Legend: Literary Terms

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Characterization

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The representation of a character’s traits, motives, and psychological makeup within a story, shown through direct description or through actions, thoughts, and dialogue.

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Internal Conflict

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A psychological struggle within the mind of a character, often involving moral dilemmas, desires, or emotions.

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External Conflict

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A struggle between a character and an outside force, such as another character, society, nature, or fate.

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Mood

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The emotional atmosphere or feeling that a literary work evokes in the reader, often created through setting, tone, and diction.

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Anaphora

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The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences for emphasis and rhythm.

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Irony

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A contrast between expectations and reality, often highlighting the difference between what is said and what is meant, or what is expected and what actually happens.

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Diction

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The author's choice of words, which affects tone, style, and meaning.

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Connotation

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The emotional or cultural associations attached to a word, beyond its literal dictionary definition.

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Metaphor

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A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things by stating one is the other ("Time is a thief").

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Simile

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A figure of speech that compares two different things using “like” or “as”.