1. Literary Devices
Ms. Miller

2. Allegory
A story with two or more levels of meaning—a literal level and one or more symbolic levels

3. Allusion
a reference to a person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
Allusion provides more information without a lengthy description or illustration

4. Analogy
a comparison between two or more items that are similar in some ways but otherwise unalike

5. Antagonist
a character (or force) in conflict with the main character (protagonist)

6. Characterization the act of creating and developing a character
Direct characterization-the author directly states characters’ traits
Indirect characterization-the author tells what a character looks like, does, and says and shows how others react to him

7. Climax
the high point of interest or suspense

8. Comic Relief
the interruption of a serious moment with a humorous character or situation

9. Conflict a struggle between opposing forces 5 types: Man v. man
Man v. fate/gods
Man v. nature
Man v. himself
Man v. society

10. Connotation
the set of ideas associated with a word in addition to its explicit meaning

11. Denotation
the dictionary definition of a word

12. Dialogue
conversation between characters used to reveal character and advance action

13. Epic
a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes

14. Falling Action
the action that follows the climax and leads to the denouement or resolution

15. Figurative Language
writing or speech not meant to be taken literally (metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc.)

16. Flashback
a device that allows the writer to present events that happened before the time of the current narration or the current events in the fiction.
Flashback techniques include memories, dreams, stories of the past told by characters, or even authorial sovereignty (when Johnny was a boy )

17. Flat (Static) Character
a flat character shows only one trait
a static character does not change
(usually these terms are interchangeable—the state of Kansas considers them basically the same)

18. Foreshadowing
the use of clues to suggest events that have yet to come

19. Genre
a type of literature

20. Hyperbole/Overstatement
deliberate or extreme exaggeration
the term hyperbole is likely the more-used term when discussing literary devices; however, overstatement is often used in discussing rhetoric; the state of Kansas interchanges the terms

21. Idiom
a phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say
Example: using the phrase “over his head” instead of “he doesn’t understand”

22. Imagery
descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader—these are usually created by utilizing the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) or movement

23. Irony
literary techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality or expectation and result
Verbal irony-words used suggesting the opposite of what is meant
Dramatic irony-contradiction between what the character thinks and the audience knows
Irony of situation-an event which directly contradicts the expectations of characters and audience

24. Metaphor
a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else

25. Mood
the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage

26. Onomatopoeia
the use of words that imitate sounds

27. Paradox
a statement the seems contradictory but that may actually be true

28. Parallel Episodes
repeated elements in the plot

29. Personification
figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics

30. Plot
the sequence of events in a literary work

31. Point of view the perspective from which the story is told
First-person: the narrator is a character or witness
Third-person limited: the narrator tells the story through one character’s eyes/thoughts
Third-person omniscient: the narrator is all knowing, expressing thoughts and feelings of any characters

32. Protagonist
the main character

33. Resolution
the conclusion of a plot’s conflicts and complications

34. Rising Action
the events leading up to the climax (usually characterized by complication and conflict)

35. Round (dynamic) Characters
a round character shows many different traits (faults and virtues)
a dynamic character develops and grows throughout a story
(usually these terms are interchangeable—the state of Kansas considers them basically the same)

36. Satire
humorous writing aimed at exposing flaws (usually through ridicule or scorn)

37. Setting
the time and place of a literary work

38. Simile
A figure of speech in which “like” or “as” is used to make a comparison between basically unlike ideas/items

39. Style
The manner of expression of a particular writer, produced by choice of words, grammatical structures, use of literary devices, and all the possible parts of language use.

40. Subplots
subordinate or minor events (secondary action) in a novel or drama (often connected to the main plot)

41. Suspense
a feeling of uncertainty about the outcome of a literary work

42. Symbol
Anything that stands for or represents something else

43. Theme
the central message of a literary work

44. Tone
the writer’s attitude toward his subject or audience