Reference

Literary terms & devices, explained with examples.

The vocabulary your English class assumes you know, defined in plain language, each with an example from a story we actually analyze. 42 terms and counting.

Irony & tone

Dramatic Irony When the audience knows something important that one or more characters do not. Irony A gap between appearance and reality, or between what is said or expected and what is actually meant or happens. Mood The emotional atmosphere a text creates for the reader. Situational Irony When the actual outcome of a situation is the opposite of what was expected. Tone The author’s attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice and style. Verbal Irony When a speaker says one thing but means the opposite, often for emphasis or mockery.

Figurative language

Allusion A brief, often indirect reference to another work, person, place, or event. Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant literally. Imagery Descriptive language that appeals to the senses to create vivid mental pictures. Metaphor A comparison that calls one thing another to suggest a shared quality, without using like or as. Paradox A statement that seems self-contradictory yet reveals an underlying truth. Personification Giving human qualities, actions, or emotions to animals, objects, or abstract ideas. Simile A comparison between two unlike things using like or as. Symbolism The use of an object, image, or action to stand for a larger idea beyond its literal meaning.

Narrative technique

First-Person Narration A narrative told by a character using I or we, from inside the events. Frame Narrative A story set within another story, where one narrative encloses a second. Free Indirect Discourse A third-person technique that blends a narrator’s voice with a character’s thoughts. Point of View The perspective from which a story is told. Soliloquy A speech in which a character, alone on stage, voices their private thoughts aloud. Stream of Consciousness A style that tries to capture the continuous flow of a character’s thoughts and impressions. Unreliable Narrator A narrator whose account cannot be fully trusted due to bias, ignorance, or instability.

Structure & plot

Climax The moment of greatest tension or the turning point of a narrative. Conflict The struggle between opposing forces that drives a story’s plot. Denouement The final resolution of a narrative, where loose ends are settled after the climax. Epiphany A sudden moment of insight or realization that changes a character’s understanding. Exposition The background information that sets up characters, setting, and situation. Flashback A scene that interrupts the present action to depict events from the past. Foreshadowing Hints or clues an author plants early to suggest what will happen later. In Medias Res Beginning a story in the middle of the action rather than at the start of events. Juxtaposition Placing two contrasting elements side by side to highlight their differences. Motif A recurring image, object, phrase, or idea that supports a work’s themes. Setting The time, place, and social environment in which a story occurs. Theme The central idea or insight about life that a literary work explores.

Character

Antagonist The character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates conflict. Characterization The methods an author uses to create and reveal a character’s personality. Foil A character whose contrast with another highlights that other character’s qualities. Protagonist The central character whose choices and struggles drive the story.

Genre & mode

Allegory A narrative in which characters and events consistently stand for abstract ideas or a hidden meaning. Bildungsroman A coming-of-age narrative tracing a character’s growth from youth toward maturity. Satire A mode that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize and expose human folly.

Sound & rhythm

Alliteration The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words. Onomatopoeia A word that imitates the natural sound of the thing it describes.