Topics: Entertainment › Events
Type: Narrative Essays
Sample donated: Lyle Lamb
Last updated: May 7, 2019
characterization
the means by which an author reveals the traits/personality of his/her characters
conflict
a struggle (“tug-o’-war”) between two opposing forces in a work
stream of consciousness
a technique that allows the reader to see the continuous, chaotic flow of half-formed and discontinuous thoughts, memories, sense impressions, random associations, images, feelings and reflections that constitute a character’s awareness and being
flashback
a scene in a work which interrupts the action to show an event that happened at an earlier time
foreshadowing
the use of hints or clues in a work to suggest what action is to come
irony
a contrast or an incongruity (mismatch) between two things
allusion
an indirect or passing reference to an event, person, place, or artistic work that the author assumes the reader will understand
colloquialism
words or phrases that are used in everyday conversation or informal writing which are usually considered inappropriate the range of further associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its straightforward dictionary meaning for a formal essays
point of view
the vantage point (or angle) from which a story is told
denotation
the precise, literal meaning of a word, without emotional associations or overtones
suspense
the quality of work that makes the audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events
tone
the reflection in a work of the author’s attitude toward his or her subject
antagonist
the most prominent of the characters who oppose the protagonist or hero(line) in a dramatic or narrative work
foil
a character whose qualities or actions serve to emphasize those of the protagonist (or of some other character) by providing a strong contrast with them
in medias res
“in the middle of things”; the technique of beginning a story in the middle of the action
diction
the choice of words used in a literary work
voice
the sense a written work conveys to a reader of the writer’s attitude, personality and character
denouement
the portion of a plot that reveals the final outcome of its conflicts or the solution of its mysteries
satire
any form of lit that blends ironic humor and wit with criticism directed at a particular folly, vice or stupidity; it seeks to correct,improve,or reform through ridicule
archetype
a pattern or model of an action, a character type, or an image that recurs consistently enough in life and literature to be considered universal
motif
a recurring image,word,phrase,action,idea,object or situation that appears in various works or throughout the same work
onomatopoeia
the use of words that seem to imitate the sounds they refer to (whack,fizz,crackle,etc)
hyperbole
exaggeration for the sake of emphasis in a figure of speech not meant literally
personification
the technique by which abstract ideas or inanimate objects are referred to as if they were human
allegory
a story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visible meaning