Whether examining genre, motifs, figures of speech, archetypes, or rhetorical devices, this accessible handbook features more than 250 alphabetically arranged entries highlighting common literary terms related to the Bible.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• ABUNDANCE, STORY OF
• ACROSTIC
• ADVENTURE STORY
• A FORTIORI
• ALLEGORY
• ALLUSION
• ANAPHORA
• ANNUNCIATION STORY
• ANTAGONIST
• ANTHROPOMORPHISM
• ANTIHERO
• ANTITHETIC PARALLELISM
• APHORISM (adjective form: aphoristic)
• APOCALYPSE/APOCALYPTIC WRITING
• APOSTROPHE (verb form: to apostrophize)
• ARCHETYPE
• ASCENSION STORY
• BATTLE STORY
• BEATITUDE
• BENEDICTION
• BET OR DARE
• BETRAYAL STORY
• BIOGRAPHY
• BIRTH STORY
• BLAZON
• BLESSING
• BLOCKING CHARACTER OR AGENT
• BOAST
• CALLING STORY (also known as: vocation story)
• CHARACTERIZATION IN STORIES
• CHARACTER TYPE
• CHEAT-THE-ORACLE MOTIF
• CHIASM
• CHOICE, STORY OF
• CHRIST HYMN
• CLIMACTIC PARALLELISM
• CLIMAX
• COMBAT STORY
• COMEDY
• COMING-OF-AGE STORY
• CONFLICT STORY
• CONFRONTATION STORY
• CONNOTATION
• CONQUEST STORY
• CONSONANCE (also known as: concordance)
• CONTENT CORE
• CONTROLLING IMAGE
• CONVERSION STORY
• CREED
• CRIME-AND-PUNISHMENT STORY/MOTIF
• CRUCIFIXION STORY
• CURSE
• DANGER STORY
• DECEPTION STORY
• DEGENERATION STORY
• DENOUEMENT
• DESCRIPTION
• DEVICE OF DISCLOSURE
• DIALOGUE
• DIATRIBE
• DICTION
• DISCOURSE
• DISGUISE STORY/MOTIF
• DIVINE-HUMAN ENCOUNTER STORY
• DOCUDRAMA
• DOOM SONG
• DOXOLOGY
• DRAGON-SLAYING STORY
• DRAMA
• DRAMATIC IRONY
• DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE
• DRAMATIC STRUCTURE IN A POEM OR DISCOURSE
• DREAM VISION
• ECHO
• ELEGY
• EMBLEMATIC BLAZON
• ENCOMIUM
• ENCOUNTER STORY
• ENCYCLOPEDIC FORM
• END STRESS
• ENVELOPE STRUCTURE
• EPANALEPSIS
• EPANORTHOSIS
• EPIC
• EPIPHANY (usually called: moment of epiphany)
• EPISODE
• EPISTLE
• EPISTROPHE
• EPITHALAMION
• EPITHET
• EPIZEUXIS
• ESCAPE STORY
• ETIOLOGY
• EXILE STORY
• EXPLICATION OF A TEXT
• EXPOSITION
• EXPOSITORY WRITING
• EXPULSION STORY
• FALL, STORY OF (also known as: fall from innocence)
• FANTASY
• FAREWELL DISCOURSE
• FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE (also known as: figures of speech)
• FLIGHT, STORY OF
• FOIL
• FOREGROUNDING
• FORESHADOWING
• GENEALOGY
• GENRE
• GIANTESQUE MOTIF
• GOOD-LIFE MOTIF
• GOOD-PLACE MOTIF
• GOSPEL
• GRADATIO (also known as: gradation)
• HARVEST STORY
• HERO
• HERO STORY (also known as: heroic narrative)
• HIGHLIGHTING
• HISTORY
• HORROR STORY
• HOSPITALITY, STORY OF
• HUMOR
• HYMN
• HYPERBOLE
• IDYL (also spelled: idyll)
• IMAGE
• IMAGE PATTERN
• IMAGERY
• IMAGINATION
• IMPRECATORY PSALM
