Literary Vocabulary

Protagonist

A protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes called a "hero" by the audience or readers. Ex: Hamlet is the protagonist in Hamlet by Shakespeare

Stereotype

Stereotype: a character who possesses one or two easily recognized and identified traits which enable the observer to accurately predict behavior and personality. It is any commonly known public belief about a certain social group or a type of individual. Ex: the dumb blonde, the town drunk: a figure differentiated by role rather than by psychology.

Tragedy

Tragedy is kind of drama that presents a serious subject matter about human suffering and corresponding terrible events in a dignified manner. Ex: William Shakespeare: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. Example: William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this Hour: England has need of thee."

Canon

A general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which something is judged. Ex: thirty-seven plays by Shakespeare are generally considered to be part of the canon.

Genre

A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, often with subgroups. Ex: fantasy fiction or science fiction may play a part, as is the case for instance with the novel George Washington's Socks, which includes time travel elements.

Ballad

It is a type of poetry or verse Example: 'O I forbid you, maiden all, That wears gold in your hair, To come or go by Carterhaugh For young Tam Lin is there. "Tam Lin"

Theme

It is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly. Ex: Love: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Romeo and Juliet Revenge: Hamlet

Rhythm

Rhythm means "measured motion". Rhythm is a literary device which demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables particularly in verse form. Ex: "And Life-blood streaming fresh; wide was the wound." (Paradise Lost by Milton)

Rising action

Rising action in a plot is a series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a narrative. In literary works, a rising action includes all decisions, characters' flaws and background circumstances that together create turns and twists leading to a climax. Ex: The conflict begins in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, The Hobbit, as Gandalf meets Bilbo and asks him to play the role of a burglar of dwarves' expedition to recover treasure of Thorin from Smaug. Rising action occurs as he agrees to live up and act as a burglar during this adventure. His heroism begins merely by shouting to wake up Gandalf, who rescues company from goblin, and then action slowly intensifies when he finds out the magic ring. Gradually, he overcomes difficulties by killing a big spider, and establishes his potentials as a hero and leader.

Syllogism

Syllogism is a rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific. Ex: poet John Donne's poem " Elegy 2 The Anagram": "All love is wonder; if we justly do Account her wonderful, why not lovely too?"

Synecdoche

Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the name of the material it is made of or it may refer to a thing in a container or packing by the name of that container or packing. Ex: The word "suits" refers to businessmen. The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton: "His eye met hers as she sat there paler and whiter than anyone in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her." "Faces" refers to people (not just their faces).

Pastoral

The pastoral mode is all about glorifying the simple life, the rural life, the country life. A work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life. It is poetry that has to do with pastures! And in some pastures, there are sheep tended by shepherds. The pastoral poem elevates the life of the shepherd or shepherdess, versus the evils of the city. Ex: One famous example of pastoral poetry is Christopher Marlowe's poem, 'The Passionate Shepherd to His Love.'

Anachronism

a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned. an act of attributing a custom, event, or object to a period to which it does not belong. "against time" an error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece. In other words, anything that is out of time and out of place is an anachronism. Example: Act 2 Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar": "Brutus: Peace! Count the clock. Cassius: The clock has stricken three."

Anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. Example: "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, when Parris talks about seeing the girls in the woods.

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. involves characters, and events that stand for an abstract idea or an event. Example: "Animal Farm", written by George Orwell, is an allegory that uses animals on a farm to describe the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW II.

Falling action

the part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax or turning point has been reached and the conflict has been resolved. it has the action or dialogue needed to bring the story to an end. Ex: The return home after the battle; re-uniting the rescued person with their loved ones; the trial of the villain; the clearing up after the storm.

Ambiguity

uncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language. word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.Ambiguous words or statements lead to vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for instances of unintentional humor. Example: "I saw a dead cow walking."

Fable

The word fable is derived from a Latin word "fibula" which means a story that is a derivative of a word "fari" which means to speak. Fable is a literary device which can be defined as a concise and brief story intended to provide a moral lesson at the end. Ex: "Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies... and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end.... No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery...." (Animal Farm by George Orwell)

Colloquial

(of language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary. In literature, colloquialism is the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing. Example: Mark Twain in "Adventure of Huckleberry Fin" used Black American Vernacular to realistically show how the "negroes" [Black Americans] talked:

Blank verse

A blank verse is a poem with no rhyme but does have iambic pentameter. This means it consists of lines of five feet, each foot being iambic, meaning two syllables long, one unstressed followed by a stressed syllable. Example:But, woe is me, you are so sick of late, So far from cheer and from your former state, That I distrust you. Yet, though I distrust, Discomfort you, my lord, it nothing must..... (Hamlet)

Caesura

A caesura is a pause in a line of poetry that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech rather than by metrics. A caesura will usually occur near the middle of a poetic line but can also occur at the beginning or the end of a line. In poetry, there are two types of caesural breaks: feminine and masculine. Example: Mozart- oh how your music makes me soar!

