REA's MAXnotes Guide to Literary Terms REA's book is a concise, easy-to-use guide to the literary terms and devices which high school and undergraduate students encounter most often. The main body of the book is an alphabetical listing of approximately 150 of the most-commonly encountered literary terms or devices. The entries are simplified to enable students with no knowledge of the terms to become comfortable with their uses in a short time. Each entry in the book includes a definition of the literary term or device, a history of the term's use and origin, and specific references to texts in which the term has been used.