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(definitely not a complete list)

Allegory- A form of symbolism in which ideas or abstract qualities are represented ascharacters or events in a story, novel, or play. For example, in the medieval drama Everyman ,Fellowship, Kindred, and Goods, the friends of the title character, will not accompany him on hisend-of-life journey, and he must depend on Good Works, whom he had previously neglected.

Anaphora- The repetition of the same word or phrase throughout a work or a section of awork. The effect is to lend weight and emphasis.

Antagonist- The character (or force such as war or poverty) in a drama, poem, or work offiction whose actions oppose those of the protagonist (hero or heroine).

Archetype- A recurring character type, plot, symbol, or theme of seemingly universalsignificance: the blind prophet figure, the journey to the underworld, the sea as source of life, theinitiation theme.

Audience- In composition, the readers for whom a piece of writing is intended.

Climax- The point toward which the action of a plot builds as the conflicts becomeincreasingly intense or complex; the turning point.

Coherence- In good writing, the orderly, logical relationship among the many parts- thesmooth moving forward of ideas through clearly related sentences. Also see Unity.

Conflict- The antagonism between the opposing characters or forces that causes tension orsuspense in the plot.

Controlling Image- In a short story, novel, play, or poem, an image that recurs and carries suchsymbolic significance that it embodies the theme of the work.

Convention- An accepted feature of a genre, such as the point of view in a story, the form of a poem (e.g., sonnet, ode), the competence or brilliance of the detective in detective fiction, theimpenetrability of disguise and concealment in a Shakespearean play, or the chorus in Greekdrama.

Crisis- The point of uncertainty and tension- the turning point- that results from the conflictsand difficulties brought about through the complications of the plot. The crisis leads to theclimax- that is, to the decision made by the protagonist to resolve the conflict. Sometimes thecrisis and the climax are considered two elements of the same stage of plot development.

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Diction- Word choice, types of words, and the level of language. Formal- proper, elevated, elaborate, and polysyllabic language. Informal- relaxed, conversational, and familiar language, utilizing contractions and

sometimes employing slang and grammatical mistakes.

Neutral- correct language characterized by directness and simplicity.

Dilemma- Two choices facing a protagonist, usually in a tragic situation, with either choice being unacceptable or damaging; a cause of both internal and external conflict.

Empathy- Literally, "feeling in"; the emotional identification that a reader or an audience feelswith a character.

Epilogue- The concluding section of a literary work, usually in a play, in which loose threadsare tied together or a moral is drawn.

Fable- A story, usually using symbolic characters and settings, designed to teach a lesson.Falling action- In classical dramatic structure, the part of a play after the climax, in which theconsequences of the conflict are revealed. (sometimes called Demouement)

Figurative Language- Words that carry suggestive or symbolic meaning beyond the literallevel.

Flashback- Part of a narrative that interrupts the chronological flow by relating events from the past.

Flat Character- In contrast to a well-developed character, a flat one is stereotyped or shallow,not seeming as complex as real people; flat characters are often created deliberately to give thema symbolic role.

Foil- A character, usually a minor one, who emphasizes the qualities of another one throughimplied contrast between the two.

Foreshadowing- Early clues about what will happen later in a narrative or play.

Genre- A classification of literature: drama, novel, short story, poem.

Hero/Heroine- The character intended to engage most fully the audience's or reader'ssympathies and admiration. Also see Protagonist.

Hubris- Unmitigated pride, often the cause of the hero's downfall in Greek tragedy.

Hyperbole- A purposeful exaggeration.

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Image/Imagery- Images are references that trigger the mind to fuse together memories ofsights (visual), sounds (auditory), tastes (gustatory), smells (olfactory), and sensations of touch(tactile). "Image" refers to a single mental creation. "Imagery" refers to images throughout awork or throughout the works of a writer or a group of writers. Images may be literal

(descriptive and pictorial) and metaphorical (figurative and suggestive).

Irony- Broadly, a means of indirection. Language that states the opposite of what is intendedis verbal irony. The placement of characters in a state of ignorance is dramatic irony , while anemphasis on powerlessness is situational irony.

Meaning- That which is to be understood in a work; the total combination of ideas, actions,descriptions, and effects.

Metaphor- A figure of speech that makes an imaginative comparison between two literallyunlike things: Sylvia's face was a pale star .

Mood- The emotional content of a scene or setting, usually described in terms of feeling:somber, gloomy, joyful, expectant. (also called Atmosphere) Also see Tone.

Myth- A traditional story involving deities and heroes, usually expressing and inculcating theestablished values of a culture.

Narrative- A story line in prose or verse.

Narrator- The person who tells the story to the audience or reader.

Onomatopoeia- A word that sounds like what it names: woosh, clang, babble.

Parody- An imitation of a piece of writing, copying some features such as diction, style, andform, but changing or exaggerating other features for humorous effect.

Plot- A series of causally related events or episodes that occur in a narrative or Play.

Point of View- The angle or perspective from which a story is reported and interpreted.

Protagonist- The main character in drama or fiction sometimes called the hero or heroine.

Rising Action- The complication and development of the conflict leading to the climax in a plot.

Round Character- A literary character with sufficient complexity to be convincing, true to life.

Sarcasm- A form of verbal irony that presents caustic and bitter disapproval in the guise of praise. Also see Irony.

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Setting- The time and place in which a story, play, or novel occurs. Also see Mood.Simile- A verbal comparison in which a similarity is expressed directly, using like or as :houses leaning together like conspirators (James Joyce). See also Metaphor.

Stereotype- An oversimplified, commonly held image or opinion about a person, race, or

gender.

Style- Individuality of expression, achieved in writing through the selection and arrangementof words and punctuation.

Symbol- Something that suggest or stands for an idea, quality, or concept larger than itself: thelion is a symbol of courage; a voyage or journey can symbolize life; water suggests spirituality,dryness the lack thereof.

Symbolic Character- A character whose primary function is symbolic, even though thecharacter also retains normal or realistic qualities.

Theme- The central or dominating idea advanced by a literary work, usually containing someinsight into the human condition.

Thesis- The main point or position that a writer develops and supports in a composition.

Tone- The attitude a writer conveys toward his or her subject and audience. In poetry thisattitude is sometimes called voice.

Topic Sentence- The sentence determining the subject matter of a paragraph.

Type Character- A literary character who embodies a number of traits that are common to a particular group or class of people (a rebellious daughter, a stern father, a jealous lover).

The above definitions are taken from the following two sources:

McMahan, Elizabeth, Day, Susan, and Funk, Robert. Literature and the Writing Process. 5th ed.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.

Roberts, Edgar, and Jacobs, Henry. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 5th ed.Upper Saddler River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.