Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

Handbook of Literary Terms

AllegoryA narrative in which the characters and settings stand for abstract ideas or moral
qualities. In addition to the literal meaning of the story, an allegory contains a symbolic,
or allegorical, meaning.
AlliterationRepetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds usually at the
beginnings of words that are close together in a poem.
Example
AmbiguityAn element of uncertainty in a text, in which something can be interpreted in a
number of different ways.
AllusionReference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history,
religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, or pop culture.
AnalogyComparison made between two things to show how they are alike in some respects.
AnecdoteVery, very brief story, usually told to make a point.
AsideWords that are spoken by a character in a play to the audience or to another character
but that are not supposed to be overheard by the others onstage.
AssonanceRepetition of similar vowel sounds that are followed by different consonant
sounds, especially in words that are close together in a poem.
AutobiographyAn account of the writers own life.
AuthorThe writer of a literary work.
BalladSong that tells a story. Ballads usually tell sensational stories of tragedy or adventure.
Types of ballads
BiographyAn account of a persons life, written or told by another person.
Blank VersePoetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.
CharacterPerson in a story, poem, or play. The process of revealing the personality of a
character in a story is called characterization.
Direct and indirect characterization
Static vs. dynamic character
Flat vs. round character
Motivation
ClimaxMoment of great emotional intensity or suspense in a plot.
ComedyIn general, a story that ends happily.
More about comedy
Comic ReliefComic scene or event that breaks up a serious play or narrative.
ConflictStruggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces.
External and internal conflict

1When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

ConnotationAll the meanings, associations, or emotions that have come to be attached to

some words, in addition to their literal dictionary definitions, or denotations.
CoupletTwo consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.
DescriptionType of writing intended to create
a mood or emotion or to re-create a person, a place, a thing, an event, or an experience.
Description works by creating images that appeal to the senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, or
touch.
DialectWay of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or a particular group of
people.
More about dialect
DialogueThe conversation between characters in a story or play.
DictionA writers or speakers choice of words. Diction is an essential element of a
writers style, the overall way in which a writer uses language.
DramaStory that is written to be acted for an audience.
Elements of a dramatic plot
Dramatic MonologueA poem in which a speaker addresses one or more silent listeners,
often reflecting on a specific problem or situation.
EpicLong story told in elevated language (usually poetry), which relates to the great deeds of
a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society.
EpithetAdjective or descriptive phrase that is regularly used to characterize a person, place,
or thing. We speak of Honest Abe, for example, and America the Beautiful.
EssayShort piece of nonfiction prose that examines a single subject from a limited point of
view.
Personal essay
Formal essay
ExpositionType of writing that explains, gives information, defines, or clarifies an idea.
FableVery brief story in prose or verse that teaches a moral, or a practical lesson about how
to get along in life.
Figure of SpeechWord or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and is not
meant to be understood on a literal level. Most figures of speech, or figurative
language, involve some sort of imaginative comparison between seemingly unlike things. The
most common figures of speech are
o Simile
o Metaphor
o Personification

2When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

FlashbackScene in a movie, play, short story, novel, or narrative poem that interrupts the
present action of the plot to flash backward and tell what happened at an earlier time.
Flash-ForwardScene in a movie, play, short story, novel, or narrative poem that interrupts
the present action of the plot to shift into the future.
FoilCharacter who is used as a contrast to another character.
Folk TaleStory that has no known author and was originally passed on from one generation
to another by word of mouth.
ForeshadowingThe use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in a plot.
Free VersePoetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme.
GenreThe category that a work of literature is classified under. Five major genres in
literature are nonfiction, fiction, poetry, drama, and myth.
HaikuJapanese verse form consisting of three lines and, usually, seventeen syllables (five in
the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third).
HyperboleFigure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or to create a
comic effect. Hyperbole is also called overstatement.
Iambic PentameterLine of poetry that contains five iambs. Iambic pentameter is by far the
most common verse line in English poetry.
Example
IdiomExpression peculiar to a particular language that means something different from the
literal meaning of each word. Its raining cats and dogs is an idiom of American English.
ImageryLanguage that appeals to the senses. Most images are visual, but images can also
appeal to the senses of hearing, touch, taste, or smell or even to several senses at once.
Example
InversionReversal of the normal word order of a sentence.
IronyContrast between expectation and realitybetween what is said and what is really
meant, between what is expected to happen and what really does happen, or between what
appears to be true and what is really true.
Verbal irony
Situational irony
Dramatic irony
Lyric PoetryPoetry that does not tell a story but is aimed only at expressing a speakers
emotions or thoughts.
MetaphorFigure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which one
thing becomes another thing without the use of the word like, as, than, or resembles.
Implied metaphor
Extended metaphor

