Literary Vocabulary

Allegory: an extended metaphor - the whole poem or story is representative of another idea. Animal Farm is literally about an animal rebellion against their human oppressors on a farm. Allegorically, it is about the Russian Revolution and the rise of Communism in the USSR. An allegory is intended to teach a moral or lesson.

Alliteration: forming word patterns by repeating initial consonant sounds. It depends on sound, not spelling.

Allusion: a brief reference to a person, event or thing religious or historical.

Ambiguity: This is the quality in a piece of writing that makes it possible to interpret it in more than one way.

Analogy: where you explain a complex situation by relating it to a simpler idea.

Antagonist: a character, or characters, in a short story, novel, or play, that gives the Protagonist a challenge.

Apostrophe: directly addressing a person or thing as if it/s/he were really there. (Romeo & Juliet, where Juliet speaks, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?).

Assonance: the repetition of a stressed vowel sounds (ex: Three/beach; say/played; flame/pain).

Autobiography: literature about a real person and is written by the person the story is about. Example: John wrote a book about his own life.

Biography: a factual piece of literature that is about someone and was written by another person. Example: Janet wrote a book about John's life.

Climax: the high point of a story... when the Protagonist makes his/her decision or faces their challenge

Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words. Ex. Thick stuck gunk, first and last.

Fiction: literature that is not factually true, but may be based on true events.

Hyperbole: exaggeration, either for comic or serious effect. Ex. I cried a river of tears.

Imagery: creating vivid mental pictures through using words that appeal to the senses and emotions.

Inference: making conclusions about a piece of literature when the connection is not provided in a piece of literature.

Metaphor: a comparison that doesn’t use comparison words such as like or as.

Mood: the dominant feeling or atmosphere of a work. Dark, light, happy, sad, are simple moods.

Narrator: the voice that is telling the story in a novel or short story. There are two popular forms of narration:
• First person narrator--the story is told through the eyes of a character.
• Third person--the story is told by a person outside of the story.

Non-Fiction: literature that is true or is based on factual events

Ode: a form of lyric poetry using elaborate vocabulary. It usually focuses on a single object or person.

Onomatopoeia: words that sound like the sound they are describing. Ex. BANG, buzz,
pop.

Oxymoron: two opposite or conflicting words, side by side. Example:, Dark day, white night

Parody: using comedy or satire when imitating a well-known, serious work. It is much like re-writing a story with foolish characters and actions similar to the original. Parodies often make fun of the original author’s style, or criticize the authors’ views.

Personification: giving human qualities to a non-human thing or idea. Ex. The angry sky...

Protagonist: the main character of a short story, novel, or play, who is faced with a challenge or a decision to make.

Repetition: the repeating of lines, words, or phrases for emphasis

Rhyme: similar sounding words in the end or within a line.

Satire: makes fun of some part of human nature, customs, or attitudes in order to make a positive change.

Simile: comparison using like or as. Ex. Her hair was like spun gold.

Stress: saying certain syllables or words in a line with more emphasis or volume.

Symbolism: using an image to represent an idea.
• Ex. Storms often symbolize impending disaster
• red rose=love
• dove=peace
• black cat=bad luck