LITERARY TERMS
Alliteration – the repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
Allusion – A reference in one work of literature to another work of literature or to a well-known event, person, or place.
Characterization – The methods used to present the personality of a character in a narrative. (direct or indirect)
Conflict – The struggle that takes place between two opposing forces. Conflicts may be external or internal.
Foreshadow – The use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come.
Flashback – interrupts sequence of events in a story to show something that happened before story’s beginning, going back in time
Hyperbole – A deliberate exaggeration of conditions for emphasis or effect.
Imagery – A description that appeals to any one or any combination of the five senses.
Inference – educated guess based on information given in the text, clues in the text, and pervious experiences and knowledge
Irony – A contrast between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen.
Metaphor – compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other. Unlike a simile or analogy, a metaphor asserts that one thing is another thing, not just that one is like another.
Mood – the general atmosphere or feeling in a work of literature. Mood is created largely through description of setting.
Motivation – The reason a character in a work of literature acts in a particular way.
Onomatopoeia- formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named
Personification – metaphorically represents an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes – attributes of form, character, feelings, behavior, and so on.
Plot – The sequence of events or happenings in a literary work.
Point of View – The vantage point from which a literary work is told.
Setting – The time and place of action.
Simile – A comparison between two unlike things, using like, as, and similar words of comparison.
Symbolism –something that stands for or represents something else
Theme – The main idea of a literary work.
Tone – The attitude a writer takes towards a subject or character: serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, satirical, tongue-in-cheek, solemn, objective, etc.