Literary Terms #2

Circumlocution: the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
Classicism: literary style characterized by formal adherence to traditions of structure, content, and genre
Cliché: word or expression that has lost much of its force through overexposure
Climax: the turning point in a plot or dramatic action
Colloquialism: word or phrase that is not formal or literary; typically used in ordinary or familiar conversation
Comedy:  a drama or narrative with a happy ending or non-tragic theme
Conflict: opposition between characters or forces
Connotation: set of associations implied by a word in addition to its actual meaning
Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity.
Denotation: plain dictionary definition
Denouement: loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion.
Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others.
Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth.
Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things.
Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words.
Didactic: refers to a particular philosophy in art and literature that emphasizes on the idea that different forms of art and literature ought to convey information and instructions along with pleasure and entertainment.
Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles.
Elegy: a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting.
Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time.
Epigram: witty aphorism.
Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone.
Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone’s character or characteristics.
Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt.
Evocative: a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality.