Lit Terms 31-40

the author's central thought; the chief topic of a text

the prevailing emotions or atmosphere of a work; the feeling the reader gets from a work

an extended speech spoken by one speaker, either to others or as if alone

an exaggeration or overstatement

nonfiction written primarily to convey factual information

the use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning

descriptive or figurative language in a literary work

the comparison of two unlike things in which no words of comparison are used

a recurring subject5, theme, or idea in a work

a story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in text