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| 2957713258 | allegory | figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events. It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story with a purpose of teaching an idea and a principle or explaining an idea or a principle. The objective of its use is to preach some kind of a moral lesson. |  | 0 |
| 2957725011 | alliteration | a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series. |  | 1 |
| 2957727654 | allusion | brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion |  | 2 |
| 2957737024 | analogy | is a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Metaphors and similes are tools used to draw an analogy. Therefore, analogy is more extensive and elaborate than either a simile or a metaphor. |  | 3 |
| 2957741935 | antithesis | literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. |  | 4 |
| 2957751152 | antagonist | a group of characters which stand in opposition to the protagonist or the main character. The term antagonist comes from Greek word "antagonistēs" that means opponent, competitor or rival. It is common to refer to an antagonist as a villain (the bad guy) against whom a hero (the good guy) fights in order to relieve himself or others. |  | 5 |
| 2957757384 | aphorism | a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles. To qualify as an aphorism, it is necessary for a statement to contain a truth revealed in a terse manner. |  | 6 |
| 2957763075 | apostrophe | a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O". A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech. Ex: twinkle twinkle little star | 7 | |
| 2957772212 | archetype | a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. An archetype, also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting. Many literary critics are of the opinion that archetypes, which have a common and recurring representation in a particular human culture or entire human race, shape the structure and function of a literary work. |  | 8 |
| 2957775480 | assonance | takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds. |  | 9 |
| 2957782058 | asyndeton | It is a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintain the grammatical accuracy. |  | 10 |
| 2957805391 | bildungsroman | a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education. -coming of age |  | 11 |
| 2957813175 | blank verse | un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter. In poetry and prose, it has a consistent meter with 10 syllables in each line (pentameter); where, unstressed syllables are followed by stressed ones and five of which are stressed but do not rhyme. It is also known as un-rhymed iambic pentameter. | 12 | |
| 2957817219 | caesura | A rhythmical pause in a poetic line or a sentence. It often occurs in the middle of a line, or sometimes at the beginning and the end. At times, it occurs with punctuation; however, at other times it does not. |  | 13 |
| 2957827905 | characterization | is used step by step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story. ex: Veins were popping of out his neck, and his face was as red a a tomato. | 14 | |
| 2957835612 | colloquialism | the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing. |  | 15 |
| 2957841953 | comedy | plural comedies. a play, movie, etc., of light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion. | 16 | |
| 2957846984 | conceit | essentially a form of metaphor. We can think of it as an extended metaphor because it evolves beyond the initial comparison and allows the writer to flesh out multiple points of contrast. | 17 | |
| 2957852711 | consonance | refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession such as in pitter, patter. It is classified as a literary term used in both poetry as well as prose. For instance, the words chuckle, fickle, and kick are consonant with one and other due to the existence of common interior consonant sounds (/ck/). | 18 | |
| 2957855236 | diction | style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. -optimistic, informal, harsh, respectful, etc. | 19 | |
| 2957858393 | elegy | a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead. | 20 | |
| 2957860672 | ellipsis | a literary device that is used in narratives to omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out. It is usually written between the sentences as "...". | 21 | |
| 2957863779 | enjambment | refers to the practice of running lines of poetry from one to the next without using any kind of punctuation to indicate a stop (periods, commas, etc.). | 22 | |
| 2957869771 | epic poem | a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet. Many ancient writers used epic poetry to tell tales of intense adventures and heroic feats. | 23 | |
| 2957873383 | epic hero | a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events: Beowulf, an epic hero with extraordinary strength. Contemporary definitions for epic-hero Expand. |  | 24 |
| 2957875299 | foil | a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other character. The term foil, though generally being applied for a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things. |  | 25 |
| 2957880697 | free verse | poems will have no set meter, which is the rhythm of the words, no rhyme scheme, or any particular structure. | 26 | |
| 2957883866 | hubris | extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings about his downfall. |  | 27 |
