Discover published sets by community

A typical example of a certain person or thing in literature. Origin: From the Greek 'archetypon,' meaning 'pattern, model.'

A strong pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation. Origin: Latin for 'cutting' or 'a cutting off.'

A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Origin: The term evolved from the Old English 'foresceaduwan,' meaning 'to shadow or screen beforehand.'

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Origin: From the Greek 'metaphora,' meaning 'to transfer.'

An error in chronology, where an object or event is placed in the wrong time period. Origin: From the Greek 'anachronismos,' meaning 'against time.'

The final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot. Origin: From the French 'denouer,' meaning 'to untie.'

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. Origin: From Greek 'oxymoron,' from 'oxys' (sharp) + 'moros' (foolish).

A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which, when investigated, may prove to be well-founded or true. Origin: From the Greek 'paradoxon,' meaning 'contrary to expectations.'

The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect. Origin: Latin 'juxtapositio,' from 'juxta' meaning 'next' and 'positio' meaning 'placement.'

A mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead. Origin: From the Greek 'elegos,' a song of mourning.

A polite or mild word or expression used to replace a harsher, more direct one. Origin: Greek 'euphēmismos,' from 'euphēmos' meaning 'sounding good.'

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely positioned words. Origin: Derived from Latin 'ad' (to) + 'littera' (letter).

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. Origin: From Latin 'assonantia,' meaning 'sound in answer to' or 'responding to.'

A literary device where two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. Origin: From the Greek 'antitithenai,' meaning 'to oppose.'

The process of releasing strong or repressed emotions through art. Origin: From the Greek 'katharsis,' meaning 'cleansing, purifying.'

An imagined world or society in which people lead dehumanized, fearful lives. Origin: From the Greek 'dys,' meaning 'bad,' and 'topos,' meaning 'place.'

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. Origin: From the Greek 'hyperbole,' meaning 'excess.'

A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition. Origin: From the French 'motif,' meaning 'motive' or 'theme.'

The attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature. Origin: Coined by John Ruskin in 1856 from the Greek 'pathos' (feeling) + 'fallacy.'

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza in poetry. Origin: From the French 'enjamber,' meaning 'to straddle.'

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices. Origin: From the Latin 'satura,' meaning 'dish filled with various fruits,' itself from 'satur' (sated).

An indirect reference to a person, event, or piece of literature. Origin: From the Latin 'allusio,' meaning 'a play on words or game.'

A narrative in which characters and events represent particular moral, ethical, or political concepts. Origin: From the Greek 'allegoria,' meaning 'veiled language, figurative.'

A plot device where an unsolvable problem is suddenly resolved by an unexpected occurrence. Origin: From the Greek 'apo mechanes theos,' meaning 'the god from the machine,' referring to stage machinery.

A novel or other literary work in the form of letters. Origin: From the Greek 'epistolē,' meaning 'letter.'

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. Origin: From the Latin 'persona,' meaning 'character' in a drama or 'mask.'

Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities. Origin: From the Greek 'anthropos' (human) + 'morphe' (form).

Poetry written in regular metrical but unrhymed lines, almost always iambic pentameter. Origin: Coined during the Renaissance, when poets began writing in the vernacular.

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, often for humorous or emphatic effect. Origin: From the Greek 'eirōneia,' meaning 'dissimulation, ignorance purposely affected.'