Literary Terms

struggle between two or more opposing forces

extreme exaggeration to add meaning

a reference to something well-known that exists outside the literary work

underlying main idea of a literary work

a group of lines forming a unit in a poem

direct speech between characters in a literary work

standardized, conventional ideas about characters, plots, and settings

phrase that consists of two words that are contradictory: "living dead" or "Biggie Smalls"

one thing (object, person, place) used to represent another

character that is the source of the conflict in a literary work

repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds: Anna's apples

repetition of similar or identical sounds

the manner in which an author develops characters and their personalities 

the author's attitude toward the subject of a work

turning point in a literary work

represents one thing in terms of something dissimilar, includes simile, metaphor, etc.

  the sequence of events in a literary work

perspective from which a literary work is told: 1st person, 3rd person

a difference between what is expected and what actually occurs

technique that keeps the reader guessing what will happen next

returning to an earlier point in time for the purpose of making the present clearer

a direct comparison of dissimilar objects using like or as

an implied comparison between dissimilar objects

hint of what is to come in a literary work

repetition of the initial consonant sounds of words: Peter Piper picked a peck...

figure of speech in which non-human things are given human characteristics

use of a word whose sound imitates its meaning

type or category to which a literary work belongs

the essential background information at the beginning of a literary work

the time and place of a literary work