Couplet

A couplet is a literary device which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought. It is marked by a usual rhythm, rhyme scheme and incorporation of specific utterances. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there is a grammatical pause at the end of a line of verse. Ex:"The time is out of joint, O cursed spite That ever I was born to set it right!" Hamlet

Farce

A farce is a literary genre and the type of a comedy that makes the use of highly exaggerated and funny situations aimed at entertaining the audience. Farce is also a subcategory of dramatic comedy that is different from other forms of comedy, as it only aims at making the audience laugh. It uses elements like physical humor, deliberate absurdity, bawdy jokes and drunkenness just to make people laugh and we often see one-dimensional characters in ludicrous situations in farces. Ex: In Shakespeare's play, The Taming of the Shrew, the farcical elements are manifested in terms of characters, plot and particularly writing style.

Omniscient point of view

A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient. in third person in which a narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story. Through omniscient narrative, an author brings an entire world of his characters to life and moves from characters to characters, allowing different voices to interpret the events, and maintaining omniscient form — that is keeping a distance. Ex: The narrator in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter

Quatrain

A quatrain is a verse with four lines, or even a full poem containing four lines, having an independent and separate theme. Often one line consists of alternating rhyme. It exists in a variety of forms. Ex: He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there's some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. (Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost)

Rhetorical question

A rhetorical question is asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real answer is expected. A rhetorical question may have an obvious answer but the questioner asks rhetorical questions to lay emphasis to the point. Ex: The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth is enhanced with the use of a rhetorical question. "Will no one tell me what she sings?"

Rhyme

A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs. A rhyme is a tool utilizing repeating patterns that brings rhythm or musicality in poems which differentiate them from prose which is plain. A rhyme is employed for the specific purpose of rendering a pleasing effect to a poem which makes its recital an enjoyable experience. Ex: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses, And all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty together again!

Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as". Therefore, it is a direct comparison. Ex: aken from a short story Lolita written by Vladimir Nabokov, "Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed toward me like towers of Pisa." Taken from the poem the Daffodils: "I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills."

Terza rima

A terza rima consists of stanzas of three lines (or tercets) usually in iambic pentameter. It follows an interlocking rhyming scheme, or chain rhyme. This is where the middle of each stanza rhymes with the first and last line of the following stanza. There is no set length to this form, as long as it follows the pattern as follows: ABA BCB CDC DED Spring (A) New life begins to spring to life in spring (B) Green shoots appear in the April showers (A) Birds migrate back home and rest tired wings (B) Summer brings green fields full of bright flowers (C) Paddling pools and ice creams all around (B) The sun shines fiercely with all its powers (C) Autumn sends leaves tumbling to the ground (D) The sun sinks lower leaving longer nights (C) Conkers and acorns waiting to be found (D) Winter is a time for Halloween frights (E) Snow on the ground and Jack Frost's ache (D) Celebrations filled with festive delights (E) As winter ends the new year starts to make (E) New life begins to spring to life and awake.

Voice

A voice in literature is the form or a format through which narrators tell their stories. It is prominent when a writer places himself / herself into words and provides a sense the character is real person conveying a specific message the writer intends to convey. In simple words, it is an author's individual writing style or point of view. When a writer engages personally with a topic, in fact, he imparts his personality to that piece of literature. Ex: To Kill A Mockingbird is a very good example of a character's voice, in which a character, Scout narrates the whole story. Though she is an adult, she tells her story from her childhood's point of view. When she grows older, her language becomes more sophisticated. Scout uses first person narrative to create a realistic sense, as audience notices the child grows up. Her dialogue allows readers to hear the language of younger Scout. Also, it enables the readers to feel the voice of an adult in her actions as well thinking.

