Literary Terms

Allusion
An allusion is a reference to something or someone famous from literature, religion,
history, popular culture, and everything in between.
Examples:
Good work, Kim! Youre a real Einstein!
o Einstein was a German physicist known for his intelligence and paradigm-shifting
theories of relativity.
My girlfriend makes Helen of Troy look ordinary.
o Helen of Troy was a figure who is widely regarded to be the most beautiful
woman in the world.
The Toronto Argonauts
o In Greek mythology, a group of fighters.
Doh!
o An interjection used by Homer Simpson in The Simpsons.
Contrast
Contrast is the use of opposing elements or ideas.
Examples:
Night and Day
Hero and Villain
Rise and Fall
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a warning or indication of an unfortunate future event.
Examples:
If a character in a story accidentally breaks a mirror.
o The character may have a streak of bad luck.
o In folklore, the breaking of a mirror is often associated with seven years of bad
luck. Superstitions
In a movie, the background soundtrack starts to get faster and scarier.
o Something is about to pop up.
o Whats wrong with this picture
Hyperbole
A hyperbole is an obvious exaggeration of the facts, for a stronger effect.
Examples:
Im so hungry, I could eat a horse.
I have a million things to do.
Yo mama so stupid, she spent the day arguing am not to R2!
Image; Imagery
Imagery is a group of words that help paint a picture in the readers mind.
Examples:
What you are saying is unpleasant for me to hear.
These words are razors to my wounded heart.
The use of imagery creates a stronger emotion.
Litotes
A litote is an obvious understatement, for a stronger effect.
Hitler had a few strange ideas.
Grade Eleven was a bad year.
Jar-Jar Binks is an odd character.
Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparator between two abstract objects in a direct, attributive way.
Life is a rollercoaster.
o Life has its ups and downs.
o Rollercoasters usually do too.
My father is a prison warden.
o My father is extremely strict
o Prison wardens should be too.
Mood
Mood is the atmosphere created by the writer/artist/director. For example, the mood can
be happy, scary, sad, quiet, etc
Examples:
The wind whistled a scream through the fireplace, and caused the candles to go out. We
were all left in the dark.
Nemesis
A nemesis is a just punishment for a crime committed. This is known as getting what you
deserve.
Examples:
The death of Scar at the end of The Lion King.
o Scar killed Simbas father.
The death of Macbeth at the end of Shakespeares Macbeth.
o The main character(s) die in most of Shakespeares plays.
Pathetic Fallacy
A pathetic fallacy is when parts of nature (the outside world) reflect human emotions.
Examples:
Because youre happy, the weather is sunny and warm.
When Princess Diana of Wales died, it started to rain.
Paradox
A paradox is a seemingly contradictory sentence that in fact makes perfect sense.
Examples:
Im standing in the middle of a crowd of friends, but Im all alone.
o I know the feeling.
Parents have to be cruel, to be kind.
o Parents have the right to be difficult to their children in order to teach their
child/children a lesson.
Personification
Personification is giving human characteristics to objects, animals, and everything else in
between. Heheh
Examples:
The sun smiled on the land.
o The sun is shining on the land, or being kind to the land.
Time stood still.
o Time cannot stand.
Pun
A pun is a joke that is created because of the double-meaning of a word or its
homophone.
Examples:
It must be autumnthe Leafs are falling
o It was after Toronto lost its opening game. Leaves fall in the autumn.
Thanks to Carter, Raptors are invincible.
o When Carter left, the Raptors fell.
Irony
Verbal Irony
Verbal irony is saying one thing, but meaning the opposite. This term is often used in a
sarcastic manner.
Examples:
Oh, I really like your new haircut!
How was the party last night? Great!
Should I put down the pile of textbooks down? No just stand their holding them for
the rest of the period.
Situational Irony
Situational irony is when the opposite happens from what is expected.
Examples:
A police officer getting arrested
A fire hydrant on fire.
The First World War named The War to End All Wars.
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is in a play (or film, or a television show), when the audience knows
something that the characters do not.
Examples:
Romeo commits suicide in Juliets tomb.
o Juliet was in fact alive. She had taken a Draught of Living Death.
In a scary movie, when we see the villain sneaking up behind the oblivious hero.
o We can, but the hero cannot.
Simile
A simile is a comparison between two things using like or as.
Examples:
Strong as an ox.
Sly as a fox.
Life is a pseudorandom number generator.
Suspense
Suspense is the tension that is caused by not knowing what is going to happen, or by
anticipating what is going to happen.
Examples:
Through the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, when youre anxious to find out if Tom will be
found guilty or not.
Symbol/Symbolism
Symbols or symbolism is the use of concrete objects that also represent an abstract idea.
Examples:
A rose
o Romance
o Love
o Faith
A Ferrari
o Luxury
o Wealth
o Speed
A ring
o Marriage
o Unity
o Diamonds!
The Canadian flag
o Canada
o Constitutional monarchy
o Freedom
The colour black
o Anarchism
o Darkness
o Death
Theme
The theme is the writers/artists/creators main point, idea, or message.
The theme of innocence to experience, also known as the Heros Journey.
The theme of prejudice
The quest for knowledge.