I. What is a Soliloquy? A soliloquy (pronounced so-LILL-oh-kwee) is a kind of monologue, or an extended speech by one character. In a soliloquy, though, the speech is not given[…]

I. What is a Sonnet? A sonnet (pronounced son-it) is a fourteen line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme. Often, sonnets use iambic pentameter: five sets of unstressed syllables followed[…]

I. What is a Stanza? In poetry, a stanza is a dividing and organizing technique which places a group of lines in a poem together, separated from other groups of[…]

I. What is a Stereotype Stereotyping is assuming that “they’re all alike.” It’s looking at a whole group of people and assuming that they all share certain qualities. For example,[…]

I. What is a Story? A story or narrative is a connected series of events told through words (written or spoken), imagery (still and moving), body language, performance, music, or[…]

I. What is Style? While you may not think about it all the time, there’s a lot more to literature than storylines and content. In literature, style is the way[…]

I. What is Subtext? The subtext is the unspoken or less obvious meaning or message in a literary composition, drama, speech, or conversation. The subtext comes to be known by[…]

I. What is Surrealism? Surrealism (pronounced suhr-REAL-ism) is a literary and artistic movement in which the goal is to create something bizarre and disjointed, but still somehow understandable. Surrealist paintings[…]

I. What is a Symbol? A symbol (pronounced SIM-bull) is any image or thing that stands for something else. It could be as simple as a letter, which is a symbol for a[…]

I. What is Synecdoche? When the captain of a ship calls, “All hands on deck!” certainly no hands can be seen running across the ship. Rather, the speaker is using synecdoche: allowing[…]

I. What is Synesthesia? In literature, synesthesia (sin-uh s-thee-zhee-uh), (also spelled synaesthesia) is a rhetorical device that describes or associates one sense in terms of another, most often in the form[…]

 I. What is a Synonym? A synonym (sin–uh-nim) is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. When words or phrases have the same[…]

I. What is a Synopsis? A synopsis is a brief summary that gives audiences an idea of what a composition is about. It provides an overview of the storyline or[…]

I. What is Tautology? I did it, so I’m finished. This phrase sounds strange because if you did something, that already means you finished it! This is a tautology- defining or[…]

I. What is Theme? One of the first questions to ask upon hearing someone has written a story is, “What’s it about?” or “What’s the point?” Short answers may range[…]

I. What is a Thesis? The thesis (pronounced thee-seez), also known as a thesis statement, is the sentence that introduces the main argument or point of view of a composition (formal essay, nonfiction[…]

I. What is a thriller? A thriller is a genre of literature, film, and television whose primary feature is that it induces strong feelings of excitement, anxiety, tension, suspense, fear,[…]

I. What is Tone? Tone does not mean quite the same thing in literature as it does for the way people speak, but it’s pretty close; it refers to the[…]

I. What is Tragedy? Tragedy is a genre of story in which a hero is brought down by his/her own flaws, usually by ordinary human flaws – flaws like greed,[…]

I. What is a Trope? The word trope can refer to any type of figure of speech, theme, image, character, or plot element that is used many times. Any kind[…]

I. What is Truism? A truism (TROO-ism) is a bland statement. It’s something that might sound wise or meaningful on the surface, but that’s very obvious and doesn’t add any[…]

I. What is a Turning Point? In literature, the turning point or climax is the point of highest tension in a narrative; it’s the most exciting and revealing part of[…]

I. What is an Understatement? Understatement is when a writer presents a situation or thing as if it is less important or serious than it is in reality. It describes something[…]

I. What is an Urban Legend? An urban legend is a fictional story rooted in modern popular culture. You can think of urban legends as today’s folklore—just like traditional folktales,[…]

I. What is Utopia A utopia (pronounced you-TOE-pee-yuh) is a paradise. A perfect society in which everything works and everyone is happy – or at least is supposed to be. Utopias[…]

I. What is Verisimilitude? Aside from being fun to say, verisimilitude (pronounced ‘VAIR-ih-sih-MILL-ih-tude’) simply means ‘the quality of resembling reality.’ A work of art, or any part of a work[…]

I. What is Vernacular? Vernacular (pronounced ver-NACK-you-lar) is everyday speech. It’s just the way people talk in day-to-day life. The opposite of vernacular is formal writing – the sort of[…]

I. What is a Vignette? In literature, a vignette (pronounced vin-yet) is a short scene that captures a single moment or a defining detail about a character, idea, or other[…]

I. What is a Villain? A villain is the bad guy, the one who comes up with diabolical plots to somehow cause harm or ruin. It is one of the archetype[…]

I. What is Voice? In literature, the voice expresses the narrator or author’s emotions, attitude, tone and point of view through artful, well thought out use of word choice and[…]

I. What is Wit? Wit is a biting or insightful kind of humor. It includes sharp comebacks, clever banter, and dry, one-line jokes. It is often cynical or insulting, which[…]

I. What is Wordplay? Wordplay (or word play, and also called play-on-words) is the clever and witty use of words and meaning. It involves using literary devices and techniques like[…]

I. What is Zeugma? Zeugma is when you use a word in a sentence once, while conveying two different meanings at the same time. Sometimes, the word is literal in one[…]