Ode

An ode is a form of poetry such as sonnet or elegy, etc. Ode is a literary technique that is lyrical in nature, but not very lengthy. You have often read odes in which poets praise people, natural scenes, and abstract ideas. Ode is derived from a Greek word aeidein, which means to chant or sing. It is highly solemn and serious in its tone and subject matter, and usually is used with elaborate patterns of stanzas. However, the tone is often formal. Ex: Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood by William Wordsworth

Aphorism

Aphorism is a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles. Example: "Having nothing, nothing can he lose."(Henry VI) Shakespeare

Bathos

Bathos is when a writer or a poet falls into inconsequential and absurd metaphors, descriptions or ideas in an effort to be increasingly emotional or passionate. (depth) may be used to create humorous effects. Example: Jane Austen used Bathos and it helped her give a sense of merriness to her novel Northanger Abbey.

Personification

It is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. Ex: "The sky weeps" we are giving the sky the ability to cry The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.

Caricature

Caricature is a device used in descriptive writing and visual arts where particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated to create a silly or comic effect. In other words, it can be defined as a plastic illustration, derisive drawing or a portrayal based on exaggeration of the natural features, which gives a humorous touch to the subject. Example: "Mr. Chadband is a large yellow man, with a fat smile, and a general appearance of having a good deal of train oil in his system. Mrs. Chadband is a stern, severe-looking, silent woman. Mr. Chadband moves softly and cumbrously, not unlike a bear who has been taught to walk upright. He is very much embarrassed about the arms, as if they were inconvenient to him." (Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Modern Rhetoric, 3rd ed. Harcourt, 1972)

Conceit

Conceit is a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors. Conceit develops a comparison which is exceedingly unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually imaginative. A comparison turns into a conceit when the writer tries to make us admit a similarity between two things of whose unlikeness we are strongly conscious and for this reason, conceits are often surprising. Examples: From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet-Juliet's father compares his crying daughter to a piece of bark tossed about on a sea (and her eyes to the sea and her sighs to the wind)

Connotation

Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to their literal meanings or denotations. Ex: Metaphors are words that connote meanings that go beyond their literal meanings. Shakespeare in his Sonnet 18 says:"Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day"

Consonance

Consonance refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession such as in pitter, patter. Ex:The ship has sailed to the far off shores.

Persona

Derived from a Latin word "persona" that means the mask of an actor. It is also known as a theatrical mask. It can be defined in a literary work as a voice or an assumed role of a character that represents the thoughts of a writer or a specific person the writer wants to present as his mouthpiece. Ex: "The Old Man and Sea" "He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky....... The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat....."

Diction

Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. Ex: Keats in his "Ode to the Grecian Urn" uses formal diction to achieve a certain effect. He goes: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on"

Elegy

Elegy is a form of literature which can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of someone deceased. It typically laments or mourns the death of the individual. Ex: "Here Captain! dear father!/This arm beneath your head;/It is some dream that on deck,/You've fallen cold and dead."-"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

Ellipsis

Ellipsis is a literary device that is used in narratives to omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out. It is usually written between the sentences as "...". Ex: Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. Plato

Enjambment

Enjambment, derived from a French word enjambment, means to step over or put legs across. In poetry it means moving over from one line to another without a terminating punctuation mark. Ex: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and asleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing." (Endymion by John Keats) Endymion is a famous example of enjambment. The first and last lines in the given poem of John Keats have ends, while the middle lines are enjambed. There is a flow of thought from one line to the next.

Abstract

Existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence. consider (something) theoretically or separately from something else. ideas/concepts Example: Examples of abstract terms include love, success, freedom, good, moral, democracy, and any -ism (chauvinism, Communism, feminism, racism, sexism). These terms are fairly common and familiar, and because we recognize them we may imagine that we understand them—but we really can't, because the meanings won't stay still.

Exposition

Exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers. Ex: In music, the exposition is the first part in the sonata form which introduces the themes used in the composition or the opening section of a fugue. In a play, film or television show, exposition would be used anywhere in the work to give background information on characters and other parts of the work.

First-person narrative

First-person narrators make frequent use of the pronoun "I," because, they're talking about themselves, or at the very least what's going on around them. This style of narration gives us insight into a character's thoughts and feelings. Ex: Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird

Flashback

Flashbacks are interruptions that writers do to insert past events in order to provide background or context to the current events of a narrative. By using flashbacks, writers allow their readers to gain insight into a character's motivation and provide a background to a current conflict. Ex: The Bible is a good source of flashback examples. In the Book of Matthew, we see a flashback has been used when Joseph, governor of Egypt, sees his brothers after several years, Joseph "remembered his dreams" about his brothers and how they sold him into slavery in the past.

Metonymy

It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. he word we use to describe another thing is closely linked to that particular thing, but is not a part of it. For example, "Crown" which means power or authority is a metonymy. Ex: Shakespeare's "Julies Caesar" Act I. "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears."

