Literary Vocabulary

 

Allegory: an extended metaphor - the whole poem or story is representative of another idea. Animal Farm is literally about an animal rebellion against their human oppressors on a farm. Allegorically, it is about the Russian Revolution and the rise of Communism in the USSR. An allegory is intended to teach a moral or lesson.

Alliteration: forming word patterns by repeating initial consonant sounds. It depends on sound, not spelling. 

Allusion: a brief reference to a person, event or thing religious or historical. 

Ambiguity: This is the quality in a piece of writing that makes it possible to interpret it in more than one way. 

Analogy: where you explain a complex situation by relating it to a simpler idea. 

Antagonist: a character, or characters,  in a short story, novel, or play, that gives the Protagonist a challenge.

Apostrophe: directly addressing a person or thing as if it/s/he were really there. (Romeo & Juliet, where Juliet speaks, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?). 

Assonance: the repetition of a stressed vowel sounds (ex: Three/beach; say/played; flame/pain).

Autobiography: literature about a real person and is written by the person the story is about.  Example: John wrote a book about his own life.

Ballad: a narrative poem or song of popular origin, usually in short stanzas and often with a refrain (chorus). 

Blank verse: iambic pentameter lines without rhyme. Rhyme is not necessary. 

Biography: a factual piece of literature that is about someone and was written by another person.  Example: Janet wrote a book about John's life.

Climax: the high point of a story... when the Protagonist makes his/her decision or faces their challenge

Concrete Poetry: where the actual typeset layout of the poem suggest the topic of the poem. For example, a poems about trees, might be shaped like a tree on the page. 

Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words. Ex. Thick stuck gunk, first and last. 

Fiction: literature that is not factually true, but may be based on true events.

Free Verse: poetry with no structure, no rhyme scheme, and no pattern. 

Haiku: popular Japanese form of poetry developed in 17th century. It usually had three lines, respectively with 5, 7, then 5 syllables. Haiku often contrasts two opposing images, and presents an implied comment of nature. 

Hyperbole: exaggeration, either for comic or serious effect. Ex. I cried a river of tears. 

Iambic Pentameter: the most common meter used in Shakespeare’s plays, and especially sonnets. Pentameter means five feet. Iambic has two syllables (see “foot”), for a total of 10 syllables. 

Imagery: creating vivid mental pictures through using words that appeal to the senses and emotions.

Inference: making conclusions about a piece of literature when the connection is not provided in a piece of literature.

Metaphor: a comparison that doesn’t use comparison words such as like or as. 

Mood: the dominant feeling or atmosphere of a work. Dark, light, happy, sad, are simple moods. 

Narrator: the voice that is telling the story in a novel or short story.  There are two popular forms of narration:

 

Non-Fiction: literature that is true or is based on factual events

Ode: a form of lyric poetry using elaborate vocabulary. It usually focuses on a single object or person. 

Onomatopoeia: words that sound like the sound they are describing. Ex. BANG, buzz, pop. 

Oxymoron: two opposite or conflicting words, side by side. Example:, Dark day, white night 

Parody: using comedy or satire when imitating a well-known, serious work. It is much like re-writing a story with foolish characters and actions similar to the original. Parodies often make fun of the original author’s style, or criticize the authors’ views. 

Personification: giving human qualities to a non-human thing or idea. Ex. The angry sky... 

Protagonist: the main character of a short story, novel, or play, who is faced with a challenge or a decision to make.

Quatrain: a 4 line stanza 

Repetition: the repeating of lines, words, or phrases for emphasis 

Rhyme: similar sounding words in the end or within a line.

 

Satire: makes fun of some part of human nature, customs, or attitudes in order to make a positive change.  

Simile: comparison using like or as. Ex. Her hair was like spun gold. 

Sonnet: 14 line poem. Two kinds:

 

Stress: saying certain syllables or words in a line with more emphasis or volume. 

Stanza: a group of lines of a poem arranged so that the rhyme or rhythm forms a pattern that is repeated throughout the poem. 

Symbolism: using an image to represent an idea.