Vocab I
Aside
a dramatic device in which a character makes a short speech intended for the audience but not heard by the other characters on stage
Genre
type or category to which a literary work belongs
Satire
The tone writers use when they are trying to make fun of what they are writing about.
Denotation
the literal meaning of a word—the meaning you would find in a dictionary
Irony (verbal)
when the speaker says one thing but means the opposite
Allegory
An extended metaphor, where the entire story or poem has a secondary symbolic meaning.
Irony (dramatic)
when the reader or audience knows something a character does not
Structure
a manner in which information is organized and presented
Rhetorical Devices
a technique an author uses to convey to the reader a meaning with the goal of persuading him or her towards considering a topic from a different perspective or to effectively transmit the author’s message to the reader.
Rhetorical Question
a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to make a point and without the expectation of a reply
Allusion
a reference to something well-known that exists outside the literary work
Onomatopoeia
use of a word whose sound imitates its meaning: “hiss”
Irony (situational)
when there is a disparity between what is expected and what actually occurs
Tone
the author’s attitude toward the subject of a work
Inferred
conveyed indirectly without words or speech: implicit, implied, understood, unsaid, unspoken
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds: “Anna’s apples,” “the pond is long gone”
Mood
the feeling the reader takes away from the piece
Soliloquy
a dramatic device in which a character is alone and speaks his or her thoughts aloud
Motif
a recurring feature of a literary work that is related to the theme
Objective
uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices
Diction
word choice to create a specific effect
Oxymoron
phrase that consists of two words that are contradictory: “living dead” or “pretty ugly”
Theme
the underlying main idea of a literary work. Theme differs from the subject of a literary work in that it involves a statement or opinion about the subject.
Figurative Language
language that represents one thing in terms of something dissimilar (non-literal language). Includes simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, symbol)
Connotation
the emotional meaning of a word