APL Literary Terms Flashcards
Act
A section in a drama or play
Allegory
A story that has a strong moral
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
Allusion
reference to a person, place, or thing in history
Analogy
comparison of two or more like objects
Anecdote
a brief account of an interesting incedent or event used to entertain or make a point
Antagonist
a character in a story who works against the main character; doesn’t have to be a person
Aside
an actor’s speech that is spoken offstage and not meant to be heard by anyone other than the audience
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry
Audience
the group of readers/viewers that the writer is addressing
Author
writer of a form of literature
Author’s purpose
His/her reasoning for creating a particular work
Auto biography
A form of nonfiction in which a person tells a story of his/her life
Ballad
a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited
Biography
A story of a person’s life written by someone else
Blank Verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter
Caesura
a pause/sudden break in a line of poetry
Cause and Effect
Cause is the event that happens; while Effect is the result of what happened
Character
A person in a story that has thoughts and actions that help form the plot
Caricature
A imitation of a person’s mannerisms, habits, or appearance exaggerated in a comical or absurd way
Foil
character who serves in contrast to another character
Hero/Heroine
a character whose actions are inspiring or noble
Main Characters
Central to the plot of the story
Minor Characters
a less important character who interacts with main characters
Characterization
techniques writers use to create characters
Character trait
a personality; not a physical description
Direct Characterization
The author directly states a character’s description
Dynamic Character
a character who changes throughout the story
Flat Character
A character whom you know little to no information about
Indirect Characterization
Author does not directly state the character’s traits. Reader draws conclusions based on clues
Round Character
fully described by the author
Static Character
does not change or changes very little
Chronological Order
order in which events happen
Clarifying
Reader’s process of pausing to review the material so it is clear and understandable
Cliche
an overused expression
Comedy
a work that is light and humorous and usually results in a happy ending
Comparison
identidying similarities
Concrete poetry
uses physical or visual form to present its message
Conflict
the tension or problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces
central conflict
the dominant or most important conflict
external conflict
the problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force
internal conflict
takes place in the character’s mind
connecting
process of relating literary work to personal experiences and/or knowledge
connotation
the idea and feelings associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary definition
consonance
repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry
context clues
hints that may surround unfamiliar words/phrases and clarify their meaning
contrast
process of pointing out differences between things
couplet
a rhymed pair of lines in a poem
denotation
the exact dictionary definition of a word
dialect
language spoken by a particular group of people
dialogue
the conversation between characters in a drama or narrative
drama
a form of literature where actors perform a “script” onstage in front of an audience
drawing conclusions
combining several pieces of information to make an inference
elegy
a song or poem that expresses sorrow
enjambment
poetry without, or with little, punctuation
epigram
a short poem/verse that usually has witticism or sarcasm
dramatic monologue
when a character reveals his/her thoughts and feelings through a speech; presented while others are onstage
archetype
a character, image, event, or story that recurs something from the past
fable
brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature; often features animals as characters
fact
can be proven
opinion
refelects a belief
fantasy
contains at least one fantastic/unreal event
folklore
traditions, customs, and stories passed down one generation to the next
folktale
a story passed to generations by word of mouth
foot
unit of meter within a line of poetry
foreshadowing
when the writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story
free verse
poetry without regular patterns of rhyme/rhythm
generalization
broad statement about an entire group
genre
fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, etc.
humor
quality that provokes laughter
horror fiction
mysterious and often supernatural events that create a scare
hyperbole
extreme exaggeration
iambic pentameter
see meter
idiom
a phrase that means something different than what is stated
imagery
use of words and phrases that appeal to the 5 senses
inference
logical guess based on evidence in the text
internal conflict
see conflict
anthithesis
the opposite
Ex. (Patience is bitter but has a sweet fruit)
Anadiplosis
When you repeat a word or phrase
Ex. (When I give, I give myself)
