Lit Genius
Glossary of Literary Terms
Table of contentsAlphabetical listAcrostic
Adynaton
Alexandrine
Allegory
Alliteration
Allusion
Amphimacer
Anachronism
Anadiplosis
Anagnorisis
Anagram
Analogy
Anapest
Anaphora
Anastrophe
Antagonist
Antanaclasis
Anthimeria
Anthropomorphism
Antimetabole
Antithesis
Antonomasia
Aphorismus
Aposiopesis
Apostrophe
Archaism/Pseudo-archaism
Archetype
Assonance
Asyndeton
Aubade
Authorial intent
Autotelic
Backronym
Ballad stanza
Bathos
Bildungsroman
Blank verse
Blason/Blazon
Block Form
Bowdlerization
Brevitas
Byronic hero
Cacophony
Calligram
Cæsura
Canto
Characternym
Catalectic
Catalog
Catharsis
Chain verse
Chiasmus
Cliché
Common metre
Conceit
Conflict
Connotation
Consonance
Couplet
Curtal
Dactyl
Dead metaphor
Declarative
Deconstruction
Defamiliarization
Denouement
Deus ex machina
Deuteragonist
Diacope
Dialogue
Diction
Didactic
Dimeter
Double entendre
Dramatic irony
Dramatic monologue
Dramaturgy
Dynamic character
Dysphemism
Ekphrasis
Elegy
Elision
Ellipsis
Enaleptic frames
End-stopped line
Enjambment
Epanalepsis
Epenthesis
Epigram
Epigraph
Epistolary novel
Epistrophe
Epithet
Epizeuxis
Ethos
Eucatastrophe
Eulogy
Euphemism
Euphony
Everyman
Exclamatory
Exposition
Extended metaphor
Fable
Figurative
Flashback
Flashforward
Foil
Foot
Foreshadowing
Free indirect discourse
Free verse
Fricative
Fronting
Ghazal
Gothic
Haiku
Hendiadys
Heterometric
Holophrasis
Homograph
Homonym
Homophone
Hypallage
Hyperbole
Hypermetric
Hypocorism
Hypophora
Hysteron proteron
Iamb
Iambic pentameter
Idiom
Illeism
Imagery
Incipit
Inclusio
In medias res
Innuendo
Interior monologue
Intertextuality
Invocation
Irony
Isocolon
Isometric
Juxtaposition
Kafkaesque
Kenning
Laconism
Lexical field
Line break
Literal
Litotes
Lyric
Malaphor
Malapropism
Meiosis
Memoir
Merism
Mesodiplosis
Metalepsis
Metanoia
Metaphor
Metapoetry
Metatextuality
Metonymy
Molossus
Monosyllabic string
Motif
Narrator
Neologism
Nonsense verse
Non-sequitur
Nosism
Nouning
Novella
Objective correlative
Octave
Ode
Onomatopoeia
Oronym
Ottava rima
Oxymoron
Palindrome
Palinode
Panegyric
Pantoum
Parable
Paradox
Paralipsis
Parallel syntax
Parallelism
Paraprosdokian
Pararhyme
Parataxis
Parody
Pathetic fallacy
Pathos
Pentameter
Peripeteia
Personification
Plosive
Point of view
Polyptoton
Polysemic
Polysyndeton
Portmanteau
Prolepsis
Prosody
Prosopopeia
Protagonist
Pun
Pyrrhic
Quatrain
Quintain
Refrain
Rhetorical question
Rhyme (eye)
Rhyme (feminine)
Rhyme (general)
Rhyme (internal)
Rhyme (masculine)
Rhyme (multisyllabic)
Rhyme (slant)
Rhythm
Rime riche
Roman à clef
Roundel
Scansion
Semantic field
Sententia
Sestet
Sestina
Setting
Shape poem
Sibilance
Simile
Soliloquy
Sonnet
Speaker
Spenserian stanza
Spondee
Spoonerism
Sprung rhythm
Stanza
Static character
Stichomythia
Sublime
Syllabic verse
Symbolism
Symploce
Syncope
Synecdoche
Synesthesia
Synonymia
Syntactic parallels
Syntax
Tense
Tercet
Terzina
Tetrameter
Theme
Tmesis
Tone
Tricolon
Trimeter
Triple entendre
Triplet
Trochee
Ubi sunt
Understatement
Unreliable narrator
Variorum
Verbosity
Villanelle
Volta
Wit
Yarn
Zeugma
Zeugma
ZoomorphismClassified listGENERALAnachronism
Archetype
Autotelic
Brevitas
Catalog
Deconstruction
Defamiliarization
Diction
Didactic
Epithet
Ethos
Figurative
Gothic
Imagery
Intertextuality
Juxtaposition
Kafkaesque
Literal
Metapoetry
Metatextuality
Objective correlative
Pathos
Rhythm
Sublime
Symbol
Synesthesia
Understatement
Verbosity
WitGENRES:A category of writing, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
Acrostic
Aubade
Bildungsroman
Blason/Blazon
Calligram
Elegy
Epigram
Epigraph
Epistolary novel
Eulogy
Fable
Ghazal
Haiku
Lyric
Memoir
Nonsense verse
Novella
Ode
Palinode
Panegyric
Parable
Parody
Pastiche
Roman à clef
Variorum
YarnLINGUISTICS:The scientific and technical study of language.
Anagram
Archaism
Backronym
Cacophony
Connotation
Dead metaphor
Declarative
Elision
Epenthesis
Euphony
Exclamatory
Fricative
Holophrasis
Homograph
Homonym
Homophone
Hypocorism
Idiom
Illeism
Laconism
Lexical field
Neologism
Nosism
Nouning
Onomatopoeia
Oronym
Palindrome
Parataxis
Plosive
Polysemic
Portmanteau
Prosody
Semantic field
Sibilance
Syncope
SyntaxNARRATOLOGY:This is the study of narrative in writing, including poetry.
Allegory
Anagnorisis
Antagonist
Authorial intent
Bowdlerization
Byronic hero
Catharsis
Conflict
Denouement
Deus ex machina
Deuteragonist
Dialogue
Dramatic irony
Dramatic monologue
Dramaturgy
Dynamic character
Ellipsis
Eucatastrophe
Everyman
Exposition
Flashback
Flashforward
Foil
Foreshadowing
Free indirect discourse
In medias res
Incipit
Interior monologue
Motif
Narrator
Non-sequitur
Peripeteia
Point of view
Protagonist
Setting
Soliloquy
Speaker
Static character
Stichomythia
Tense
Theme
Tone
Unreliable narratorMETER:The rhythm of a piece of poetry, determined by the number and length of feet in a line.

