Literary Terms

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

repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds: “Anna’s apples,” “the pond is long gone”

direct speech between characters in a literary work

word choice to create a specific effect

language that represents one thing in terms of something dissimilar (non-literal language). Includes simile, metaphor, personification, hyp

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

hint of what is to come in a literary work

type or category to which a literary work belongs

extreme exaggeration to add meaning

language that appeals to the five senses

an implied comparison between dissimilar objects: “Her talents blossomed”

a recurring feature of a literary work that is related to the theme

use of a word whose sound imitates its meaning: “hiss”

phrase that consists of two words that are contradictory: “living dead” or “Microsoft works”

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

the vantage point or perspective from which a literary work is told

the narrator is a character in the story (use of ‘I’)

the narrator is outside of the story (use of ‘he’ ‘she’ ‘they’)

The time and place of a literary work

a direct comparison of dissimilar objects, usually using like or as: “I wandered lonely as a cloud”

standardized, conventional ideas about characters, plots and settings