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Literary Devices & Terms Vocabulary
Essential vocabulary for literary analysis
10 words
All 10 Words
bildungsroman
/ˈbɪldʊŋzroʊˌmɑːn/a coming-of-age novel
“The Catcher in the Rye is a classic bildungsroman.”
denouement
/ˌdeɪˌnuˈmɑn/the final resolution of a plot
“The denouement revealed the killer's identity.”
leitmotif
/ˈɫaɪtmoʊˌtif/a recurring theme or image
“Water serves as a leitmotif throughout her poetry.”
magnum opus
/ˌmæɡnəm ˈoʊpəs/an artist's greatest work
“The symphony was considered his magnum opus.”
mise en scène
/ˌmiːz ɒn ˈsen/the arrangement of scenery and stage properties
“The film's mise en scène evoked 1920s Paris.”
pastiche
/ˌpæsˈtiʃ/a work imitating the style of another artist
“The novel was a pastiche of Victorian detective fiction.”
picaresque
/ˌpɪkəˈɹɛsk/relating to a roguish hero's episodic adventures
“The picaresque novel followed a charming con artist.”
roman-fleuve
/roʊˌmɑːn ˈflɜːv/a series of novels chronicling a family or society
“Proust's work is the ultimate roman-fleuve.”
Sturm und Drang
/ˌʃtʊərm ʊnt ˈdrɑːŋ/turmoil and emotional intensity
“The memoir captured the Sturm und Drang of adolescence.”
verisimilitude
/ˌvɛɹəsəˈmɪɫəˌtud/the appearance of being true or real
“The novel's verisimilitude made readers believe it was autobiography.”
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