Literary Vocabulary

A conversation or speech among two or more characters

Words or phrases that use description to create pictures, or images in the reader’s mind.

A literary work that uses wit, irony, or ridicule to attack foolishness.

Repetition of consonant sounds in a sentence or paragraph

The all knowing point-of-view.

The main idea, the central insight a work gives us about human life.

Repetition of words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in structure or in meaning.

A person or force who opposes the protagonist

A contrast or discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what does happen.

Point of view of one of the characters. Uses the word "I"

A comparison of two things, stressing their similarities

The emotional attitude of the reader toward his/her subject

The dictionary meaning of a word.

The central character, one whom the readers sympathize with.

When the story is told from the vantage point of one of the characters,not by the character “I"

The use of specific details describing the speech, dress, and scenery associated with a region

A writer’s choice of words – poetic, business, technical.

Repetition of a consonant at the beginning of a group of words. "Wild women went walking."

A writer’s characteristic way of writing, i.e. sentence structure and figurative language

The moment of highest emotional intensity, when the outcome is finally made clear.

The attitude the writer takes, for example, serious or humorous.

Something which maintains its own meaning while at the same time stands for something else.

The clues that hint at important plot developments that are to follow in a story or drama

The suggested meaning of a word or phrase,The meanings that have become associated with the word

The time and place in which events of a literary work take place

Rewording of a text or passage, often for clarification or simplification.

A plot that is secondary to the main plot.

A reference to a work of literature or to a well-known historical event, person, or place.

Writing or speaking that relates to a series of events.

Speech that is flavored by the usages of particular regional, social, or cultural groups.

The sequence of events in a story

Language that states facts or ideas directly.