A Literary Romp Through the Alphabet

A

100

This is a story in which people, places, things and events have another meaning.

allegory

200

This is a reference in a work of literature to something outside the work, historical, biblical or literary.

allusion

300

This is the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses.

anaphora

400

This is a sudden descent from the impressive to the trivial

anticlimax or bathos

500

This is the deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses

asyndeton

C

100

This is a pause in a line of poetry, either with or without punctuation

caesura

200

This is a rhetorical balance created by the inversion of one or two phrases or clauses.

chiasmus

300

The implications of a word or phrase as opposed to its exact meaning

connotation

400

This is the repetition of a consonant sound with a series of words to produce a harmonious effect

consonance

500

This is a device of style or subject matter so often used that it becomes a recognizable means of expression.

convention

E

100

This is a pithy saying, often using contrast

epigram

200

This is the running on on one line of poetry into another

enjambment

300

This is a figure of speech using indirection to avoid offensive bluntness

euphemism

400

This is the omission of words for rhetorical effect. "Drop dead" instead of "You drop dead."

ellipsis

500

This is the form of a work containing a series of incidents that are loosely connected by a larger thematic structure

episodic structure

More E's

100

This is the surface reading overview of a poem or other literary piece

explication

200

This is a philosophical school whose proponents maintain that existence precedes essence

existentialism

300

This is when words that appear to rhyme due to their spelling, do not actually rhyme

eye-rhyme

400

This is a novel whose plot is entirely developed through letters exchanged between characters or through correspondence of only one character

epistolary novel

500

This is pleasing and harmonious sounds

euphony

F's & G's

100

This is a short, fictional prose or verse with a specific moral

fable

200

This is rhyme in which rhyming stressed syllable are followed by identical unstressed syllables

feminine rhyme

300

This is a character who, by contrast to the main character, serves to accentuate that character's distinctive qualities or characteristics

foil

400

This is a story that contains another story or stories

frame story

500

This is a style of literature characterized by a general mood of decay, overly dramatic and/or violent action, and destructive passions.

Gothic