WACE Literature key terms

Careful, line-by-line attention to a passage's language, imagery, structure and tone in order to build an interpretation grounded in specific textual evidence rather than general impression.

Specific words, phrases, images or structural features quoted or pointed to from a literary work in order to support a claim about its meaning or effect.

A concise, arguable claim that states the central interpretation an essay will defend, usually appearing in the introduction and governing the structure of the whole response.

The associations, feelings and implied meanings a word carries beyond its literal dictionary sense, shaped by context and cultural usage.

The literal, dictionary-level meaning of a word, considered apart from the emotional or cultural associations it may also carry.

A writer's choice of words, including register, formality and precision, which shapes voice, characterisation and the emotional colour of a passage.

The attitude a text or speaker conveys towards its subject or audience, detectable through word choice, syntax, punctuation and rhythm.

The prevailing emotional atmosphere a text creates for the reader, often produced by setting, imagery and rhythm rather than stated directly.

Language that appeals to the senses, creating vivid sensory impressions that support theme, atmosphere and emotional response.

A figure of speech that describes one thing as another without using 'like' or 'as', transferring qualities to create new meaning.

A comparison between two unlike things introduced by 'like', 'as' or similar words, highlighting a shared quality for effect.

A metaphor sustained across several lines, sentences or an entire work, developing a controlling comparison that organises meaning.

A figure of speech attributing human qualities, feelings or actions to non-human things, animals or abstract ideas.

The technique of attributing human emotion to nature or weather so that the environment mirrors a character's feelings or the mood of a scene.

The use of an object, place or action to stand for a larger abstract idea, gaining meaning through repetition and context within the text.

A recurring image, phrase, object or idea that accumulates meaning across a text and reinforces its themes.

A central idea or underlying concern explored by a literary work, such as power, loss or identity, expressed through patterns rather than stated outright.

A gap between what is said or expected and what is meant or actually occurs, creating critical or comic effect.

A situation where the audience knows something a character does not, generating tension, suspense or pathos.

A mode that uses humour, irony or exaggeration to expose and criticise human folly, institutions or social behaviour, often with a reforming purpose.

The persona or perspective from which a story is told, including the narrator's knowledge, reliability and relationship to the events described.

The position from which a narrative is presented, such as first person, third-person limited or third-person omniscient, shaping what readers can know.

A narrator whose account is compromised by limited knowledge, self-interest, bias or instability, requiring the reader to question the version presented.

A technique blending third-person narration with a character's thoughts and idiom, giving access to inner life without quotation marks or reporting clauses.

The methods a writer uses to build and reveal characters, including description, dialogue, action, other characters' responses and direct authorial comment.

A character whose contrasting qualities highlight particular traits of another character, sharpening the reader's understanding of both.

A character who undergoes significant internal change across a text in response to events, relationships or insight.

A moment of sudden insight or revelation in which a character grasps a truth about themselves or their situation, often altering their direction.

Hints or early signals planted in a text that prepare readers for later developments, building expectation and coherence.

The arrangement of a play's action, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution, and how scenes build tension.

A speech in which a character alone on stage voices private thoughts aloud, giving the audience direct access to inner conflict and intention.

Instructions in a dramatic text concerning movement, gesture, lighting, setting or delivery, which shape performance and reveal character or atmosphere.

The running on of a sentence or phrase past the end of a line of verse without a pause, creating momentum or unsettling emphasis.

A deliberate pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation, used to control pace and emphasis.

The regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in verse, producing rhythm and contributing to tone and emphasis.

The level of formality and the style of language appropriate to a particular situation, audience or speaker, ranging from colloquial to formal.

The distinctive personality, attitude and style conveyed through a text's language, whether the writer's own or that of a created speaker or narrator.

A short quotation woven grammatically into the writer's own sentence, rather than dropped in as a standalone fragment, so that analysis flows smoothly.

A reasoned line of interpretation developed through claims, evidence and explanation, building logically towards a conclusion about the text.

An essay that analyses two or more texts together, organising discussion around shared or contrasting points rather than treating each separately.