Glossary of Literary Terms
Essential Vocabulary for Literary Analysis
Ad Hominem
Attacking the person rather than the argument
Adage
Traditional saying expressing a general truth
Allegory
Story with symbolic meaning beyond literal
Alliteration
Repetition of initial consonant sounds
Allusion
Reference to another work or event
Ambiguity
Uncertainty or multiple possible meanings
Anachronism
Chronological inconsistency
Analogy
Comparison between two things for explanation
Anaphora
Repetition of words at beginning of phrases
Anecdote
Short amusing or interesting story
Antagonist
Character who opposes the protagonist
Anthimeria
Using one part of speech as another
Anthropomorphism
Giving human characteristics to animals/objects
Antihero
Protagonist lacking conventional heroic qualities
Antithesis
Direct contrast of ideas
Aphorism
Concise statement of principle or truth
Apologia
Formal defense or justification
Aporia
Expression of doubt or uncertainty
Aposiopesis
Breaking off speech mid-sentence
Appositive
Noun or phrase that renames another noun
Apostrophe
Addressing absent person or abstract concept
Archaism
Outdated word or expression
Archetype
Universal character or situation pattern
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
Asyndeton
Omission of conjunctions between words
Atmosphere
Mood or feeling created by setting
Ballad
Narrative poem meant to be sung
Bathos
Sudden shift from serious to trivial
Bildungsroman
Coming-of-age novel
Caesura
Pause or break in poetry
Catharsis
Emotional release through art
Characterization
How author reveals character traits
Chiasmus
Reversal of grammatical structures
Chronology
Order of events in time
Cliché
Overused expression or idea
Cliffhanger
Suspenseful ending leaving resolution uncertain
Climax
Turning point of highest tension
Consonance
Repetition of consonant sounds
Connotation
Emotional associations of words
Conundrum
Difficult problem or question
Cynicism
Distrustful attitude toward motives
Denotation
Literal dictionary meaning
Deus ex machina
Unexpected solution to resolve plot
Denouement
Resolution of plot conflicts
Deuteragonist
Secondary main character
Dialect
Regional variety of language
Dialogue
Conversation between characters
Diction
Author's word choice
Double Entendre
Word or phrase with two meanings
Dystopia
Imagined oppressive society
Elegy
Poem mourning the dead
Ellipsis
Omission of words or phrases
Enjambment
Continuation of sentence across line breaks
Epigram
Brief witty statement or poem
Epigraph
Quotation at beginning of work
Epilogue
Concluding section of work
Epiphany
Sudden realization or insight
Epitaph
Inscription on tombstone
Epithet
Descriptive word or phrase
Exposition
Background information provided
Extended Metaphor
Metaphor developed throughout work
Farce
Comedy with exaggerated situations
Flashback
Scene from the past
Flashforward
Scene from the future
Foreshadowing
Hints about future events
Genre
Category of literature
Haiku
Three-line Japanese poem
Hamartia
Tragic flaw in protagonist
Homage
Respectful tribute to another work
Hubris
Excessive pride or arrogance
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration
Idiom
Expression with figurative meaning
Imagery
Vivid descriptive language
Inference
Logical conclusion from evidence
Innuendo
Indirect suggestion or hint
Intersectionality
Overlapping social identities
Intertextuality
Relationship between texts
Invective
Abusive or insulting language
Irony
Contrast between expectation and reality
Jargon
Specialized vocabulary of a group
Juxtaposition
Placing contrasting elements side by side
Lingo
Informal language or slang
Literary Device
Technique used in writing
Melodrama
Drama with exaggerated emotions
Memoir
Personal account of experiences
Metaphor
Direct comparison without "like" or "as"
Meter
Rhythmic pattern in poetry
Metonymy
Substitution of related term
Mnemonic
Memory aid or device
Monologue
Long speech by one character
Montage
Series of images or scenes
Motif
Recurring theme or element
Narrative
Story or account of events
Narrator
Person telling the story
Nostalgia
Sentimental longing for the past
Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate sounds
Oxymoron
Contradictory terms combined
Palindrome
Word or phrase that reads the same backward
Parable
Simple story with a moral lesson
Paradox
Seemingly contradictory but true statement
Parallelism
Use of similar grammatical structures
Paraphrase
Restatement of text in different words
Parody
Humorous imitation of a work
Peripeteia
Sudden reversal of fortune or circumstances
Personification
Giving human traits to non-human things
Plagiarism
Using another's work without credit
Platitude
Overused statement lacking originality
Plot
Sequence of events in a story
Point of View (Focalization)
Perspective from which the story is told
Polemic
Controversial argument or debate
Polysyndeton
Repetition of conjunctions in close succession
Prologue
Introductory section of a literary work
Propaganda
Biased information to promote a cause
Prose
Written language without metrical structure
Protagonist
Main character of the story
Pseudonym
Fictitious name used by an author
Pun
Play on words with multiple meanings
Red Herring
Misleading clue or distraction
Rhetorical Device
Technique used to persuade or impact
Rhyme
Repetition of similar sounds
Romanticize
To make something seem better or more appealing than it is
Sardonic
Grimly mocking or cynical
Satire
Ridicule to expose flaws
Science Fiction
Fiction based on imagined future science or technology
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Prediction that causes itself to become true
Setting
Time and place of story
Simile
Comparison using "like" or "as"
Soliloquy
Speech by a character alone on stage
Sonnet
14-line poem with specific rhyme scheme
Stanza
Grouped set of lines in a poem
Style
Author's unique way of writing
Subtext
Underlying meaning not stated directly
Surrealism
Art or writing with dreamlike, illogical scenes
Symbol
Object representing abstract idea
Synecdoche
Part representing the whole
Synesthesia
Describing one sense in terms of another
Theme
Central message or meaning
Thesis
Main argument or claim
Tone
Author's attitude toward subject
Trope
Common literary device or convention
Truism
Statement that is obviously true
Utopia
Imagined perfect society
Verisimilitude
Appearance of being true or real
Vernacular
Everyday language of ordinary people
Vignette
Short, descriptive literary sketch
Voice
Author's distinctive style or perspective
Volta
Dramatic shift or turn in a poem