a work that functions on a symbolic level

examples: Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" or possily The Crucible or Lord of the Flies

repetition of initial sounds

example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

reference contained in a work

examples: in literature, allusions are often to Shakespeare, the Bible, or Greek mythology

force or character that opposes the main character, the protagonist

example: Iago in the play Othello

Direct address to an inanimate object or imaginary person/idea

example: Oh, love, why do you torment me?

words spoken by an actor intended to be heard by the audience, but not by other characters on stage

example: Iago's comments to the audience that Othello does not hear

a simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue that is written in quatrains

example: ballads are often written about folk heroes, like Robin Hood

unrhymed iambic pentameter

example: most of Shakespeare's plays are written in this form

harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of a literary work

a break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by puncutation and used to emphasize meaning

example: Where, where was Eloise? || her voice, her hand,
Her poniard, || had opposed the dire command.

(double line indicates caesura)

According to Aristotle, the release of emotion that the audience of a tragedy experiences

example: after hearing John Proctor's story in The Crucible, we experience a release of emotions

one who carries out the action of the plot.

Types of characters: major, minor, static, and dynamic.

CONVENTION

A simple, symbolic story, usually employing animals as characters.

Example: Aesop's fables that have animal characters, often with a lesson at the end.

A type of literature that explores narratives by and about characters who inhabit and experience their reality differently from what we term the objective world.

Examples: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by G.G. Marquez

A direct comparison between dissimilar things.

Example: Your eyes are stars.

A figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea.

Example: The pen is mightier than the sword.

A repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work which is used to develop theme or characters.

Example: the color red in The Scarlet Letter

Words that sound like the sound they represent.

Example: hiss, gurgle, bang.

An image of contradictory terms.

Example: bittersweet, pretty ugly

A secondary plot line that mimics and reinforces the main plot.

Example: Candy loses his dog; George loses Lennie.

The method of narration in a work.

Often 1st (I) or 3rd person (s/he).

A figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of a whole.

Example: all hands on deck.

Also called 'litote'; opposite of exaggeration. Develops irony or humor.

Example: referring to a huge gash as a small papercut.