Literary Terms

a word free from limitations or qualifications (best, all, unique, perfect)

a fimiliar proverb or wise saying

an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue

a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions

the repition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words

a refrence to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

the repition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences

a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event

the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced

a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often by ryhme or balance

a figure of speech in which one directly address an absent or imaginary person or abstraction

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unnconcious and to evoke a response

a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work

a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast

insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity

a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.)

an expresssion that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off

the point of highest interest in a literary work

infromal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

a sentence with one independent clause and one dependent clause

a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions

a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor

details the relate to or describe actual, specific things or events

the implied or associative meaning of a word

a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases

a sentence that makes a statement or declaration

reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therfore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)

the literal meaning of a word

a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammer or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region

conversation between two or more people

the word choices made by the writer

having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing

a situation that requires a person to decide bewteen two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives

harsh, inharmonius, or discordant sounds

a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme

the ommision of a word or phrase which is gramatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (Some people prefer cats; other, dogs.)

a long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents adventures of characters of high positions and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation

a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying

a saying or statement on the titie page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work

a moment of sudden revalation or insight

an inscription on a tombstone or a burial place

a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric ______ are often compund adjectives (swift-footed Achilles) that become an almost formulaic part of a name. ______ can be abusive or offensive nut are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of their given ______(The Rocket)

a formal sppech praising a person who has died

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated by an exclamation mark

an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity

a brief story that leads to a mroal, often using animals as characters

a story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters; a ____ may be merey whimsical, or it may present a serious point

language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc)

the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative

a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of history

the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work

a story within a story. An example is Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, in which the primary tales are told within the "frame story" of the pi;grimage to Canterbury

a major category or type of literature

a sermon, or a moralistic lecture

excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist os a tragedy

intentional exaggeration to create an effect