a dolls house literary terms Flashcards
a story intended to be performed before an audience by actors on a stage
drama
a writer of plays; dramatists
playwright
a major unit of a drama
act
a subdivision of an act in a play
scenes
instructions written by a playwright to describe the appearance and actions of characters, as well as the sets, costumes, and lighting
stage directions
any of several devices that a theater audience accepts as a substitute for reality
dramatic convention
a long speech by a character in a literary work
monologue
in a drama, a long speech by a character who is alone on stage; reveals the private thoughts and emotions of that character
soliloquy
conversation between characters in a literary work
dialogue
a significant work , phrase, image, description, idea, or other element repeated throughout the literary work and related to the theme
motif
the people, and sometimes animals or other beings, who take part in the action of a story, poem, or play
character
special qualities exhibited by a character, such as physical appearance, behaviors, personality, and so forth
character traits
the writer explicitly provides the characters traits
direct characterization
the reader must infer a characters traits by the following methods;
-observing the characters words actions, thoughts, and feelings
-observing others words, actions, thoughts and feelings, directed at the character 
indirect characterization
the stated or implied reason behind a characters behavior
motivation
one who drives the action of the plot
protagonist
prevents the protagonist from achieving his or her goals; creates obstacles for the protagonist
antagonist
Important characters who play a significant role in the main conflict of the story
main character
Characters who help move the plot along, but are not involved in the main conflict
subordinate character
A two dimensional character with only one or two key personality traits
flat character
A character who has dimensions of a person from real life with many traits and complexities (moral ambiguity — strengths, and weaknesses)
round character
A character who does not change throughout the story
static character
A character who changes in some important way as the result of the stories action
dynamic character
One who fits the readers preconceived notions of a “type”
-come in archetypes: damsel in distress, night and shining armor, the bully, ext.
stock character
A character who traits contrast with those of another character to emphasize the power or negative traits of the main character
foil
The central idea or insight about human life revealed by a work of literature
theme
