Literary Terms Page 5

a comical piece of writing that mocks the characteristics of a specific literary form; calls attention to the ridiculous aspects of its subject through exaggeration of the types of ideas, language, tone, or action in a type of literature or a specific work

a musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker; have a musical quality achieved through rhythm and such other devices as alliteration and rhyme

the turning point in a story that is always a letdown; the point at which the reader learns that the story will not turn out the way s/he had expected

uses words in their ordinary sense; the opposite of figurative language

a brief, memorable saying that expresses a basic truth; many cultures pass on wisdom in the form of this

the rhythmical pattern of a poem that is determined by the number and types of stresses, or beats, in each line

seeks to convey an impression about a person, place, or object

offers one person's judgement of a movie, play, or other performance; this discusses the various elements of the performance and makes a recommendation

presents information or makes a point about a subject through photographs and other visual forms as well as through text

a writer shares his or her thoughts about and impressions of an idea or experience

presents the author's thoughts on a sujbect in an amusing way

gives information, discusses ideas, or explains a process

a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person

a poem or speech in which a fictional character addresses a silent listener

a long work of fiction that has a plot that explores characters in conflict; may have one or more subplots, or minor stories, and several themes

a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison between two unlike ideas

the use of any element of language - a sound, word, phrase, clause, or sentence - more than once; poets use alliteration, assonance, rhyme, and rhythm are examples of items used more than once of certain sounds and sound patterns; in both prose and poetry, this is used for musical effects and for emphasis

a form of nonfiction in which a person tells his or her own life story

the feeling or mood created in a reader by a literary work or passage

the set of ideas associated with a word in addition to its explicit meaning; this can be personal, based on individual experiences, but more often will have a cultural meaning to determine a writer's word choices

a type of expository writing that explains a procedure, provides instructions, or represents specialized information; often, specialized vocabulary is used