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story or a chapter and helps the reader develop expectations about the coming events in a story. Ex: "Life were better ended by their hate, Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love" Romeo and Juliet

Free verse

Free verse is a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such poems are without rhythms and rhyme schemes; do not follow regular rhyme scheme rules and still provide artistic expression. In this way, the poet can give his own shape to a poem how he/she desires. Ex: Come slowly, Eden Lips unused to thee. Bashful, sip thy jasmines, As the fainting bee, Reaching late his flower, Round her chamber hums, Counts his nectars—alights, And is lost in balms! (Come Slowly, Eden by Emily Dickinson)

Sarcasm

Generally, the literal meaning is different than what the speaker intends to say through sarcasm. Sarcasm is a literary and rhetorical device that is meant to mock with often satirical or ironic remarks with a purpose to amuse and hurt someone or some section of society simultaneously. Ex: "Good fences make good neighbors." (Mending walls by Robert Frost)

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is simply the use of over-exaggeration for the purpose of creating emphasis or being humorous, but it is not intended to be taken literally. Ex: This book weighs a ton "I've told you a million times"

Narrator

If the narrator is a full participant in the story's action, the narrative is said to be in the first person. A story told by a narrator who is not a character in the story is a third-person narrative. Ex: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven."

Imagery

Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.Usually it is thought that imagery makes use of particular words that create visual representation of ideas in our minds. The word imagery is associated with mental pictures. However, this idea is but partially correct. Imagery, to be realistic, turns out to be more complex than just a picture. Ex: Imagery of light and darkness is repeated many times in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Consider an example from Act I, Scene V: "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;"

Soliloquy

In a soliloquy, the character or speaker speaks to himself. By doing so, the character keeps these thoughts secret from the other characters of the play. Often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character. It is a great technique used to convey the progress of action of the play by means of expressing a character's thoughts about a certain character or past, present or upcoming event while talking to himself without acknowledging the presence of any other person. Ex: "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet." (Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)

Foil

In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character. In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot. In literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other character. The term foil, though generally being applied for a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things. Ex: Paradise Lost, Wuthering Heights, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are books that are often used for examples of foil.

Archetype

In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. An archetype, also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting. Example: A hero such as Hercules, a villain, mother figure, mentor

Mood

In literature, mood is a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions. Usually, mood is referred to as the atmosphere of a literary piece, as it creates an emotional situation that surrounds the readers. Mood is developed in a literary piece through various methods. It can be developed through setting, theme, tone and diction. Ex: Charles Dickens creates a calm and peaceful mood in his novel "Pickwick Papers": "The river, reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on."

Setting

In literature, the word 'setting' is used to identify and establish the time, place and mood of the events of the story. It basically helps in establishing where and when and under what circumstances the story is taking place. Ex: In the first installment of the Harry Potter series, a large part of the book takes place at the protagonist, Harry's, aunt's and uncle's place, living in the "muggle" (non-magical) world with the "muggle" folks, and Harry is unaware of his magical capabilities and blood. This setting establishes the background that Harry has a non-magical childhood with other "muggle" people and has no clue about his special powers or his parents and is raised much like, actually worse than, regular people, till his 11th birthday.

Stanza

In poetry, a stanza is a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter or rhyming scheme. The pattern of a stanza is determined by the number of feet in each line and by its metrical or rhyming scheme. Ex: the rhyming couplet at the end of Sonnet II by Edna St. Vincent Millay: "Whether or not we find what we are seeking is idle, biologically speaking."

Climax

It is that particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point. Climax is a structural part of a plot and is at times referred to as a crisis. It is a decisive moment or a turning point in a storyline at which the rising action turns around into a falling action. Thus, a climax is the point at which a conflict or crisis reaches its peak that calls for a resolution or denouement (conclusion). Example: The deaths of Romeo (who kills himself because he thinks Juliet is dead) and Juliet (who kills herself when she awakes and sees Romeo dead). Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

Symbolism

It is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant Ex: William Blake uses symbolism in his poem Ah Sunflower. "Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveler's journey is done;" Blake uses a sunflower as a symbol for human beings and "the sun" symbolizes life. Therefore, these lines symbolically refer to their life cycle and their yearning for a never-ending life.

Paradox

It means contrary to expectations, existing belief or perceived opinion. It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. A paradox is often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative way. Ex:I am nobody. In George Orwell's Animal Farm, one part of the cardinal rule is the statement, "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others".

