Lit Terms #6

simile:  a figure of speech that draws a comparison between two different things, especially a phrase containing the word "like" or "as"

soliloquy:  the act of speaking while alone, especially when used as a theatrical device that allows a character's thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience

spiritual: relating to religious or sacred things rather than worldly things

speaker: somebody who makes a speech or gives a lecture

stereotype: to categorize individuals or groups according to an oversimplified standardized image or idea

stream of consciousness: a literary style that presents a character's continuous random flow of thoughts as they arise

structure: a system or organization made up of interrelated parts functioning as a whole

style:  the way in which something is written or performed, as distinct from its content

subordination:  the act of placing in a lower rank or position

surrealism: an early 20th-century movement in art and literature that tried to represent the subconscious mind by creating fantastic imagery and juxtaposing ideas that seem to contradict each other

suspension of disbelief: is a willingness of a reader or viewer to suspend his critical faculties to the extent of ignoring minor inconsistencies so as to enjoy a work of fiction

synesthesia:  the description of one kind of sense perception using words that describe another kind of sense perception, as in the phrase "shining metallic words"

synecdoche: figure of speech in which a part represents the whole, as in the expression "hired hands" for workmen

syntax: organization of words in sentences

theme: a distinct, recurring, and unifying quality or idea

thesis: a subject for an essay

tone: the way somebody says something as an indicator of what that person is feeling or thinking
tongue in cheek

tragedy: an event in life that evokes feelings of sorrow or grief. a serious play with a tragic theme, often involving a heroic struggle and the downfall of the main character.

understatement: a statement, or a way of expressing yourself, that is deliberately less forceful or dramatic than the subject would seem to justify or require

vernacular:  the everyday language of the people in a country or region

voice:  is the author's style, the quality that makes his or her writing unique

zeitgeist: ideas and spirit of time, the ideas prevalent in a period and place, particularly as expressed in literature, philosophy, and religion.