Literary Terms

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Literary Terms

• TAKE NOTES!

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Allusion Reference to some event, person,
place, or artistic work, the nature and relevance
of which is not explained by the writer but
relies on the readers familiarity with what is
said. Reader needs to understand the hidden
meaning

• So if you are reading a book and a character
  says, "Oh, stop being such a Romeo," this would
  be an allusion to Romeo and Juliet.
• "As the cave's roof collapsed, he was swallowed
  up in the dust like Jonah, and only his frantic
  scrabbling behind a wall of rock indicated that
  there was anyone still alive.
• "Christy didn't like to spend money. She was no
  Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything except
  the bare necessities".

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Irony Contrast between expectation and reality
between what is said and what is really meant,
between what is expected to happen and what
really does happen, or between what appears to be
true and what is really true.

• Dramatic
• Have you ever seen a horror movie that has a
  killer on the loose? You, and the rest of the
  audience, know that the teenagers should not go
  walking in the woods late at night, but they
  think a midnight stroll would be romantic.
  Needless to say, the teens become the next
  victims.
• When watching a talk show, the audience knows why
  a person has been brought on the show. However,
  the person sitting in a chair does not know that
  he is going to be reunited with a former lover.
  This adds to the suspense and humor of the show.

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Irony Contrast between expectation and reality
between what is said and what is really meant,
between what is expected to happen and what
really does happen, or between what appears to be
true and what is really true.

• Situational
• You break a date with your girlfriend so you can
  go to the ball game with the guys. When you go to
  the concession stand, you run into your date who
  is with another guy.
• You stay up all night studying for a test. When
  you go to class, you discover the test is not
  until the next day.

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Irony Contrast between expectation and reality
between what is said and what is really meant,
between what is expected to happen and what
really does happen, or between what appears to be
true and what is really true.

• Verbal
• You are arguing with your mother, who reprimands
  you for being "smart." Your reply is a sarcastic,
  "If you think I am smart, then why won't you let
  me make some smart decisions?"
• Your boyfriend shows up in ripped up jeans and a
  stained t-shirt. With a smirk, you say, "Oh! I
  see you dressed up for our date. We must be going
  to a posh restaurant."

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Hyperbole An intentionally exaggerated figure
of speech

• "My sister uses so much makeup,...
• She broke a chisel trying to get it off last
  night!"
• She bought out Mary Kay just to have enough
  makeup for one day!"
• She has to use a sandblaster to get it off at
  night."
• When she smiles her cheeks fall off."
• When she smiles, cracks the size of the Grand
  Canyon form in the surface."
• She weighs 50 pounds more when she's
• done!"
• She looks like my grandmother!"

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Onomatopoeia Use of a word whose sound imitates
or suggests its meaning. For example cackle,
pop, fizz

• 'Listen to the bee buzz by'.
• Click the button and take a picture
• 'Listen to the fire crackle in the dark'
• 'Don't forget to flush the toilet
• 'The bar is a ratchet in the machine
• 'A long kiss is something you won't forget

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Idiom An expression particular to certain
language that means something different from the
literal definition of the words.

• He is barking up the wrong tree.
• He is betting on the wrong horse
• Cat get ones tongue
• I had a cat nap during the afternoon
• He is a copycat
• He is crying wolf.
• It is a dog-eat-dog world

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Parallel Episode Events happening at the same
time often without main characters awareness.
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The End!