Novel IDEA Literary Terms
Reena Cavin
1) Flashback
a scene set in a time earlier than the
main story
2) Foreshadowing
a hint about what is going to happen
later in a story
3) Euphemism
a mild or indirect word or
expression substituted for one
considered to be too harsh or blunt
when referring to something
unpleasant
4) Style
the particular way in which a writer
uses language; created through
diction (word choice) or figurative
language
5) Structure
the way in which the author
organizes a piece of literature
6) Inference
a conclusion reached on the basis of
evidence and reasoning
7) Imagery
visually descriptive or figurative
language; the senses are used to create
an image in a reader’s mind
8) Simile
comparing two things using “like” or “as”
9) Metaphor
comparing two things without using “like”
or “as”
10) Personification
giving human characteristics to inanimate
objects
11) Allusion
a reference to a statement, person,
place, or an event from literature, history,
religion, mythology, politics, sports,
science, or pop culture