Lit Terms 6-30

Lit Terms 6-30

Analogy- a comparison made between two things to show the similarities between them

Analysis- a method in which a work or idea is separated into its parts, and those parts given rigorous and detailed scrutiny

Anaphora- a device or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences

Anecdote- a very short story used to illustrate a point

Antagonist- a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative

Antithesis- a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness

Aphorism- a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life

Apologia-  a defense or justification of some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action; also apology

Apostrophe- a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly

Argument-the process of convincing a reader by proving either the truth or falsity of an idea in proposition; also, the thesis or proposition itself

Assumption- the act of supposing, or taking for granted that a thing is true

Audience- the intended listener or listeners

Characterization- the means by which a writer reveals a character's personality

Chiasmus- a reversal in the order of words so that the second half of a statement balances the first half in inverted word order

Circumlocution- a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served

Classicism- art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of Ancient Greece and Rome (tradition, clarity, reason, balance and order)

Cliché- a phrase or situation overused within society

Climax- the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved

Colloquialism- folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation

Comedy- originally a nondramatic literary place of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed to provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter

Conflict- struggle or problem in a story causing tension

Connotation- implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition

Contrast- a rhetorical device by which one element  is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity

Denotation- plain dictionary definition

Denouement- loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion