Glossary of Literary Terms

The purpose of this glossary is to aid in literary analysis by understanding the techniques and terms used in literature. When engaging in analysis, it is crucial to explore how the writer conveys their message and the reasoning behind their artistic choices.

Key Literary Terms

Allegory

• Definition: A narrative where characters, actions, and settings symbolize broader concepts, such as moral, political, or religious principles.
• Examples: Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," Dante's "Divine Comedy," Orwell's "Animal Farm."

Alliteration

• Definition: The repetition of the same consonant sounds, typically at the beginning of words.
• Uses: Adds musicality, memorability, and reflects the content of the verse.
• Example: Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Allusion

• Definition: Reference to a person, place, thing, or idea in history or literature, implying shared knowledge between writer and reader.
• Example: Martin Luther King Jr.'s reference to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Antithesis

• Definition: A figure of speech where opposing ideas are presented in a balanced manner.
• Examples: "To err is human, to forgive, divine" by Pope; Dickens' "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Apostrophe

• Definition: Addressing a specific group or person, or inanimate entities directly, often using "O".
• Example: Antony addressing the gods in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar."

Assonance

• Definition: Repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables.
• Example: Poe's "The Bells."

Ballad

• Definition: A narrative poem telling a story.
• Example: "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Blank Verse

• Definition: Unrhymed iambic pentameter, resembling natural speech rhythms.
• Example: Shakespeare's plays, Milton's "Paradise Lost."

Caesura

• Definition: A pause within a line of poetry, marked by punctuation.
• Example: "How do I love thee? || Let me count the ways."

Chiasmus

• Definition: Inversion of the second of two parallel phrases.
• Examples: "Do not live to eat but eat to live."

Cliché

• Definition: An overused expression that has lost its originality.
• Examples: "As easy as pie," "Turn over a new leaf."

Climax

• Definition: The peak of emotional tension or conflict in a narrative.
• Example: The destruction of the Death Star in "Star Wars: A New Hope."

Conceit

• Definition: An extended metaphor with elaborate parallel between two unlike things.
• Example: John Donne's "Valediction: Forbidding Mourning."

Conflict

• Definition: The tension or struggle between opposing forces in a plot.

Denouement

• Definition: The resolution or outcome of a plot.

Diction

• Definition: The choice of words and phrases in writing.

Drama

• Definition: A genre focusing on universal problems, typically resolved by the end.

Echo

• Definition: Repetition of words or sounds for effect.

Elegy

• Definition: A formal poem lamenting the dead.

End-stop

• Definition: A natural pause at the end of a line, indicated by punctuation.

Enjambment

• Definition: A sentence that continues beyond the line break.

Epic

• Definition: A long narrative about a hero's deeds.

Epigram

• Definition: A short poem with a sharp or witty remark.

Euphemism

• Definition: Mild words substituting harsher expressions.

Figurative Language

• Definition: Language describing something as something else.
• Examples: Metaphors, similes, personification.

Foot

• Definition: Basic unit of rhythm in poetry; types include Iamb, Trochee, Anapest, etc.

Free Verse

• Definition: Unrhymed, varying length lines with no fixed meter.

Genre

• Definition: A category of literature.

Heroic Couplet

• Definition: Two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter.

Hyperbole

• Definition: Exaggeration for emphasis.

Imagery

• Definition: Descriptive words creating sensory pictures.

Irony

• Definition: Contrast between intended and literal meaning.
• Types: Dramatic, Verbal.

Litotes

• Definition: Understatement with double negatives.

Melodrama

• Definition: Drama with clear good vs. evil characters.

Metaphor

• Definition: Implicit comparison without using "like" or "as."

Meter

• Definition: Patterns of syllables and stresses in poetry.

Metonymy

• Definition: Substitution of a closely related term.

Mood

• Definition: Synonymous with tone; the atmosphere conveyed.

Ode

• Definition: A passionate lyrical poem.

Onomatopoeia

• Definition: Words imitating sounds.

Oxymoron

• Definition: A combination of contradictory terms.

Paradox

• Definition: A self-contradictory statement revealing a truth.

Personification

• Definition: Giving human characteristics to non-human entities.

Prose

• Definition: Ordinary spoken or written language without metrical structure.

Realism

• Definition: Representation of life as it truly is.

Repetition

• Definition: Repeated use of elements to create emphasis.

Rhyme

• Definition: Repetition of similar sounds, with various types like end rhyme, internal rhyme, etc.

Sarcasm

• Definition: Heavy-handed form of verbal irony.

Satire

• Definition: Literary work that uses humor to criticize.

Simile

• Definition: Explicit comparison using "like" or "as."

Sonnet

• Definition: A 14-line poem.

Stanza

• Definition: A grouped set of lines in a poem, like a paragraph.

Symbolism

• Definition: Use of symbols to represent ideas.

Synecdoche

• Definition: A part representing the whole or vice versa.

Theme

• Definition: The central idea of a work.

Tone

• Definition: The attitude or mood expressed in writing.

Versification

• Definition: The structural form of a verse, measured in feet like Monometer, Dimeter, etc.

Note: For additional terms not covered here, consult the provided online resource.