3When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

Dead metaphor
Mixed metaphor
MeterGenerally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
MythTraditional story that is rooted in a particular culture, is basically religious, and usually
serves to explain a belief, a ritual, or a mysterious natural phenomenon.
MoodA storys atmosphere or the feeling it evokes. Mood is often created by a storys setting.
NarrationType of writing or speaking that tells about a series of related events.
NarratorThe voice telling a story.
NonfictionProse writing that deals with real people, things, events, and places.
Forms of nonfiction
NovelFictional prose narrative usually
consisting of more than fifty thousand words. In general, the novel uses the same basic literary
elements as the story story but develops them more fully.
Plot
Character
Setting
Theme
Point of view
OnomatopoeiaUse of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning. Crack, pop, fizz,
zoom, and chirpare examples of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is an important element in the
music of poetry.
Example
ParadoxStatement or situation that seems to be a contradiction but reveals a truth.
ParallelismRepetition of words, phrases, or sentences that have the same grammatical
structure or that state a similar idea. Parallelism, or parallel structure, helps make lines
rhythmic and memorable and heightens their emotional effect.
Example
PersonaMask or voice assumed by a writer.
PersonificationKind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if
it were human.
Example
PlotSeries of related events that make up a story or drama. Plot is what happens in a short
story, novel, or play.
Elements of plot
Plot diagram

4When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

PoetryType of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery to
appeal to the readers emotions and imagination.
Rhyme
Meter
Free verse
Lyric poem
Narrative poem
Point of ViewVantage point from which a writer tells a story. In broad terms there are three
possible points of view:
o Omniscient
o First person
o Third person limited
ProtagonistMain character in fiction or drama. The character or force that blocks the
protagonist is the antagonist.
PunPlay on the multiple meanings of a word or on two words that sound alike but have
different meanings.
RefrainRepeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines.
RhymeRepetition of accented vowel sounds, and all sounds following them, in words close
together in a poem.
Example
Types of rhyme
Rhyme scheme
RhythmMusical quality in language produced by repetition.
Meter
SatireType of writing that ridicules somethinga person, a group of people, humanity at
large, an attitude or failing, a social institutionin order to reveal a weakness.
Scene DesignSets, lights, costumes, and props, which bring a play to life onstage.
SettingThe time and place of a story or play.
Short StoryShort, concentrated fictional prose narrative.
Plot in a short story
SimileFigure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using a word
such as like, as, resembles, or than.
SoliloquyLong speech in which a character who is onstage alone expresses his or her
thoughts aloud.
SonnetFourteen-line lyric poem that is usually written in iambic pentameter and that has one
of several rhyme schemes.
SpeakerVoice that is talking to us in a poem.
StanzaGroup of consecutive lines in a poem that form a single unit.
SuspenseUncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in a
story.
5When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

StyleThe particular way in which a writer uses language. Style is created mainly through
diction (word choice), use of figurative language, and sentence patterns.
SymbolPerson, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as
well.
Examples
Tall TaleExaggerated, far-fetched story that is obviously untrue but is told as though it
should be believed.
ThemeCentral idea of a work of literature.
More about theme
ToneAttitude a writer takes toward a subject, a character, or the audience. Tone is conveyed
through the writers choice of words and details.
TragedyPlay that depicts serious and important events in which the main character comes to
an unhappy end.
VoiceThe writers or speakers distinctive use of language in a text. Voice is created by a
writers tone and choice of words.
Open here I flung the shutter, when with many a
flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Alliteration > Example
Ballad > Types of Ballads
Types of ballads include
o folk ballads, which are composed by unknown singers and are passed on for
generations before being written down.
o literary ballads, which are composed by known individuals and are written in
imitation of the old folk ballads.
Blank Verse > Iambic Pentameter
Iambic pentameter refers to a line of poetry that contains five iambs. An iamb is a metrical
foot, or unit of measure, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable ( ).
The word pentameter comes from the Greek penta (five) and meter (measure).
A writer may tell us about a character through
o direct characterization, or telling us directly what the characters personality
is like (cruel, kind, brave, and so on).
o indirect characterization, or providing evidence from which we must judge for
ourselves what a character is like.
Character > Direct and Indirect Characterization
Characters can be classified as static or dynamic.
o A static character is one who does not change much in the course of the story.
o A dynamic character changes as a result of the storys events.
Character > Static vs. Dynamic Character
Characters can be classified as flat or round.
6When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

