Circumlocution: a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served
ex: saying "a certain long-eared animal with a penchant for carrots" instead of saying "rabbit"
Classicism: art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome: tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance
ex: writers like Homer, Ovid, Virgil, Sophocles, etc.
Cliché: a phrase or situation overused within society
ex: "There are more fish in the sea"
Climax: the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved
ex: The climax of the movie Titanic is when the ship hits the iceberg.
Colloquialism: folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation
ex: "Hey, let's get some grub."
Comedy: originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter
ex: Twelfth Night by Shakespeare, Friends the TV show
Conflict: struggle or problem in a story causing tension
ex: The conflict in The Hunger Games is that Katniss must fight for her life while also protecting Peeta.
Connotation: implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition
ex: "Mother" has a more negative connotation than "mom"
Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity
ex: "What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult." (Sigmund Freud)
Denotation: plain dictionary definition
ex: the definition of definition is: a statement of the exact meaning of a word, esp. in a dictionary.
Denouement (pronounced day-new-mahn): loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion
ex: In Into the Wild the denouement is when Chris dies
Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others.
ex: In Uganda, the main dialect is English but there are also Bantu dialects
Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth.
ex: "Sophists employed the method of dialectic (Greek: dialektike) in their teaching, or inventing arguments for and against a proposition. This approach taught students to argue either side of a case." James A. Herrick
Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things.
ex: The dichotomy between right and wrong
Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words.
ex: Classroom diction is different than the diction we use when with friends.
Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education.
ex: Some boring classes are said to be too didactic
Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles.
ex: "Anyone who wants universal health care is a socialist." is a dogmatic statement
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.
ex: "Here Captain! dear father!/This arm beneath your head;/It is some dream that on deck,/You've fallen cold and dead."-"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
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 (definition bordering on circumlocution).
ex: The Epic of Gilgamesh
Epigram: witty aphorism.
ex: "It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." - Eleanor Roosevelt
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.
ex: "Here lies Frank Pixley, as usual." (Composed by Ambrose Bierce for Frank M. Pixley, an American journalist and politician)
Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone’s character,
characteristics
ex: Lord of the dead and mighty for Aidoneus
Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt.
ex: to say "passed away" instead of "died"
Evocative (evocation): a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality.
ex: "The river runs steadily through this vivid evocation of a childhood in India at the time of the First World War."
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