Definitions Flashcards
alliteration
the repetition of initial consonants - should be atleast two repetitions in a row
allusion
a reference to a famous person or event in life or literature
anagnorisis
a moment of epiphany; character discovers his true identity
anecdote
a brief story
antagonist
the character who opposes the protagonist; contrast to the protagonist
antonomasia
identification of a person by an appropriate subtitle
apostrophe
addressing an abstraction or thing, present or absent, or addressing an absent person or entity
archetype
original model for person appearing later in history or in literature
climax
the turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story - represents the point of greatest tension in the work
dialogue
the actual words that characters speak; conversation
diction
words authors use (word choice)
dramatic irony
failure of character to see/understand what is obvious to the audience
euphemism
word/phrase that soften the hard reality of truth
flashback
when events that took place before the current action of a story are explained in order to give background information; often reflected by characters thinking back to previous events
foil characters
a secondary character who contrasts with a major character
foreshadowing
hints of what is to come
gasconade
bragging
hamartia
character flaw; often pride (hubris)
hyberbole
exaggeration
imagery
descriptive language
in medias res
in the middle of things - story begins in the middle of the plot
irony
creates a contrast between what is said and what is meant
jargon
vocabulary understood by members of a profession/trade but usually not by others
juxtaposition
putting opposites beside each other in order to show the difference
metaphor
a comparison
minor characters
not the protagonist
onomatopoeia
the use of words to imitate the sounds they describe
oration
speech delivered with great emotion to spur listeners to action
oxymoron
putting two contradictory words together
pathetic fallacy
when nature mimics what is happening in a story
pathos
quality in a play that awakens feelings of sympathy
personification
giving human qualities to animals or objects
protagonist
the main character
realism
presentation of life as it actually is
satire
blends a critical attitude with humor - purpose is to ridicule in order to inspire reform
simile
comparison using like or as
soliloquy
speech given by a character revealing his innermost thoughts while being alone on stage
static characters
characters who do not change their outlooks in response to events taking place
stock characters
stereotype characters
round/dynamic/multidimensional/complex characters
characters who have many aspects to their personality
symbol
an object/image/character/action that stands for an idea beyond its literal meaning
tone
the attitude the author has toward the subject; most created through the author’s choice of words
tragedy
play with a calamitous ending
understatement
a form of irony in which something is intentionally represented as less important that it is