o A flat character has only one or two traits, and these can be described in a few
words. Such a character has no depth, like a piece of cardboard.
o A round character, like a real person, has many different character traits, which
sometimes contradict one another.
Character > Flat vs. Round Character
The fears, conflicts, or needs that drive a character are called motivation. A character can be
motivated by many factors, such as vengeance, fear, greed, love, and even boredom.
Character > Motivation
The hero or heroine of a comedy is usually an ordinary character who overcomes a series of
obstacles that block what he or she wants. Many comedies have a boy-meets-girl plot, in which
young lovers must face obstacles to their marrying. In structure and characterization, a comedy
is the opposite of a tragedy.
Comedy > More About Comedy
Conflict > External and Internal Conflict
o In an external conflict a character struggles against an outside force: another
character, society as a whole, or something in nature.
o An internal conflict takes place entirely within a characters own mind. An
internal conflict is a struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions.
Dialect > More About Dialect
Dialects may have a distinct vocabulary, pronunciation system, and grammar. In a sense, we all
speak dialects; but one dialect usually becomes dominant in a country or culture and becomes
accepted as the standard way of speaking. In the United States, for example, the formal language
is known as standard English.
Drama > Elements of a Dramatic Plot
The elements of a dramatic plot are
oexposition: Introduction of the characters and their conflict.
ocomplications: Difficulties that arise as the characters try to resolve the conflict.
oclimax: Most suspenseful or emotionally intense moment.
oresolution: Final part of the story.
Essay > Personal Essay
A personal essay (sometimes called an informal essay) generally reveals a great deal about
the writers personality and tastes. Its tone is often conversational, sometimes even humorous.
Essay > Formal Essay
The formal essay is usually serious, objective, and impersonal in tone. Its purpose is to inform
readers about some topic of interest or to persuade them to accept the writers views. The
statements in a formal essay are supported by facts and logic.
Figure of Speech > Simile
A simile is a comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as,
than, or resembles.
7When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

Figure of Speech > Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which
one thing becomes another thing without the use of the word like, as, than, or resembles.
Figure of Speech > Personification
Personification is a figure of speech in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if
it were human.
Iambic Pentameter > Example
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Iambic Pentameter > Iamb
An iamb is a metrical foot, or unit of measure, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a
stressed syllable ( ).
Imagery > Example
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And the blue spurt of a lighted match . . .from Meeting at Night by Robert Browning
Irony > Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when a writer or speaker says one thing but really means something
completely different. If you call a clumsy basketball player the new Michael Jordan, you are
using verbal irony.
Irony > Situational Irony
Situational irony occurs when there is a contrast between what would seem appropriate and
what really happens or when there is a contradiction between what we expect to happen and
what really does take place.
Irony > Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience or the reader knows something important that a
character in a play or story does not know.
Metaphor > Figure of Speech
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and is not
meant to be understood on a literal level.
Metaphor > Implied Metaphor
An implied metaphor does not tell us directly that something is something else. Instead, it uses
words that suggest the nature of the comparison. The phrase bursts into bloom implies that
the feeling of love is like a budding flower.
Metaphor > Extended Metaphor

8When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

An extended metaphor is a metaphor that is extended, or developed, through several lines of

writing or even through an entire poem.
Metaphor > Dead Metaphor
A dead metaphor is a metaphor that has been used so often that we no longer realize it is a
figure of speechwe simply skip over the metaphorical connection it makes. Examples of dead
metaphors are the roof of the mouth, the eye of the storm, the heart of the matter, and the arm of
the chair.
Metaphor > Mixed Metaphor
A mixed metaphor is the inconsistent mixture of two or more metaphors. Mixed metaphors are
a common problem in bad writing, and they are often unintentionally funny. You are using a
mixed metaphor if you say, Put it on the back burner and let it germinate or Lets set sail and
get this show on the road.
Nonfiction > Forms of Nonfiction
Forms of nonfiction include
o autobiography: An account of the writers own life.
o biography: An account of a persons life written or told by another person.
o essay: A short piece of prose that examines a single subject.
Novel > Plot
Plot is the series of related events that make up a story or drama. Plot is what happens in a
short story, novel, or play.
Novel > Character
A character is a person or an animal who takes part in the action of a story, poem, or play.
Novel > Setting
Setting is the time and place of a story or play.
Novel > Theme
Theme is the central idea of a story or play.
Novel > Point of View
Point of view is the vantage point from which a writer tells a story.
Onomatopoeia > Example
And in the hush of waters was the sound
Of pebbles, rolling round;
Forever rolling, with a hollow sound:
And bubbling seaweeds, as the waters go,
Swish to and fro
Their long tentacles of slimy gray. . . . from The Shell by James Stephens
Parallelism > Example

