LITERARY TERMS Name: Class: TERM DEFINITION EXAMPLE (BE SPECIFIC) PIECE action allegory alliteration ~ assonance ~ consonance allusion ambiguity what happens in a story: events/conflicts. If well organized, action develops into a pattern (plot). a story in which the characters and action represent an idea or generalization about life repetition of similar sounds in a group of words usually consonants and usually the first letter of a word. repetition of similar vowel sounds repetition of similar consonant sounds a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature intentional lack of detail. Authors often use ambiguous
analogy antagonist antithesis aphorism autobiography biography character description to create suspense. comparison of ideas/objects to explain something unknown in familiar terms. Writers use similes and metaphors to create analogies. the force against the protagonist placing two opposing ideas together in a sentence to create a contrasting effect. a brief statement of truth about life in terse, easily remembered form. Overused aphorism are cliché. an author s account of their own life account of a person s life written by another person a person portrayed in a novel, short story, or play. Characters may also be animals or objects, but those are almost always personified.
~ static character ~ dynamic character characterization ~ direct ch. ~ indirect ch. coming of age concrete conflict external ~ person vs. person character who stays the same throughout the entire work character who changes in significant ways throughout the work the way the author describes the character the author states outright what the character is like the author implies what the character is like through dialogue and action (better of two forms) a type of novel in which the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge and/or experience. word/phrase referring to material objects the problem in the story the struggle is outside of one's self (4 types) the protagonist struggles against another person(s)
~ person vs. nature ~ person vs. fate/god ~ person vs. society internal ~ person vs. self connotation context denotation description dialect the protagonist struggles against the forces of nature the protagonist struggles against his/her fate or circumstances the protagonist struggles against the rules, ideas, practices, or customs of a group the struggle is within one's self: make decisions, overcome pain, quiet temper, resist an urge, etc. the protagonist struggles against himself/herself: his/her soul, ideas of right/wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc. all the emotions a word can arouse the environment of a word or work literal (dictionary) meaning of a word writing that sets forth the qualities of the thing being written about language unique to a certain area
dialogue diction drama ~ comedy ~ tragedy elegy empathy distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary conversation between characters author s choice of words based on correctness, clearness, or effectiveness literature in the form of plays. Drama is also a type of serious play concerning the lead s relationship to society. literature, especially a play, portraying man s inability to deal with reality (funny) literature, especially a play, portraying a great character s downfall due to a flaw in judgement or character formal poem that mourns someone putting yourself in someone else s place and imagining how that person must feel
epigram epitaph epithet essay eulogy exposition farce figurative language brief, witty poem/saying often dealing with its subject in a satirical way short poem/verse in memory of someone (often on tombstones) word/phrase used in place of a person s name, like Alexander the Great a piece of prose that expresses a person s point of view. It usually combines paragraphs to make a complete piece. speech/piece of writing in praise of someone or something writing intended to explain something broad improbabilities of plot and characterization used for humorous effect language not intended to be taken literally (metaphor, personification, etc.)
figure of speech flashback foil foreshadowing form genre historical novel homonym/ homophone a device used to create a special meaning through emotional and connotative use of words interruption of normal sequence of events to tell about something that happened in the past a character who by strong contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another a hint at events or important information that will come up later in the story the way a work is organized (French) type of literature, like novel, essay, poem, fiction, and non fiction a fictional novel loosely based on historical events words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings hyperbole exaggeration
imagery irony memoir metaphor mood moral motif myth narrator using sensory description (taste, touch, smell, sight, sound) to create an image when the opposite of what you (or the character) expect happens, or when you say the opposite of what you mean, usually for humorous effect autobiographical writing, usually shorter than a comprehensive autobiography, that captures a certain meaningful moment a direct comparison of two unlike things the feeling a work arouses in the reader value or lesson the author is trying to get across to the reader an often repeated character, incident, or idea in literature a traditional story that attempts to explain/justify a certain belief one who tells the story
narration Naturalism novel onomatopoeia oxymoron parable paradox parody personification plot writing that relates events (story) a type of Realism in which the author relates man s relationship to his environment, often showing the dark side of the relationship but allows for optimism prose material that is fictional and lengthy words that sound like what they mean word or phrase where two opposite terms are side by side a short, descriptive story that illustrates a particular moral a statement seemingly contrary to common sense yet, in fact, true a literary form intended to mock a particular literary work (burlesque) giving human qualities to non human things the series of events in a work. A graphic
~ exposition ~ rising action ~ climax ~ falling action ~ resolution poetic justice representation is a plot line. the beginning (introduction) of a story that introduces characters and setting when events become complicated and the conflict is revealed (between the introduction and climax) the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next. Will the conflict be resolved? events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows if the conflict will be resolved (between climax and denouement). the final outcome or untangling of events. Also known as "denouement" when a character gets what he deserves in the end (getting caught in his
point of view ~ 1st person ~ 3rd person limited ~ 3rd person omniscient prose protagonist Realism own trap or falling for his own con) vantage point from which a story is told the narrator is inside the story (uses "I" and "me") the narrator is outside the story (uses "he," "she," "it") and can see private thoughts of one or two characters the narrator is outside the story (uses "he," "she," "it") and can see private thoughts of ALL characters ordinary language people use to speak and write (not rhythmic or regular like poetry) the main character of a work literary movement focused on man s relationship to his environment (portraying man exactly as he is, often pessimistic)
Rhetoric ~rhetorical appeals: pathos, ethos, logos sarcasm satire setting simile soliloquy stream of consciousness symbol the art of effective or persuasive writing or speaking pathos evokes emotion, ethos evokes ethics (beliefs), and logos evokes logic type of verbal irony expressing disapproval in the guise of praise writing that mixes critique with wit and humor in an effort to improve man s institutions time and place of a work a comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as" a speech in which a character, alone on stage, addresses himself ( thinking aloud to inform an audience of his thoughts) writing style that renders the inner life of a character through an unending flow of thought something that stands for itself and
something larger (more important) than itself theme tone Transcendental ism Understatement Utopian novel voice central idea in a work author's emotional attitude toward the reader or toward the implied subject literary movement focused on a person s closeness to nature and therefore God saying less than you mean (intentional) a novel that depicts a perfect society achieved through science (vs. dystopia, a society ruled by negative elements) language style adopted by an author to create the effect of a particular speaker