Literary Terms for Short Fiction and Non-Fiction Analysis

Alliteration: repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Allusion: a reference to a person or event in literature,
mythology, or history assumed to be known to the reader.
Colloquialism: informal conversational language.
Diction: authors choice of words. In good writing words are
not chosen lightly but are carefully selected for their impact,
including subtle connotations.
Denotation: the precise, literal meaning of a word (i.e. the
dictionary definition).
Connotation: The individual associations implied or
suggested by a word; they extend the meaning of a word
beyond its literal meaning. (Associations will vary greatly by
individual and their personal experiences, yet will-informed
readers will often make the same connections.)
Hyperbole: exaggeration.
Personification: a type of metaphor that gives human
qualities to objects or ideas.
Irony: there are three types of irony: dramatic, situational,
and verbal.
Dramatic Irony: A situation in which the audience
knows of present or future circumstances that a
character does not.

 Situational Irony: When there is a discrepancy

between expected results and actual results. Often the
outcome is somehow perversely different than what
was anticipated.
Verbal Irony: When a speakers says one thing but
actually means something else. Examples include
sarcasm and understatement.
Satire: a literary device in which a person or group is held up
to ridicule with the purpose of exposing or denouncing
behaviour that is socially destructive, often through the use of
irony or sarcasm. It is a humorous way to try and better
society.
Parody: A work that comments on, exposes, mocks, or
otherwise ridicules an original artistic work, especially
through ironic or satirical imitation of the original.
Juxtaposition: placing words or ideas side by side for
contrast
Parallel structure: use of same forms (structures) for words,
phrases, sentences
Rhetorical question: question used to involve the reader
Simile: A figure of speech that evokes imagery by explicitly
comparing two dissimilar things, using the words like or as:
My love is like a rose; the thunder sounded like a mean
dogs growl.
Metaphor: A common figure of speech where a direct
comparison or identification is implicitly made between two

unlike objects (not using like or as): Juliet is the sun;

Thumb: an odd friendless boy raised by four aunts.
Pathos: That which arouses pity characters that arouse a
feeling of pathos are usually young, innocent, and
undeserving of their fate.
Bathos: A form of failed pathos because the latter is overworked or excessive. It is when a writer over-reaches
trying to create sympathy or pity as an effect and it fails.
Onomatopoeia: Words which represent a sound (e.g.
Bang!; thump; click).
Phonetic Intensive: A word whose sound emphasizes its
meaning, though not onomatopeaiac. Consider the words
flash and glimmering.
Tone: writers attitude towards his subject and/or audience.
This attitude can best be discovered through the choice of
diction which collectively reveals the tone.
Note: Avoid describing tone with vague generalities like
negative or positive, but look for more descriptive
words backed by specific examples of diction.

Additional Terms Specific to Non-Fiction

Thesis: the writers argument or position. Note that this is
different than the topic (what the essay is about).
Topic + Authors Perspective = Thesis
Anecdote: a brief, simple narration of an incident

 Analogy: a comparison that assumes that two objects or

events that are alike in one respect will be alike in another
Reference to authority: quoting an expert
Reference to pop culture: reference to current fads, shows,
songs, etc.
Rhetoric: the art of using language to persuade or convince
others, often employing one of logos (appealing to reason) or
pathos (appealing to the emotions), after having established
ethos (the authority to speak on the subject, usually because
of experience or expertise).