• INCITING MOMENT (also known as: inciting agent)
• INCREASE, STORY OF
• INFANCY NARRATIVE
• INITIATION STORY
• INVECTIVE
• INVITATION TO LOVE
• IRONY
• IRONY OF SITUATION
• JOURNEY STORY/MOTIF
• JUDGMENT, STORY OF/SCENE OF
• LAMENT PSALM
• LITERATURE AS A GENRE
• LITOTES
• LOST-AND-FOUND STORY
• LOVE POEM/LOVE POETRY
• LOVE STORY
• LYRIC/LYRIC POEM
• LYRIC POEM, EXPLICATION OF
• MEETING AT THE WELL
• MERISM
• METAPHOR
• METONYMY
• MIRACLE STORY
• MISPRIZING, STORY OF
• MIXED-GENRE FORMAT
• MONOLOGUE (also known as: dramatic monologue)
• MOTIF
• MURDER STORY
• NARRATION
• NARRATIVE
• NARRATOR
• NATIVITY STORY
• NATURE POEM/NATURE PSALM
• NUMBER FORMULA
• OCCASIONAL POEM
• ODE
• ORACLE
• ORACLE OF BLESSING
• ORACLE OF JUDGMENT
• ORACLE OF REDEMPTION OR SALVATION
• ORATION
• ORDEAL, STORY OF
• ORIGINS, STORY OF
• OXYMORON
• PARABLE
• PARADOX
• PARAENESIS
• PARALEPSIS (also spelled: paralipsis and paraleipsis)
• PARALLELISM
• PARODY
• PASSION STORY
• PASTORAL LITERATURE
• PATHETIC FALLACY
• PENITENTIAL PSALM
• PERSONIFICATION
• PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES IN STORIES
• PLOT
• POETIC IDIOM
• POETIC JUSTICE
• POETIC LICENSE
• POETIC TEXTURE
• POETRY
• POINT OF VIEW
• PRAISE PSALM
• PROLEPSIS
• PRONOUNCEMENT STORY
• PROPHECY
• PROPORTIONATE SPACE, RULE OF
• PROSE
• PROSE POEM
• PROTAGONIST
• PROVERB
• PSALM
• QUEST STORY/MOTIF
• RAGS-TO-RICHES STORY
• REALISM
• REBIRTH STORY/ARCHETYPE
• RECOGNITION AS PLOT DEVICE
• RECOGNITION STORY
• RECONCILIATION STORY
• REFORM STORY
• REFRAIN
• REFUSAL-OF-FESTIVITIES MOTIF
• REPETITION
• RESCUE STORY/MOTIF
• RESURRECTION STORY
• RETURN STORY
• REVENGE STORY
• REVERSAL
• RHETORIC (adjective form: rhetorical)
• RHETORICAL QUESTION
• RIDDLE
• ROYAL PSALM
• SALUTATION
• SARCASM
• SATIRE
• SAYING
• SERMON
• SETTING
• SHOWING VS. TELLING
• SIMILE
• SOLILOQUY
• SONG
• SONG OF SOLOMON, METAPHORS AND SIMILES IN
• SONG OF VICTORY
• STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
• STRUCTURE OF A TEXT OR PASSAGE
• STYLE
• SUZERAINTY TREATY
• SYMBOL/SYMBOLISM
• SYMBOLIC REALITY
• SYNECDOCHE
• SYNONYMOUS PARALLELISM
• SYNTHETIC PARALLELISM
• TAUNT
• TAUNT SONG
• TEMPTATION STORY
• TESTING, STORY OF
• THANKSGIVING
• THANKSGIVING, PSALM OF
• THEME
• THEME AND VARIATION
• THEOPHANY
• THREEFOLD REPETITION
• THREE-PLUS-ONE MOTIF
• TRAGEDY
• TRANSFORMATION STORY
• TRAVEL STORY
• TYPE SCENE
• UNITY OF A TEXT
• VERBAL IRONY
• VICTORY, SONG OF
• VILLAINY, STORY OF
• VIOLENCE, STORY OF
• VISIONARY WRITING
• WANDERING, STORY OF
• WELL-MADE PLOT
• WISDOM LITERATURE
• WITNESS STORY (also known as: testimony story)
• WORSHIP PSALM (also known as: “song of Zion”)