Terms I
The essential background information at the beginning of a literary work
Exposition
Repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds: “Anna’s apples,” “the pond is long gone”
Assonance
A recurring feature of a literary work that is related to the theme
Motif
A manner in which information is organized and presented
Structure
The emotional meaning of a word—the deeper meaning a word is being used to represent. For example, “house” and “home” are literally very similar, but their connotations are very different. A house is just a building, while a home is the place you belong and where your family is. “Home” has a different emotional effect than “house” does, so it has a different connotation
Connotation
End of a literary work when loose ends are tied up and questions are answered
Resolution/denouement
Word choice to create a specific effect
Diction
A summary of a selection that is not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice.
Objective Summary
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.
Theme
Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices
Objective
An extended metaphor, where the entire story or poem has a secondary symbolic meaning
Allegory
When the reader or audience knows something a character does not
Dramatic Irony
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 Devices
The feeling the reader takes away from the piece
Mood
A reference to something well-known that exists outside the literary work
Allusion
When there is a disparity between what is expected and what actually occurs
Situational Irony
The tone writers use when they are trying to make fun of what they are writing about.
Satire
The author’s attitude toward the subject of a work
Tone
A dramatic device in which a character makes a short speech intended for the audience but not heard by the other characters on stage
Aside
When the speaker says one thing but means the opposite
Verbal Irony
A dramatic device in which a character is alone and speaks his or her thoughts aloud
Soliloquy
The literal meaning of a word—the meaning you would find in a dictionary
Denotation