75 Literary Definitions

A stanza in a poem that has exactly four lines

Literary term used to describe the events that make up a story, or the main part of a story

A literary and rhetorical device that is meant to mock, often with satirical or ironic remarks

Division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter, or rhyming scheme

Parts of the sentence that are grammatically the same, or are similar in construction.

meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly

Defined as the resolution of the issue of a complicated plot in fiction

A figure of speech sometimes represented by an exclamation, such as “Oh.”

A line of poetry composed of trochees. Trochees-basic metrical unit consisting of two syllables

Where two or more words in a phrase or line of poetry share the same beginning consonant sound

category of literary composition.

Several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect

Style of speaking/writing, determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer

The repetition of a vowel sound in non-rhyming words

A unit of rhythm in poetry, the pattern of the beats

Point of highest tension and drama, or time when solution begins to arise

The use of specific phrases and words in a particular situation, profession, or trade

Writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story

Repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines of writing

literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character

Central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story

A kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way.

Comparison of two things using the words “like” or “as,”.

Writing style where conjunctions are omitted in a series of words, phrases or clauses

Refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase

Poem, which is usually related to heroic deeds of a person of an unusual courage

Device that demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables

An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience

Descriptive language to add depth to the work/Appeals to reader senses to deepen understanding

Atmosphere of a literary piece, as it creates an emotional setting that surrounds the reader

Technique used to criticize corruption of an individual/society using humor/ridicule/irony

Figure of speech that employs understatement using double negatives

The use of informal words, phrases, or even slang in a piece of writing

Literary device used to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story

Language used by the people of a specific area, class, district, or any other group of people

Part of something represents the whole, or it may use a whole to represent a part.

Description of a person using exaggeration and oversimplification of certain characteristics

refers to the way in which words and sentences are placed together.

Two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect

Language that has meaning beyond the literal meaning.

A foot containing unaccented and short syllables, followed by a long and accented syllable

The time and place in which the story takes place

Mode of narration author employs to let readers hear/see what takes place in story/poem/essay

Latin: “in the midst of things”

A statement that may seem absurd or contradictory but yet can be true, or at least makes sense

Figure of speech, which presents a short story, typically with a moral lesson at the end

Type of metaphor in which an object is used to describe something that's closely related to it

Two or more ideas/places/characters, and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative

Framework that underlies the order and manner in which a narrative is presented to a reader

Imitation of a particular writer, artist, or genre, exaggerating it deliberately for comedy

A kind of poem, expressing emotion or praising something

Figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’

Device in which the repetition of the same or similar sounds occurs in two or more words

A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect

Fictional story that personifies animals/plant/objects to identify moral lesson at the end

Opposing force that brings conflict and is instrumental in the development of the protagonist

One who tells a story. In a work of fiction they determine the story's point of view.

Pause in a line of poetry that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech.

Refers to the literal, dictionary definition of a word

Form of language in which something that is not human is given human characteristics

Figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis

Any commonly known public belief about a certain social group or a type of individual

Any struggle between opposing forces

Person who is understood to be speaking (or thinking or writing) a particular work

This is the voice behind the poem—the person we imagine to be saying the thing out loud

The practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea

Brief/indirect reference to a person/place/thing of historical/literary/political significance

Image/sound/action/other figure that has symbolic significance/ contributes toward development

Typical character/action/situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature

A universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature.

A difference between what might be expected to happen and what actually occurs

Structure of words to convey how something sounds; common sound of object it is describing

abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and event

Where main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence

Having two successive rhyming lines in verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought