1st set of cards Flashcards
Major unit of action in drama or play. Each act can be further divided into smaller sections called scenes
Act
story in which people, things, and actions represent idea about life; often have a strong MORAL or lesson
Allegory
repetition of consonant sounds @ beginning of words (tongue twisters)
alliteration
reference in literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature…often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events
allusion
comparison of 2 or more like objects…suggest if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well
analogy
brief account of an interesting incident or event; usually intended to entertain or make a point
anecdote
character in a story or poem, deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character=protagonist in the same way…Doesn’t necessarily have to be a person, could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge that prevents the main character from living “happily ever after.”
antagonist
actor’s speech; directed to audience; not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage; used to let audience know what a character is about to do or what he/she is thinking
aside
repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry
assonance
particular group of readers or viewers that writer is addressing; writer considers his/her audience when deciding on subject , a purpose for writing & the tone &style in which to write
audience
writer of a book, article or other text
author
his or her reason for creating a particular work; can be to entertain, explain or inform, express an opinion, or to persuade
author’s purpose
form of nonfiction in which a person tells the story of his/her life
autobiography
poem; tells a story & meant to be sung or recited
ballad
story of a person’s life; written by someone else
biography
unrhymed iambic pentameter
blank verse
a pause or sudden break in a line of poetry
caesura
2 events are related as cause and effect when one event brings about or causes the other.. The event that happens 1st is the cause; the one that follows is the effect
cause and effect
person responsible for thoughts & actions within a story, poem, or other literature. Are extremely important b/c they are the medium through which a reader interacts w/ a piece of literature. Every character has his/her own personality, which a creative author uses to assist in forming the plot of a story or creating a mood.
character
picture or imitation of a person’s habits, physical appearance or mannerisms exaggerated in a comic or absurd way
caricature
character who serves as a contrast or a conflict to another character
foil
character whose actions are inspiring or noble; often the main character in a story
hero/heroine
the characters who are central to the plot of a story; main characters are usually dynamic & round
main characters
a less important character who interacts w/ the main characters, helping to move the plot along and providing background for the story…usually static and flat
minor characters
all techniques writers use to create characters
characterization
character’s personality; NOT a physical description of character
character trait
author directly states a character’s traits or makes direct comments about character’s nature
direct characterization
character who changes through out course of story
dynamic character
character about whom little info is provided
flat character
author doesn’t directly state a character’s traits instead the reader draws conclusions and discovers a character’s traits based upon clues provided by the author
indirect characterization
character who is fully described by the author (several character traits, background info, etc.)
round character
character who does not change or who changes very little in the course of a story
static character
repetition in literature of one or more lines at regular intervals; also called a refrain
chorus
order which events happen in time
chronological order
reader’s process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he/she understands. By clarifying as they read good readers are able to draw conclusions about what is suggested but not stated directly
clarifying
type of FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE containing an over used expression or a saying that is no longer considered original
cliché
the turning point, point of maximum interest, and highest tension in the plot of a story, play, or film…usually occurs towards the end of story after the reader has understood the conflict and become emotionally involved w/ the characters. At the climax the conflict is resolved , and the outcome of the plot becomes clear
climax
a dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone & usually ends happily w/ peaceful resolution of main conflict
comedy
process of identifying similarities
comparison
type of poetry; uses its physical or visual form to present its message
concrete poetry
tension or problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces
conflict
the dominant or most important conflict in the story
central conflict
problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force (ex. person vs person, person vs society, person vs nature, person vs the supernatural, person vs technology, etc.)
external conflict
problem or struggle that takes place in the main character’s mind (person vs self)
internal conflict
a reader’s process of relating the content of a literary work to his or her own knowledge and experience
connecting
the idea and feeling associated w/ a word as opposed to its dictionary definition or DENOTATION
connotation
the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry; ALLITERATION is a specific type of consonance
consonance
hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases & clarify their meaning
context clues
the process of pointing out differences between things
contrast
a rhymed pair of lines in a poem. One of William Shakespeare’s trademarks was to end a SONNET with a couplet, as in the poem “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long as lives this, and this gives life to thee
couplet
opposite of CONNOTATION in that it is the exact or dictionary meaning of a word
denotation
form of language; is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people
dialect
conversation between CHARACTERS in a DRAMA or narrative..occurs in most works of literature
dialogue
form of literature meant to be performed by actors before an audience…the characters’ dialogue and actions tell the story..(also called a play) written form of a play is known as a script
drama
a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature…often feature animals as characters
fable
fact is a statement that can be proved. An opinion, in contrast, is a statement that reflects the writer’s or speaker’s belief, but which cannot be supported by proof or evidence
fact and opinion
work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element
fantasy
prose writing that tells an imaginary story… includes both short stories and novels
fiction
expressions that are not literally true…simile, metaphor, hyperbole, understatement, irony, oxymoron, cliche, metonymy
figurative language or figure of speech
an interruption of the chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence… is a narrative technique that allows a writer to present past events during current events, in order to provide background for the current narration
flashback
traditions, customs and stories that are passed down within a culture… contains various types of literature such as legends, folktales, myths, and fables
folklore
simple story that has been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth..are told primarily to entertain rather than to explain or teach a lesson
folktale
a unit of meter within a line of poetry
foot
when the writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict future event in a story
foreshadowing
poetry w/o regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm…often used to capture the sounds and rhythms of ordinary speech
free verse
broad statement about an entire group
generalization
type of category of literature… four main literary genres include: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama
genre
a traditional form of Japanese poetry, usually dealing w/ nature… has three lines and describes a single moment, feeling or thing. First and third lines contain 5 syllables and 2nd line contains 7 syllables
haiku
a COUPLET consisting of 2 successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought
heroic couplet
fiction that explores a past time period & may contain references to actual people and events of the past
historical fiction
fiction that contains mysterious and often supernatural events to create a sense of terror
horror fiction
the quality that provokes laughter or amusement…created by writers through exaggeration, sarcasm, amusing descriptions, irony, and witty dialogue
humor
figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect
hyperbole
phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say (ex: “over his head” instead of “He doesn’t understand”)
idiom
use of words & phrases that appeal to the five senses…writers use sensory details to help readers imagine how things look, feel, smell, sound, and taste.