9When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that
we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness. . . . from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Personification > Example
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls from The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Plot > Elements of Plot
o Exposition: The storys basic situation.
o Conflict: The main problem of the story.
o Main events (including complications)
o Climax: Moment of great suspense or emotional intensity.
o Resolution or denouement: The end of the story when we know the outcome
of the characters struggles.
Plot > Plot Diagram
The main events of a storys plot can be charted in a diagram like the one below.
Exposition
Event
Event
Event
Event
Climax
Resolution
Handbook of Literary Terms
Poetry > Figures of Speech and Imagery
o A figure of speech is a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of
another and is not meant to be understood on a literal level.
o Imagery is language that appeals to the senses.
Poetry > Rhyme
Rhyme is the repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words close
together in a poem.
Poetry > Meter
Meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
Poetry > Free Verse
Free verse is poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme.
Poetry > Lyric Poem
A lyric poem is a poem that does not tell a story but is aimed only at expressing a speakers
emotions or thoughts.
10When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door
that we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

Poetry > Narrative Poem

A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story. Two popular narrative forms are
o epic: A long story told in elevated language which relates the great deeds of a
larger-than-life hero.
o ballad: A story told in the form of a song.
Point of View > Omniscient
In the omniscient, or all-knowing, point of view, the narrator knows everything about the
characters and their problems. This all-knowing narrator can tell about the characters past,
present, and future. This kind of narrator can even tell what the characters are thinking or what
is happening in other places. In the omniscient point of view, the narrator is not in the story.
Point of View > First Person
In the first-person point of view, one of the characters is telling the story, using the pronoun I.
We get to know this narrator very well, but we can know only what this character knows and
can observe only what this character observes. When a story is told from the first-person point
of view, readers often must ask if the narrator is reliable.
Point of View > Third Person Limited
In the third-person-limited point of view, the narrator, who plays no part in the story, zooms
in on the thoughts and feelings of just one character. With this point of view, we observe the
action through the eyes and with the feelings of this one character.
Rhyme > Example
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high oer vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils
from I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
Rhyme > Types of Rhyme
Types of rhyme in poetry include
o end rhymes: Rhymes at the ends of lines.
o internal rhymes: Rhymes within lines.
o approximate rhymes (or half rhymes, off rhymes, or slant rhymes): Words
that have some sound in common but do not rhyme exactly.
Rhyme > Rhyme Scheme
The pattern of end rhymes (rhymes at the ends of lines) in a poem is called its rhyme
scheme. The rhyme scheme of a stanza or a poem is indicated by the use of a different letter of
the alphabet for each new rhyme: for example, aabbcc.
Rhythm > Meter
The most obvious kind of rhythm is produced by meter, the regular repetition of stressed and
unstressed syllables found in some poetry.
11When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door
that we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell
Ethans Literary journey Week 2 23rd Feb 2017

Scene Design > Sets

Sets are the furnishings and scenery that suggest the time and place of the action of a play.
Scene Design > Props
Props (short for properties) are all the objects that the actors in a play use onstage, such as
books, telephones, or suitcases.
Short Story > Plot in a Short Story
Short stories are usually built on a plot that consists of these bare bones:
o Exposition: Introduction of the characters and their conflict.
o Complications: Difficulties that arise as the characters try to resolve the
conflict.
o Climax: Most suspenseful moment.
o Resolution: Final part of the story.
Simile > Figure of Speech
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and is not
meant to be understood on a literal level.
Style > Figurative Language
Figurative language is the use of words or phrases that describe one thing in terms of another
and are not meant to be understood on a literal level.
Symbol > Examples
An example of a symbol is a scale, which has a real existence as an instrument for measuring
weights but also is used as a public symbol of justice. One of the great symbols in literature is
Herman Melvilles great white whale, used as a symbol of the mystery of evil in the novel Moby-
Dick.
Theme > More About Theme
A theme is not the same as a subject. Rather, it is the idea that the writer wishes to reveal about
the subject. For example, while the subject of a story might be love, the theme might be Love is
more powerful than hatred. Some themes are so commonly found in the literature of all
cultures that they are called universal themes.
Voice > Tone
Tone is the attitude that a writer takes toward a subject, a character, or the audience. Tone is
conveyed through the writers choice of words and details.

12When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door
that we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell