Final Exam flash cards
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Alliteration
the repetition of the same consonant sounds or different vowel sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables. For example, “seven silver swans swam” or “even Alice’s otter ate the ice cream.” Words trip off the tongue with similar sounds.
Allusion
an indirect reference to another famous person, literary work, or even place.
Antagonist
principle character in opposition to the protagonist. Sometimes
not a person but an obstacle such as a force of nature, society or inner conflict.
Anti-hero
where the protagonist is flawed or dominated by negative traits or
questionable behavior, he or she is called an “anti-hero.” (Ex. Batman, a.k.a. Bruce
Wayne fights crime in large part because of his own troubled childhood. He does this
on his own terms rather than through the legal system.)
Autobiography
a true story of a person’s life, written by the person.
Biography
the true account of a person’s life, written by someone other than that person.
Characterization
the method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work. Methods may include what the character says about himself/herself, what others reveal about the character and the character’s own actions.
Climax
the turning point, the moment when the readers’ interest and emotional intensity reach the highest point
Comedy
professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh.
Comic Relief
humorous scene, incident or speech that is included in a drama to provide a change from the emotional intensity.
Conflict (Freytag)
in the plot of a story, conflict occurs when some person or force opposes the protagonist
Conflict (six forms)
There are six different forms of conflict in literature:
i. Man vs. Self
ii. Man vs. Man
iii. Man vs. Society
iv. Man vs. Nature
v. Man vs. Supernatural
vi. Man vs. Machine/Technology)
Denouement
the final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot, sometimes called resolution or falling action.
Dialogue
conversation between two or more characters in either fiction or non-fiction.
Diction
an author’s choice of words. Since words have specific meanings, and since one’s choice of words can affect feelings, a writer’s choice of words can have a great impact on a literary work. The writer, therefore, must choose his words carefully.
Dramatic Irony
the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
Euphemism
a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive. “She is very social,” can be considered a euphemism for “She talks too much.”
Exposition
the early part of a story that normally sets the tone, establishes the setting, introduces characters, and gives important background information.
External Conflict
the character is pitted against an outside force, such as nature, obstacle,
or another character.
Falling Action
in a plot structure this occurs after the climax. Sometimes also called a resolution or denouement, this ties up the loose ends of a story.
Fiction/Non-fiction
works of prose that have imaginary elements. Sometimes based on true events but primarily from the author’s imagination, including plot, characters, setting and theme./any writing based entirely on facts, real and true events.
Flashback
this is a writer’s technique in which the author interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an incident of an earlier time (goes back in time; giving the reader a memory). This device is often used to provide additional information to the reader.
Foreshadowing
this is a writer’s technique in which the author provides clues or hints as to what is going to happen later in the story. It’s like the music in a scary movie alerting us that something bad is about to happen.
Freytag Pyramid
Under Freytag’s pyramid, the plot of a story consists of five parts: exposition (includes setting, introduction of protagonist/antagonist/anti-hero), rising action (story goes into rise at conflict), climax, falling action/dénouement, resolution
Genre
a literary type or form (such as drama, comedy, science fiction, fables, etc.
Hyperbole
a figure of speech in which an overstatement or exaggeration occurs. An example, “I’ve told you a million times…”
Imagery
a word or group of words in a literary work that appeals to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. The use of images serves to intensify the impact of the work Words or phrases appealing to any sense or any combination of senses.
Internal Conflict
a conflict within the character.
Irony
a special kind of contrast between appearance and reality–usually one in which reality is the opposite of what one expects.
Litotes
A figure of speech which sounds negative but is positive
Metaphor
a comparison made by calling one item another item
For example, “the evening of life” or “sunshine of our love”.
Mood
the atmosphere or feeling created by a literary work, partly by a description of the objects or by the style of the descriptions. A work may contain a mood of horror, mystery, holiness, or childlike simplicity, to name a few, depending on the author’s treatment of the work. (Not to be confused with Tone.)
Narrator/point of view
the character or voice from whose point of view events are told. (see point of view)/the author’s point-of-view concentrates on the vantage point of the speaker or “teller” of the story or poem.
Onomatopoeia
a literary device wherein the sound of a word echoes the sound it represents. The words “splash,” “knock,” and “roar” are examples.
Oxymoron
a combination of contradictory terms. Interestingly, from Greek oxumōron, from oxus sharp + mōros stupid. An example from Romeo in Act 1, scene 1 of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”:
Personification
a figure of speech that endows ideas, or inanimate objects with human traits or abilities. To think of or represent an inanimate object as a person. For example, “The rocks will cry out his name” or “the planets danced in their orbits.”
Plot
The structure or series of events in a story. The plot tells us what happens.
Protagonist
the central character or hero in a narrative or drama, usually,
the one with whom the audience identifies
Pun
a play on words when a word is used to convey two meanings at the same time. The line below, spoken by Mercutio in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” is an example of a pun. Mercutio has just been stabbed, knows he is dying and says:
Repetition
the repeating of words, phrases, lines, or stanzas
Resolution
conclusion of a story that wraps any loose ends. Does not exist in a cliffhanger.
Rising Action
the events in a story that moves the plot along by adding complications or expanding the conflict. Follows exposition. Builds suspense to the climax or turning point.
Setting
the time and place in which a story unfolds. The setting in Act 1, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” for example, is on a Sunday in a public square in Verona, Italy. A drama may contain a single setting, or the setting may change from scene to scene.
Simile
a comparison using “like” or “as”. For example, “As snug as a bug in a rug.”
Stanza
a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse.
Style
a particular way in which a piece of literature is written. Style is not what is written but how it is written. Style can be formal, conversational (informal), journalistic, wordy, ornate, poetic or dynamic. The style of the Declaration of Independence can be described as elegant.
Symbol
a character, an action, a setting, or an object representing something else can be a symbol. For example, a dove is usually a symbol of peace.
Theme
an ingredient of a literary work, which gives the work unity. The theme provides an answer to the question “What is the work really about?”. Unlike plot, which deals with the action of a work, theme concerns itself with a work’s message.
Tone
this expresses the author’s attitude or feeling toward his/her subject.
Tragedy
a dramatic work that presents a downfall of a character. Events in a tragic plot are set in motion by a decision that is often an error in judgment and eventually leads to a disastrous conclusion, usually death.
Zoomorphism
is the device of giving animal-like qualities to anything that is not that animal such as humans, gods, and inanimate objects. Zoomorphism can also include giving the features of one animal to another, such as if a dog were to say “meow” in a cartoon or work of literature. Some other examples include Batman, Spiderman, and Catwoman. Another example: “She was barking up the wrong tree by questioning him.”
Enjambment
this occurs when a phrase carries over a line-break without a major pause. In French, the word means “straddling” which means to sit or stand with one leg on either side of something. So, when you read an enjambed line, you must continue on to the next without stopping in order to understand the meaning. Enjambment is essential to understanding (READ TO THE PUNCTUATION) Shakespeare and poetry.
