1. Literary Terms
2014 – 2015 English II

2. Allusion
A reference to something well known in pop culture or in literature.

3. Antagonist
The force that opposes the protagonist in a story. (not necessarily the “bad guy”)

4. Atmosphere
The overall feeling of a work, which is related to tone and mood.

5. Characterization
The means by which an author establishes character. (direct, indirect)

6. Climax
The point at which the action in a story or play reaches its emotional peak.

7. Conflict
The elements that create a plot. (m v. m, m v. s, m v. n, m v. s)

8. Figurative Language
Language that does not mean exactly what it says. (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, irony, onomatopoeia, pun, etc.)

9. Foreshadowing
A technique in which an author gives clues about something that will happen later in the story.

10. Genre
A kind of style usually art or literature. (four main genres, subgenres)

11. Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration

12. Imagery
The use of description that appeals to the senses: visual, auditory, tactile gustatory, olfactory, kinesthetic, etc.

13. Irony
Language that conveys certain ideas by saying just the opposite. (situational, verbal, dramatic)

14. Metaphor
A direct comparison between to unlike things without using the words “like” or “as.”

15. Mood
The emotional atmosphere of a given piece of writing.

16. Onomatopoeia
The use of words that sound like what they mean.

17. Paradox
A seeming contradiction.

18. Personification
Giving inanimate object human characteristics.

19. Plot
The series of events that happen in a story.

20. Prose
Writing organized into sentences and paragraphs. In other words, normal writing—not poetry or a play

21. Protagonist
The main character of a novel, play, or story. (not necessarily the “good guy”)

22. Simile
An indirect comparison that uses “like” or “as.”

23. Symbolism
The use of one things to represent another.

24. Theme
The central idea of a work. What the reader takes away from a work (the message or moral of a story).

25. Tone
The author’s attitude toward his or her subject. For example, a tone could be pessimistic, optimistic, or angry.