Transcript Literary Terms
Literary Terms
1. Abstract- expressing a quality apart from an object; the opposite of concrete.
2. Aesthetic- appreciative of things that are pleasing to the senses.
3. Allusion- a reference to another story or poem.
4. Analogy- comparison of two or more things that are similar in some ways.
5. Analysis- thorough and careful study and interpretation of a written work.
6. Annotation- critical or explanatory comments on a literary work.
7. Archetype- a character that appears in literature around the world. (e.g. the wicked stepmother) 8. Argument- writing or speaking to persuade.
9. Autobiography- a writer tells his/her life story.
10.Catalogue- a collection of literary works.
11. Close Reading- reading carefully for in-depth meaning/analysis.
12. Colloquial- informal; conversational.
13. Connotation- the set of ideas associated with a word.
14.Context Clues- parts of a passage that explain the meaning of a word.
15.Definitional Essay- an essay that focuses on defining its main topic.
16.Descriptive- writing that uses sensory details; sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
17.Denotation- the dictionary meaning of a word.
18. Diction – word choice.
19.Documentary- a written or film work that documents its subject matter.
20.Evaluative- involving evaluation, study, or analysis.
21.Evocative- causing an emotional response.
22. Expository – a writing or speech that explains a process or presents information. 23. Figurative Language – writing or speech that should not be taken literally.
24. Free Verse – poetry that is not written in a regular pattern of meter or rhyme.
25. Graphic Organizer – a strategy to help you organize your thoughts or plan an essay.
26. Imagery – descriptive and/or figurative language used to create mental pictures for the reader.
27. Inference – the act of progressing from one true statement to the belief that another statement is true because it follows it.
28. Interpretive – explaining or telling the meaning of.
29. Kinetic – involving movement or motion.
30. Literal – the actual meaning of words.
31. Literary Analysis – the examining and breaking down of a literary work.
32. Memoir – a story based on a personal experience.
33. Metacognitive – involving several different types of thought processes.
34. Metaphor – a direct comparison.
35. Motif – a dominant idea or central theme.
36. Myth –a fictional tale that describes the actions of gods and heroes. 37. Narrative – a story told in nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or drama.
38. Novella – a work of fiction whose length is between a short story and a novel.
39. Olfactory – related to the sense of smell.
40. Oral History – history obtained through tape recorded interviews.
41. Oxymoron – a combination of words that contradict each other. (e.g. a wise fool or a jumbo shrimp) 42. Paradox – a statement that seems contradictory but may actually express a deeper truth.
43. Parallel Structure – written structures that mirror each other.
44. Paraphrase – re-stating text in other words.
45. Personification –giving a non-human subject human characteristics.
46. Poetry – writing in verse that creates a mental image for the reader or provokes an emotional response.
47. Reflection – a period of self-analysis and/or self evaluation.
48. Repetition – the act of repeating something.
49. Rhetoric –the art of speaking or writing effectively 50. Rhyme – the repetition of similar sounds in a poem.
51. Rhyme scheme – labeling the similar sounds in a poem with letters of the alphabet.
52. Rubric – a model for evaluating a spoken or written work.
53. Satire – a written work that ridicules the foolishness of an individual or society in general.
54. Scholarly – characteristic of a learned person.
55. Simile – a comparison that uses “like” or “as”.
56. Simple Sentence – the main subject and verb of a sentence.
57. Stanza – a repeated grouping of two or more lines in a poem.
58. Summary – a brief covering of the main points.
59. Symbol – a character, place, or thing that stands for something else, often an abstract idea.
60. Tactile – involving the sense of touch.
61. Theme – a central message about life that is revealed through a literary work. 62. Tone – the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter and audience. (examples: bitter, ironic, humorous)