Literary Elements
Alliteration – the repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words Ex: bats in the belfry
Cliché – an overused expression
Ex: Time is money.
Dialect – a version of a language spoken by people of a particular place, time or group
Flashback – a device used in literature to present action that occurred before the beginning of a story - Flashbacks are often introduced as the dreams or recollections of one or more characters.
Foreshadow – a device used in literature to create expectation or to set up an explanation of later developments
Hyperbole – an exaggeration or overstatement
Ex: I was so embarrassed I could have died.
Idiom – a phrase that sounds like one thing but means something else
Ex: It’s raining cats and dogs.
Imagery – a word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell; figurative language. The use of imagery serves to intensify the impact of the work.
Irony – the use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning; incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result.
Jargon – the technical or specialized language of a particular profession or group
Metaphor – a figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object - Metaphors suggest the essence of the first object by identifying it with certain qualities of the second object.
Ex: “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Here, Juliet, the first object, is identified with qualities of the second object, the sun.
Meter – the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Onomatopoeia – the use of words whose sounds express or suggest their meaning
In its simplest sense, onomatopoeia may be represented by words that mimic the sounds they denote such as “hiss” or “meow”.
Oxymoron – a word or phrase that contradicts itself, such as bittersweet, pretty ugly, or act natural
Personification – an object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form.
Ex: Flowers danced about the lawn.
Rhyme – identical or very similar recurring final sounds in words usually at the end of lines of a poem
Rhythm – the pattern of beats in a line of poetry or prose
Sarcasm – a cutting and often ironic remark
Simile - A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used.
Ex: She eats like a bird.
Slang – language used by a particular group
Symbolism – a device in literature where an object represents an idea
Literary Terms
Character – a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work
Protagonist – the central character in a story
Antagonist – the person or thing working against the protagonist
Setting – the time and place in which a story unfolds
Plot – the structure of a story or the sequence in which the author arranges events in a story
Inciting incident – the event that introduces the central conflict or struggle in a poem, story, or play
Rising action – the part of a story where the plot becomes increasingly complicated
Climax – the turning point in a narrative, the moment when the conflict is at its most intense
Falling action or denouement - the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together – This is NOT the resolution.
Resolution – the portion of the story following the climax, in which the conflict is resolved
Theme – a topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough t cover the entire scope of a literary work
Point of view – the way in which an author reveals characters, events, and ideas in telling a story; the vantage point from which the story is told
Flashback – a device used in literature to present action that occurred before the beginning of a story.
Flashbacks are often introduced as the dreams or recollections of one or more characters.
Foreshadowing - a device used in literature to create expectation or to set up an explanation of later developments
Conflict – a struggle or clash between two opposing characters, forces, or emotions
External conflict – a struggle that takes place between a character and some outside force such as another character
Internal conflict – a struggle that takes place within a character