Alexandrine
Amphimacer
Anapest
Ballad stanza
Blank verse
Cæsura
Canto
Catalectic
Chain verse
Common metre
Couplet
Curtal
Dactyl
Dimeter
End-stopped line
Enjambment
Foot
Free verse
Heterometric
Hypermetric
Iamb
Iambic pentameter
Isometric
Line break
Molossus
Monosyllabic string
Octave
Ottava rima
Pantoum
Pararhyme
Pentameter
Pyrrhic
Quatrain
Quintain
Refrain
Rhyme (eye)
Rhyme (feminine)
Rhyme (general)
Rhyme (internal)
Rhyme (masculine)
Rhyme (multisyllabic)
Rhyme (slant)
Rime riche
Roundel
Scansion
Sestet
Sestina
Sonnet
Spenserian stanza
Spondee
Sprung rhythm
Stanza
Syllabic verse
Tercet
Terzina
Tetrameter
Trimeter
Triplet
Trochee
Villanelle
VoltaSCHEMES:The manipulation of words, syntax and grammar for particular effect in poetry.

Alliteration
Anadiplosis
Anaphora
Anastrophe
Anthimeria
Antimetabole
Antithesis
Aphorismus
Aposiopesis
Assonance
Asyndeton
Chiasmus
Consonance
Diacope
Epanalepsis
Epistrophe
Epizeuxis
Fronting
Hendiadys
Hysteron proteron
Inclusio
Isocolon
Mesodiplosis
Parallelism
Parallel syntax
Polyptoton
Polysyndeton
Prolepsis
Spoonerism
Symploce
Synonymia
Syntactic parallels
Tmesis
Tricolon
ZeugmaTROPES:A trope is a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression.

Adynaton
Allusion
Analogy
Antanaclasis
Anthimeria
Anthropomorphism
Antonomasia
Apostrophe
Bathos
Cliché
Conceit
Double entendre
Dysphemism
Ekphrasis
Euphemism
Extended metaphor
Hypallage
Hyperbole
Hypophora
Innuendo
Invocation
Irony
Kenning
Litotes
Malaphor
Malapropism
Meiosis
Merism
Metalepsis
Metanoia
Metaphor
Metonymy
Oxymoron
Paradox
Paralipsis
Paraprosdokian
Pathetic fallacy
Personification
Prosopopeia
Pun
Rhetorical question
Sententia
Simile
Synecdoche
Triple entendre
Ubi sunt
Zeugma
Zoomorphism