ad homonymLatin for “against the man.” When a writer personally attacks his or her opponents something is assumed to make it true.

ad populumLatin for “to the crowd.” A fallacy of logic in which the widespread occurrence of something is assumed to make it true.

AllegoryA narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfiction, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth. These characters, etc. may be symbolic of the ideas referred to.

AlliterationThe repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Or, word sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat. I.e. Peter Piper the Pickled Pepper Picker picked a peck of pickled peppers.

AllusionAn indirect reference to something (usually a literary text) with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, Biblical, or mythological.

AmbiguityAn event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way. Also, the manner of expression of such an event or situation may be ambiguous. Artful language may be ambiguous. Unintentional language is usually vagueness.

AnachronismAssignment of something to a time when it was not in existence, e.g.. The watch Merlyn wore in The Once and Future King.

AnalogyA comparison to a directly parallel case; when a writer uses an analogy, he or she argues that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case.

AnaphoraRepetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This device is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent.

AnecdoteA brief recounting of a relevant episode. Anecdotes are often inserted into fictional or nonfiction texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

AnnotationExplanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographic data (by author or student).

AntithesisA balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses.

AphorismA concise and often witty statement of wisdom or opinion, i.e. “Children should be seen and not heard.” or “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

ApostropheAn address to the dead as if living; to the inanimate as if animate; to the absent as if to present; to the unborn as if alive. “O Julius Caesar thou art mighty yet; thy spirit walks abroad,” or “Roll on, though deep and dark blue ocean, roll.”

ArchetypeImages of character, plot pattern, symbols that recur in literature and evoke profound emotional responses in the reader because they resonate with an image already existing in our unconscious mind, eg death, rebirth.

AsideA dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the audience but it is not supposed to be heard by the other actors onstage.

AssonanceRepetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity. “Fake” and “lake” denote rhyme; “lake” and “fate” demonstrate assonance.

Asyndeton[uh-sin-di-ton]A series of words separated by commas (with no conjunction), eg “I came, I saw, I conquered.” The parts of the sentence are emphasized equally, in addition, the use of commas with intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence.

BalladA simple narrative song, or a narrative poem suitable for singing; usually has a short stanza.i.e. There are twelve months in all the year,As I hear many men sayBut the merriest month in all the yearIs the merry month of May.

Blank VerseVerse written in Iambic Pentameter, a Rhyme. Many of the speeches in the plays of William Shakespeare are written in blank verse.

CatharsisThe process by which an unhealthy emotional state is produced by an imbalance of feelings is corrected and emotional health is restored.

CharacterizationThe method an author uses to develop characters in a work. In direct characterization, the author straightforwardly states the characters’ traits. With indirect characterization, those traits are implied through what the character says, does, how the character dresses, interacts with others, etc.

ClassicismAn approach to aesthetics that favors restraint, rationality, and the use of strict forms in literature, painting, architecture, and other arts. Classicism is sometimes considered the opposite or romanticism.

ClichéAn overused expression that has lost its freshness and descriptive power. i.e. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

ConceitUnusual or surprising comparison between two very different things (a special kind of metaphor or complicated analogy).

Concrete LanguageLanguage that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.

ConnotationThe meaning that a word suggests or implies. A connotation includes the emotions or association that surround a word. i.e. The word modern means “belonging to the times,” but the word’s connotations can include such notions as “new, up to date, experimental.”

ConsonanceRepetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.

CoupletA pair of lines of verse that rhyme. i.e. “The which of you with patient ears attend,What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”

DenotationThe basic dictionary meaning of a word, without its connotations.

DénouementThe solution or outcome of the plot of a play or novel: “In the dénouement of many tragedies, the main character dies.”

DictionWord choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types and arrangements of worlds have significant effects on meaning.

Double-entendre[duhb-uhl ahn-tahn-druh]A word or expression that has two different meanings, one of which is either bawdy or indelicate.

dramatis personaeA Latin expression for “cast of characters.” It means literally “the persons of the drama” and

elegyA formal sustained poem lamenting the death of a particular person.

ellipsisA punctuation mark (. . .) used most often within quotations to indicate that something has been left out.i.e. “A punctuation mark (. . .) used most often . . . To indicate. . . .”

epigramAny witty saying or short poem.

epigraphA quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of a theme. One found at the beginning of John Kennedy of Toole’s Confederacy of Dunces: “When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign; that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.” – Jonathan Swift.

epiphanyA major character’s moment of realization or awareness.

eulogyWords or praise, often for a dead person, but also a staple in introducing speakers, such as nominating candidates, and on such occasions.

euphemismAn agreeable word or expression substituted for one that is potentially offensive

ExplicationThe act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.

ExpositionBackground information provided by a writer to enhance a reader’s understanding of the context of a fictional or nonfictional story.

ExuentA stage direction indicating the two or more actors leave the stage.

fallacyA false or mistaken idea based on faulty knowledge or reasoning. Ex. King Henry VIII divorced his wives for failing to produce male heirs, which holds a fallacy that a mother determines the sex of a child, when actually the father does.

FictionA product of a writer’s imagination, usually made up of characters, plot, setting, point of view, and theme.

