Figurative Language
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. (uses "like" or "as")
Simile
the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing
Diction
A storyteller using the point-off-view of "I" of "we"
First-Person Narrator
A word that sounds like the noise it describes. Conveying both a playfulness of language and a serious representation of everyday sounds, this term draws the reader into the sensations of the story itself.
Onomatopoeia
a literary style in which a character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow uninterrupted by objective description or conventional dialogue.
Stream of Consciousness
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Personification
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference
Allusion
A storyteller using the point-off-view of "he," "she," or "they," that can enter the consciousness of any character, evaluate motives and explain feelings, and recount the background and predict the outcome of situations.
Third Person Omniscient
a statement with contrasting ideas, which is also play on words.
Oxymoron
A character that is complex, multifaceted, and capable of change and growth.
Round Character
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable
Metaphor
An object, action, or event that represents something else, or creates a range of associations, beyond itself.
Symbolism
A narrative style where the narrator only accesses the thoughts and feelings of one character, essentially telling the story from that single character's perspective, using pronouns like "he," "she," or "they," while not revealing the inner thoughts of other characters in the story.
Third Person Limited
A literary device that plays with the sounds and meanings of words to produce new, often humorous ideas.
Puns
A character that is more of a type or archetype than a unique individual. This character is not dynamic, does not change much (if at all) throughout a story, and typically plays a secondary or tertiary role.
Flat Characters
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
Hyperbole
a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification
Analogy
The techniques by which an author of a work of fiction, drama, or narrative poetry represents the moral, intellectual, and emotional natures of characters.
Characterization
a literary term for the attribution of human emotion and conduct to things found in nature that are not human. usually uses weather to echo a sentiment
Pathetic Fallacy
a literary device that contrasts with another character (usually the main character) to highlight their traits, values, or motivations
Foil Character
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work
Imagery
a story whose sole purpose is to represent an abstract concept or idea
Allegory
A narrator that addresses the audience directly using the pronoun "you." and assumes that the audience is experiencing the events along with the narrator.
Second Person Narrator
A narrative technique where the story begins "in the middle of things," rather than at the very start.
In Media Res
The idea that a work of literature should be believable and lifelike, and that its elements should seem authentic and true
Verisimilitude