APL Literary Vocab Terms Flashcards
major unit of actin in a drama or play
act
story where people, things, actions represents an idea about life
allegory
the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
alliteration
reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature, often indirect or brief references to a well known change of events
allusion
comparison of 2 or more like objects that suggests 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 that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point
anecdote
see character
antagonist
an actor’s speech, directs to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage, used to let audience know what a character is about to do or what they’re thinking
aside
repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry
assonance
particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing
audience
writer of a book, article, or other text
author
his/her reason for creating a particular work
author’s purpose
form of nonfiction in which a person tells me a story of his/her life
autobiography
poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited
ballad
story of a persons life that is written by someone else
biography
unrhymed iambic pentameter(see meter)
blank verse
pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry
caesura
2 events are related as cause & effect, when 1 event brings about or causes another
cause & effect
person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature
character
character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character(protagonist), doesn’t necessarily have to be a person, could be death, devil, illness or any challenge
antagonist
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
hero/heroine
characters who are central to the part of a story; usually dynamic and round
main characters
less important character who interacts with the main characters, helping to move the plot along and providing background for the story; usually static and flat
minor characters
all of the techniques that writers use to create characters
characterization
character’s personality; a trait is not aphysical description of a character
character trait
author directly states a character traits or makes direct comments about a characters nature
direct characterization
character who changes throughout the course of the story
dynamic character
character about whom little information is provided
flat character
author doesn’t directly state a character traits; instead reader draws conclusions and discovers a chracters traits based upon clues provided by author
indirect characterization
character who is fully described by the author
round character
character who doesn’t change or who changes very little in the course of a story
static character
see refrain
chorus
the order in which events happen in time
chronological order
reader’s process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he/she unserstands.
clarifying
type of figurative language containing an overusesd expression or saying that is no longer considered original
cliche`
see plot
climax
dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone and usually ends happily with a peaceful resolution of main conflict
comedy
process of indentifying similarities
comparison
type of poetry that uses its physical or visual form to present its message
concrete poetry
tension or problem in the storyl a struggle between opposing forces
conflict
dominant or most important conflict in the story
central conflict
problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force
external conflict
problem or struggle that takes place in the main character’s mind
internal conflict
reader’s process of relating the content of a literary work to his/her own knowledge and experience
connecting
idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary defintion or denotation
connotation
repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry
consonance
hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases and clarify their meaning
context clues
