50 Common Literary Terms

American Literature50 Common Literary TermsFictionA work that is not based on realityDramaA playPoetryThe writings of a poet that are considered beautiful and graceful; usually written in a specific formatNon-fictionA story or writing that is based on truth and realityCharacterizationHow the character is described in terms of its personality, physical appearance and character.dialogueConversation between two or more charactersmonologueA speech, usually very long, that is give by one character only in the presence of other peopleDirect characterizationWhen the author describes the character for the audience through vivid detail and descriptionIndirect characterizationWhen the reader determines what the character is like through inferences made in the readingSetting When and where the story takes placeChronological orderWhen a written work is ordered from the oldest to the most recent; ordered by dateEpistolary FormWhen a work is written in the form of lettersFrame NarrativeA story that is written within another story; similar to a dream within a dreamPoint of ViewThe perspective from which the story is toldToneThe overall voice that the author portrays in a workDictionThe word choice a person/ author makes when writingRhetoricThe art of writing and argumentationSyntax The order in which words appear in a sentenceMoodThe overall feeling or atmosphere the work gives to the readerThemeThe overall meaning or message a work sends to its audience End Rhyme Rhyme that comes at the end of a line in a poemInternal Rhymerhyme between a word within a line and another either at the end of the same line or within another lineSlant RhymeWords that do not quite rhyme but are still paired within a poem. Ex. Gain and again Assonance the use of words that have the same or very similar vowel sounds near one another. Ex. as in summer fun and rise high in the bright skyAlliterationRepeated consonant sounds Ex. Suzy sells seashellsBlank Verseun-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter. It has 10 syllables per linenarrativeA written work that comes in the form of a storyBallad any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody. Lyrichaving the form and musical quality of a song, and especially the character of a songlike outpouring of the poet's own thoughts and feelings, as distinguished from epic and dramatic poetry.Sonnet a poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemesLiterary PeriodThe time frame in which a work was written as it portrays the characteristics consistent with other works written in the same time. Ex. ModernismStream of Consciousness a literary style in which a character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow uninterrupted by objective description or conventional dialogue Ironythe expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effectSarcasmthe use of irony to mock or convey contemptSituational Ironyirony involving a situation in whichactions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

Dramatic IronyIrony in a play in which the audience knows something that the characters do not.Verbal IronyWhen a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.Satirethe use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issuesEx. Family GuyFigurative Language Similes, metaphors, imagery, ways to describes things in vivid detail and with comparisonsSimile A comparison using like or as Metaphor A comparison that does not use like or asHyperbole Extreme exaggeration Idiom an expressionwhose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket Connotation The implied meaning of a wordDenotationThe given definition of a wordCognates Words from different languages that sound alike because both languages are derived from the same langage.Ex. Fabuloso and fabulous