Juxtapose

Juxtaposition is a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts. In literature, juxtaposition is a useful device for writers to portray their characters in great detail to create suspense and achieve a rhetorical effect. It is a human quality to comprehend one thing easily by comparing it to another. Ex: " The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/Petals on a wet, black bough."

Litotes

Litotes, derived from a Greek word meaning "simple", is a figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions.For example, using the expression "not too bad" for "very good" is an understatement as well as a double negative statement that confirms a positive idea by negating the opposite. Ex: She is not unlike her mother. You are not doing badly at all.

Lyric

Lyrics can be the words to a song, sure, but the word lyric can also refer to a kind of poetry. Lyric poetry is all about giving us a glimpse inside the speaker's head. That means lyric poetry is usually written from the first-person point of view (using the pronoun "I") in order to directly convey the speaker's thoughts and emotions. Ex: Sonnet number 18 by Shakespeare

Meter

Meter is a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem. Stressed syllables tend to be longer and unstressed shorter. In simple language, meter is a poetic device that serves as a linguistic sound pattern for the verses, as it gives poetry a rhythmical and melodious sound. it produces regular sound patterns, then this poem would be a metered or measured poem. Ex: (Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare)

Motif

Motif is an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work. n a literary piece, a motif is a recurrent image, idea or a symbol that develops or explains a theme while a theme is a central idea or message. Ex: Hamlet expresses his disgust for women in Scene 2 of Act I: "Frailty, thy name is woman"

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is defined as a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting. Ex: "I'm getting married in the morning! Ding dong! the bells are gonna chime." ("Get Me to the Church on Time," by Lerner and Loewe)

Oxymoron

Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. The common oxymoron phrase is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with contrasting meanings e.g. "cruel kindness" or "living death". However, the contrasting words/phrases are not always glued together. The contrasting ideas may be spaced out in a sentence e.g. "In order to lead, you must walk behind." Ex: Original copies Liquid gas

Parable

Parable is a figure of speech, which presents a short story typically with a moral lesson at the end. Ex: the boy who cried wolf

Parody

Parody is an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect. The humorous effect in parody is achieved by imitating and overstressing noticeable features of a famous piece of literature, as in caricatures, where certain peculiarities of a person are highlighted to achieve a humorous effect. Ex: Shakespeare wrote "Sonnet 13" in parody of traditional love poems common in his day.

Pathos

Pathos is a quality of an experience in life or a work of art that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy and sorrow. Pathos can be expressed through words, pictures or even with gestures of the body. Pathos is a method of convincing people with an argument drawn out through an emotional response. Ex: chapter 8 of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer. "He had meant the best in the world, and been treated like a dog—like a very dog. She would be sorry someday—maybe when it was too late. Ah, if he could only die TEMPORARILY!"

Plot

Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story. Plot is known as the foundation of a novel or story which the characters and settings are built around. It is meant to organize information and events in a logical manner. Ex: Romantic fiction plot examples in the 1800 include the book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The plot of the story begins when Lizzie's sister, Jane, falls in love with Darcy's friend named Mr. Bingley. Lizzie develops and interest in for Mr. Wickham, who accuses Darcy of destroying him financially. When Lizzie goes to meet her friend, she runs into Mr. Darcy, who proposes and Lizzie rejects. She then writes him a letter telling him why she dislikes him. He writes back, clearing up all misunderstandings and accusations. Jane runs away with Mr. Wickham and Lizzie realizes that Mr. Darcy is not as bad a man as she thought him to be.

Realism

Realism is any effort to portray life as it truly is. Ex: Charles Dickens and Mark Twain are Realism authors

Refrain

Refrain is a verse, a line, a set, or a group of some lines that appears at the end of stanza, or appears where a poem divides into different sections. Ex: The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. (Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost)

Satire

Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption.A writer may point a satire toward a person, a country or even the entire world. Usually, a satire is a comical piece of writing which makes fun of an individual or a society to expose its stupidity and shortcomings. In addition, he hopes that those he criticizes will improve their characters by overcoming their weaknesses. Ex: "What's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and isn't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (Chap 16) Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

Structure

Structure (fiction) - The way that the writer arranges the plot of a story. Look for: Repeated elements in action, gesture, dialogue, description, as well as shifts in direction, focus, time, place, etc. Structure (poetry) - The pattern of organization of a poem. Ex: For example, a Shakespearean sonnet is a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter. Because the sonnet is strictly constrained, it is considered a closed or fixed form. An open or free form poem has looser form, or perhaps one of the author's invention, but it is important to remember that these poems are not necessarily formless.

