sonnet
narrator can enter the minds of all the characters and knows all there is to know about the characters, externally and internally.
Omniscient
Brief, often direct reference to something outside the work (historical, political, mythological, etc.)
Allusion
a stereotyped character (usual a minor one) whose nature is familiar to us from prototypes in previous literature
Stock character
Latin phrase that means “in the middle of things”
In Media Res
When there is no pause or stop at the end of the line
Enjambment
Rarely used type of narration that consistently uses the pronoun “you,” to immerse the reader into the experience
Second Person
The non-literal associations a reader has with a word or phrase
Connotation
this type of character remains the same throughout the novel
Static
The comparison of two elements (characters, places, ideas, etc.) simply by placing them side by side
Juxtaposition
The word referred to by a pronoun
Antecedent
Technique that places reader in the mind and thought processes of the narrator, no matter how random and spontaneous it may be.
Stream of Consciousness
Imitation of regional speech using altered, phonetic spelling and colloquialisms
Dialect
writing that exaggerates qualities of a person to produce a burlesque, ridiculous effect; more frequently associated with drawing than literature
Caricature
the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work that is used to develop the theme or characters
Motif
Poetry with regular meter (usually iambic pentameter) but without end rhymes
Blank Verse
Point of view of a narrator, who the reader perceives to be biased, deceptive, self-deceptive, deluded, or deranged.
Unreliable
technique by which a writer deliberately suggests two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings, allowing varying interpretations.
Ambiguity
A sudden insight or understanding in which something, usually simple and commonplace, is seen in a new light.
Epiphany
A story that has another story enclosed within it; a tale within a tale.
Frame Story
Poem dealing with shepherds and simple rural life.
Pastoral
narrator focuses only on the minds of a few of the characters or to the mind of a single character
Limited third person
Imagery relating to smell
Olfactory