imagery
a logical guess based on evidence in the text
inference
meeting in which 1 person asks another about personal matters, professional matters or both
interview
contrast between what is expected & what actually exists or happens… spices up literary work by adding unexpected twists and allowing the reader to become more involved with the characters and plot
irony
occurs when the speaker means something totally difference than what he or she is saying and often times the opposite of what a character is saying is true
verbal irony
occurs when facts are not known to the characters in a work of literature but are known by the audience
dramatic irony
suggests that some unknown force brings about dire & dreadful events
cosmic irony
difference between what is expected to happen and the way events actually work out
irony of situation
story handed down from the past about a specific persons usually someone of heroic accomplishments
legend
short humorous poem composed of five lines that usually has the rhyme scheme aabba, created by two rhyming couplets followed by a 5th line that rhymes with the 1st couplet…typically has a sing-song rhythm
limerick
actual meaning of a word or phrase
literal meaning
song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker
lyric poetry
the most important point that a writer wishes to express
main idea
specific type of autobiography; like autobiography, a memoir is about the author’s personal experiences.. however doesn’t necessarily cover the author’s entire life
memoir
type of FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE in which a comparison is made between 2 things that are essentially unalike but may have one quality in common…does not contain an explicit word of comparison, such as “like” or “as”
metaphor
regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables..not present in all poems.. Each unit of meter is known as a foot.. “/” indicate accented syllable; and “X” or small symbol shaped like a “U” indicate an unaccented symbol. The metrical FOOT is the basic unit of meter.
meter
X/
unaccented syllable, accented syllable
iamb
/X
accented syllable, unaccented syllable
trochee
XX/
unaccented syllable, unaccented syllable, accented syllable
anapest
/XX
accented syllable, unaccented syllable, unaccented syllable
dactyl
// (accented syllable, accented syllable)
spondee
XX
unaccented syllable, unaccented syllable
pyrrhic
one foot per line
monometer
two feet per line
dimeter
3 feet per line
trimeter
4 feet per line
tetrameter
5 feet per line
pentameter
6 feet per line
hexameter
7 feet per line
heptameter
8 feet per line
octameter
poem written in predominately iamb meter, with 5 feet per line
iambic pentameter
poem written in primarily trochaic meter, with 4 feet per line
trochaic tetrameter
poem written in anapestic meter, with 3 feet per line
anapestic trimeter
metaphorical substitution of one word or phrase for another related word or phrase. ex: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” The word “pen” is used in place of “words” and the word “sword” is used to represent the idea o fighting or war.
metonymy
the feeling that a literary work conveys to readers through use of plot, character, author’s descriptions, etc… aka atmosphere
mood
lesson that a story teaches..often stated directly at the end of a fable
moral
recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. may also be 2 contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil.. is important b/c it allows one to see main points and themes that author is trying to express, in order that one might be able to interpret the work more accurately
motif
rhetorical device where the coordinating conjunction “and” is overly used as a means of stressing a sort of urgency
polysyndeton
use of the conjunction is omitted when it could easily be used
asyndeton
the reason why a character acts, feels, or thinks in a certain way
motivation
traditional story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the world is the way it is.. stories that are passed on from generation to generation and are of unknown authorship
myth
any writing that tells a story.. most novels and short stories are placed into categories of 1st person and 3rd person narratives, which are based on who is telling the story and from what perspective
narrative
poetry that tells a story… can come in many forms and styles, both complex and simple, short or long, as long as it tells a story. Like fiction, can contain characters, settings and plots
narrative poetry
one who tells the story ; the speaker or the “voice” of an oral or written work… not usually the same person as the author..is the direct window into a piece of work.. who the author chooses to narrate establishes the POINT OF VIEW in the story
narrator
one who gives his or her own understanding of a story, instead of the explanation and interpretation the author the author wishes the audience to obtain…This type of action tends to alter the audience’s opinion of the conclusion
unreliable narrator