Figurative LanguageA word or words that are inaccurate literally, nut describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes. Figurative language may be in the form of metaphors or similes, both non-literal comparison. Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage” is an example of non-literal figurative language (metaphor specifically).

Flat CharacterA character constructed around a single idea or quality; a flat character is immediately recognizable.

FoilA character whose traits are the opposite of another and who thus points up up the strengths and weaknesses of the other character.

Free verseVerse without regular meter or rhyme. i.e. Leaves of Grass.

GenreThe kind or type of work of art, from the French, meaning “kind” or “genus”. i.e. Novel, sonnet, etc. are literary genres.

Hubris (or hybris)Overwhelming pride or insolence that results in the misfortune of the protagonist of the protagonist of a tragedy. It is the particular form of tragic flaw that results from excessive pride, ambition, or overconfidence. The excessive pride of Macbeth is a standard example of hubris in English drama.

HyperboleAn exaggerated, extravagant expression. i.e. “I’d give my whole fortune for a bowl of bean soup.”

Iambic pentameterThe most common meter in English verse consisting of a line ten syllables long that is accented on every second beat.

IdiomA traditional way of saying something. Often an idiom, such as “under the weather”, does not seem to makes sense if taken literally.

ImageA word or group of words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the senses. An image is always a concrete representation.

ImageryThe mental pictures created by a piece of writing.

IronyThe use of words to mean something very different from what they appear on the surface to mean.

JargonA special language belonging exclusively to a group, often a profession. Engineers, lawyers, doctors, etc. use jargon to exchange complex info efficiently.

LimerickA form of humorous five-line verse, i.e.There once was a young man from KewWho found a dead mouse in his stew.Said the waiter, “Don’t shoutOr wave it about,Or the rest will be wanting one too!”

MalapropismA humorous confusion of works that sound vaguely similar, as in “We have just ended our physical year” instead of “We have just ended our fiscal year.”

MetaphorA comparison of two things, often unrelated. A figurative verbal equation results where both “parts” illuminate one another.

MeterThe highly organized rhythm characteristic of verse; the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.

MetonymyDesignation of one thing with something closely associated with it. E.g. calling the head of a committee a CHAIR, the king the CROWN, a newspaper the PRESS, or old people GRAY HAIRS.

MoodAn atmosphere created by a writer’s choice or words (diction) and the details selected. Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.

MotifIn literature, art, or music, a recurring set of words, shapes, colors, or notes. i.e. “nevermore” in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” or the first four notes of Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” reoccur in throughout the work.

NovelAn extended pieces of prose fiction.

OdeA kind of poem devoted to the praise of a person, animal, or thing. An ode is usually written in an elevated style and often expresses deep feeling. i.e “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats

OxymoronA rhetorical device in which two seemingly contradictory words are used together for effect. i.e. “She is just a poor little rich girl.”

ParadoxA statement that seems contradictory or absurd but is actually valid or true. i.e. “We must be cruel in order to be kind.”

ParodyIn art, music, or literature, a satire that mimics the style of its object.

PathosQualities of a fictional or nonfictional voice to tell a story. Persona or voice is usually determined by a combination of subject matter and audience.

PersonificationFigurative language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form; e.g. “When Duty whispers…”

PlotSystem of actions represented in a dramatic or narrative work.

Point of ViewThe perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told. First-person, second-person, or third-person omniscient points of view are commonly used.

ProtagonistChief character in a dramatic or narrative work, usually trying to accomplish some objective or working toward some goal.

Purple ProseWriting full of ornate or flowery language. Ornate, flowery speech can also be referred to as purple prose.

RomanceIn traditional literary terms, a narration of the extraordinary exploits of heroes, often in exotic or mysterious settings, e.g. King Arthur.

RomanticismA movement that shaped all arts in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, which generally stressed the essential goodness of human beings, celebrated nature rather than civilization, and valued emotion and imagination over reason.

Round CharacterA character drawn with sufficient complexity to be able to surprise the reader without losing credibility.

SatireA work of literature that mocks social conventions, another work of art, or anything its author thinks is ridiculous, e.g. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift is a satire of 18th century British society.

SettingLocale and period in which the action takes place.

SimileA figurative comparison of two things, often dissimilar, using connecting words: “like,” “as,” or “than.” E.g. “More rapid than eagles his coursers they came.”

SonnetA lyric poem of fourteen lines, often about love, that follows one of several strict conventional patterns of rhyme.

SpoonerismA reversal of sounds in two words, with humorous effects, e.g. “May I sew you to your seat?” instead of “May I show you to your seats?”

Stock CharacterConventional character types that recur repeatedly in various literary genres. E.g. the wicked stepmother of Prince Charming or the rascal.

Stream of ConsciousnessA kind of writing that presents the thoughts of a person or character as they occur. Stream-of-consciousness writing uses devices such as characters speaking to themselves, free association, and list of words.

SymbolAn object or name that stands for something else, esp. a material thing that stands for something that is not material. i.e. the bald eagle as a symbol for America; the cross as a symbol for Christianity.

SynecdochePart of something is used to stand for a whole. E.g. “threads” for clothes, “wheels” for cars.

ThemeA central idea in a piece of writing or other work of art.

ThesisThe central idea in a piece of writing, sometimes contained in a topic sentence.

ToneA writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization of the sentence and global levels.