Syntax

Syntax is a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought. Syntax determines how the chosen words are used to form a sentence. Ex: Shakespeare habitually reversed the general order of English sentences by placing verbs at the end of the sentences. In Romeo and Juliet, he writes, "What light from yonder window breaks?" instead of using a common expression "What light breaks from yonder window?"

Epic

The definition of a literary epic is a long narrative poem, often written about a hero or heroines. Ex: Beowulf

Epigram

The epigram is a brief couplet or quatrain. Epigrams are usually satirical, aphoristic and witty and often express a comic turn of thought. Ex: The last four lines of Sonnet 76, a part of the Fair Youth sequence, has quite a number of epigrams for such few lines. So all my best is dressing old words new, Spending again what is already spent: For as the sun is daily new and old, So is my love still telling what is told.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words Example: "Try to light the fire" "I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless." - "With Love" by Thin Lizzy

Shakespearean sonnet

The sonnet form used by Shakespeare, composed of three quatrains and a terminal couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg. Also called Elizabethan sonnet, English sonnet. 10 syllables in each line. Ex: From fairest creatures we desire increase, That thereby beauty's rose might never die. But as the riper should by time decease, His tender heir might bear his memory: But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes, Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel, Making a famine where abundance lies, Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel. Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament And only herald to the gaudy spring, Within thine own bud buriest thy content And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding. Pity the world, or else this glutton be, To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee

Style

The style in writing can be defined as the way a writer writes and it is the technique which an individual author uses in his writing. It varies from author to author and depends upon one's syntax, word choice, and tone. It can also be described as a voice that readers listen to when they read the work of a writer. Ex: An excerpt from Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde "The studio was filled with the rich odor of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden... The sullen murmur of the bees shouldering their way through... or circling with monotonous insistence..."

Deus ex machina

The term deus ex machina refers to the circumstance where an implausible concept or a divine character is introduced into a storyline for the purpose of resolving its conflict and procuring an interesting outcome. Ex: Lord of the Flies by William Golding The conclusion or end of this classic novel is a good demonstration of the use of a deus ex machina. Stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash, a group of children have gone savage and are burning down the island. There seems no chance of rescue. However, a naval officer suddenly appears from out of nowhere and saves them. The author used this technique to convey his message that the appearance of the officer is necessary to save the children from the impending disaster that they have created.

Euphemism

The term euphemism refers to polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant. Euphemism is an idiomatic expression which loses its literal meanings and refers to something else in order to hide its unpleasantness. Ex: William Shakespeare's "Othello" and "Antony and Cleopatra". In "Othello", Act 1 Scene 1, Iago tells Brabantio: "I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs."

Tone

Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. Every written piece comprises a central theme or subject matter. The manner in which a writer approaches this theme and subject is the tone. The tone can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, and cheerful or it may be any other existing attitudes. Ex: Robert Frost In the last stanza of his poem The Roads Not taken gives us an insight into the effect of tone: "I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

Analogy

a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification. Example: Life is like a race. The one who keeps running wins the race and the one who stops to catch a breath loses. Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene II "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,"

Antithesis

a figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other, Example: "hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins" "We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools" - Martin Luther King Jr.

Antagonist

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary. It is common to refer to an antagonist as a villain against whom a hero fights in order to relieve himself or others Example: Bob Ewell in To kill a Mockingbird

Adage

a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth. A saying, a motto, Example: "Slow and steady wins the race." - Aesop's Fables: The Hare and the Tortoise

Allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference. An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that happened. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including paintings, opera, folk lore, mythical figures, or religious manuscripts. Example: "He was a real Romeo with the ladies." Romeo was a character in Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, and was very romantic in expressing his love for Juliet.

In medias res

in medias res refers to a literary technique in which a story begins after the action has already begun and the explanation of plot, character roles, the importance of setting, and so on are left to be revealed via flashback, a character's thoughts or dialogue, or a "reverse chronology" in which the story is told backwards. Ex: Homer's Odyssey begins in medias res as Odysseus heads home after his adventures. The

Irony

is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality. Ex: "Romeo and Juliet", Act I, Scene V. "Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed."

Metaphor

is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between them. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics. In simple English, when you portray a person, place, thing, or an action as being something else, even though it is not actually that "something else," you are speaking metaphorically. Ex: The assignment was a breeze. "Shall I Compare Thee to a summer's Day", William Shakespeare

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Example: Alice's aunt ate apples and acorns around August.