| 2957888912 | hyperbole | which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you meet a friend after a long time, you say, "Ages have passed since I last saw you". You may not have met him for three or four hours or a day, but the use of the word "ages" exaggerates this statement to add emphasis to your wait. | 28 | |
| 2957894167 | iambic pentameter | In a line of poetry, an iamb is a foot or beat consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, or a short syllable followed by a long syllable, | 29 | |
| 2957897903 | imagery | to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. | 30 | |
| 2957901253 | irony | a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality. |  | 31 |
| 2957905074 | juxtaposition | a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts. |  | 32 |
| 2957909987 | kenning | a type of circumlocution, in the form of a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse and later Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon poetry. | 33 | |
| 2957915622 | local color | Local color or regional literature is fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region. | 34 | |
| 2957918947 | lyric | expressing the writer's emotions, usually briefly and in stanzas or recognized forms. |  | 35 |
| 2957927676 | metaphor (extended) | when an author exploits a single metaphor or analogy at length through multiple linked vehicles, tenors, and grounds throughout a poem or story. | 36 | |
| 2957945688 | metonymy | the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing. | 37 | |
| 2957950967 | mood | literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions. |  | 38 |
| 2957952527 | motif | an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work. | 39 | |
| 2957957682 | oxymoron | a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. The common oxymoron phrase is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with contrasting meanings e.g. "cruel kindness" or "living death". However, the contrasting words/phrases are not always glued together. The contrasting ideas may be spaced out in a sentence e.g. "In order to lead, you must walk behind." |  | 40 |
| 2957963449 | paradox | a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory. |  | 41 |
| 2957967705 | parallelism | the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. Parallelism examples are found in literary works as well as in ordinary conversations. | 42 | |
| 2957972362 | personification | a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. For example, when we say, "The sky weeps" we are giving the sky the ability to cry, which is a human quality. Thus, we can say that the sky has been personified in the given sentence. |  | 43 |
| 2957974696 | polyseyndeton | the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some could otherwise be omitted (as in "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"). | 44 | |
| 2957978981 | prosody | the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry. | 45 | |
| 2957983586 | protagonist | the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes called a "hero" by the audience or readers. |  | 46 |
| 2957985512 | pun | a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings. |  | 47 |
| 2957990633 | repetition | a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer. |  | 48 |
| 2957993116 | rhyme | a repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs. A rhyme is a tool utilizing repeating patterns that brings rhythm or musicality in poems which differentiate them from prose which is plain. A rhyme is employed for the specific purpose of rendering a pleasing effect to a poem which makes its recital an enjoyable experience. |  | 49 |
| 2957996328 | satire | a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption. |  | 50 |
| 2958004002 | scansion | the action of scanning a line of verse to determine its rhythm. |  | 51 |
| 2958006591 | simile | figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as". Therefore, it is a direct comparison. |  | 52 |
| 2958009844 | sololiquy | a popular literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character. It is a great technique used to convey the progress of action of the play by means of expressing a character's thoughts about a certain character or past, present or upcoming event while talking to himself without acknowledging the presence of any other person. | 53 | |
| 2958014459 | sonnet | a small or little song or lyric. In poetry, a sonnet has 14 fourteen lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme and a "volta" or a specific turn. | 54 | |
| 2958026284 | stanza | a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse. |  | 55 |
| 2958031081 | synecdoche | a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the name of the material it is made of or it may refer to a thing in a container or packing by the name of that container or packing. | 56 | |
| 2958032980 | tone | an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. |  | 57 |
| 2958035057 | tragic flaw | a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his downfall and the character is often the hero of the literary piece. This trait could be the lack of self-knowledge, lack of judgment and often it is hubris (pride). | 58 | |
| 2958039435 | tragic hero | a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. This person is fated by the Gods or by some supernatural force to doom and destruction or at least to great suffering. But the hero struggles mightly against this fate and this cosmic conflict wins our admiration. |  | 59 |
| 2958047522 | villian | a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot. |  | 60 |
