Terms
Allegory
An allegory is a simple story that
represents a larger point about
society or human nature, whose
different characters may represent
real-life figures
Allusion
This is basically a reference to
something else. It’s when a writer
mentions some other piece of work, or
refers to an earlier part of the story.
FABLE
Derived from the Latin word fibula,
which means “a story,” and a
derivative of the word fari, which
means “to speak.”
Archetype
A character who represents a
certain type of person. For
example, Daniel Boone is an
archetype of the early
American frontiersman.
Assonance
The repetition of vowel
sounds as in “Days wane
away.”
Atmosphere
The overall feeling of a work,
which is related to tone and
mood.
Blank verse
Unrhymed lines of poetry
usually in iambic pentameter.
Plenty of modern poetry is
written in blank verse.
Characterization
The means by which an
author establishes character.
An author may directly
describe the appearance and
personality of character or
show it through action or
dialogue.
Climax
The point at which the action
in a story or play reaches its
emotional peak.
Conflict
The elements that create a plot.
Traditionally, every plot is build
from the most basic elements of
a conflict and an eventual
resolution. The conflict can be
internal (within one character) or
external (among or between
characters, society, and/or
nature).
Couplets
A pair of rhyming lines in a
poem often set off from the
rest of the poem.
Shakespeare’s sonnets all
end in couplets.
Denouement
The resolution of the conflict in a
plot after the climax. It also
refers to the resolution of the
action in a story or play after the
principal drama is resolved—in
other words, tying up the loose
ends or wrapping up a story.
Dramatic Monologue
A poem with a fictional
narrator addressed to
someone who identity the
audience knows, but who
does not say anything.
Elegy
A poem mourning the dead.
End rhyme
Rhyming words that are at
the ends of their respective
lines—what we typically
think of as normal rhyme.
Epic
A long poem narrating the
adventures of a heroic
figure—for example, Homer’s
The Odyssey.
Fable
A story that illustrates a
moral often using animals as
the character—for example,
The Tortoise and the Hare.
Figurative Language
Language that does not mean
exactly what it says. For
example, you can call
someone who is very angry
“steaming.” Unless steam
was actually coming out of
your ears, you were using
figurative language.
First Person Point of View
The point of view of writing
which the narrator refers to
himself as “I.”
Foreshadowing
A technique in which an author
gives clues about something
that will happen later in the
story.
Free Verse
Poetry with no set
meter (rhythm) or
rhyme scheme.
Genre
A kind of style usually art or
literature. Some literary genres
are mysteries, westerns, and
romances.
Hyperbole
A huge exaggeration. For
example, “Dan’s the funniest
guy on the planet!” or “That
baseball card is worth a zillion
dollars!”
Iambic pentameter
Ten-syllable lines in which
every other syllable is
stressed. For example: “With
eyes like stars upon the brave
night air.”
Imagery
The use of description that helps
the reader imagine how
something looks, sounds, feels,
smells, or taste. Most of the
time, it refers to appearance.
For example, “The young bird’s
white, feathered wings flutter as
he made his way across the
nighttime sky.”