Glossary of Literary Elements Flashcards
a character, action, or situation that is a prototype, or pattern, of human life, occurring over and over agin in literature, such as a quest, an initiation, or an attempt to overcome evil. Two common types involve setting and character
archetype
Two common types of archetypes involve
setting and character
A common archetypal setting is the desert, which is associated with spiritual ______ and ________ because it is devoid of many amenities and personal comforts.
sterility and barrenness
Characters that embody a certain kind of universal experience. Examples: damsel in distress, the mentor, the old crone, the hag, witch, and the naive young man from the country, the hero, the scapegoat, the outcast, and star-crossed lovers.
archetypes
A character that purposely lures men to disaster through her beauty
femme fatale, siren, or temptress
Examples: the quest, the task, the initiation, the journey, and the fall
Archetypal situations
People or animals who take part in the action of a literary work
characters
In what ways do readers learn about characters? (5)
- Whey they say (dialogue)
- What they do (actions)
- What they think (inner monologue)
- What others say about them
- Through the author’s direct statement
The central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem.
protagonist
The adversary of the protagonist.
antagonist
A character in which the author chooses to emphasize a single important trait
flat character
A character in which the author chooses to present a complex, fully-rounded personality
round character
A character who changes little over the course of a narrative. Things may happen to these characters, but little happens in them.
static character
A character who changes in response to the experience through which he or she passes
dynamic character
A character’s reason for doing or saying something
motivation
A character, usually minor, designed to highlight qualities of a major character. They are often similar to the characters they highlight, but they differ in at least one major trait or choice, which causes them to be in opposition with the main character.
foil
The facts revealed by the author or speaker that support the attitude or tone in a piece of poetry or prose.
details
The word choice intended to convey a certain effect. This is when the denotative and connotative meanings of words must be considered. (Why did the author choose this word?)
diction
The meaning of a word that is its explicit definition as listed in a dictionary
denotative
The meaning of a word that is the association or set of associations that a word usually brings to mind
connotative
The speech of a particular region of group as it differs from those of a real or imaginary standard speech
dialect
The use of a word or phrase that is less expressive or direct but considered less distasteful or offensive than another: If someone says, “he won’t be with us much longer,” he/she means that person is dying.
euphemism
An accepted phrase or expression having a meaning different from the literal. If someone says, “Penny for your thoughts,” they aren’t actually going to give you a penny, but they are asking you to share your thoughts of the moment.
idiom
Consists of words or phrases appealing to the senses-the descriptive diction-a writer uses to represent people, actions, objects feelings, and ideas. Images help to set the mood of a piece of literature.
imagery
The emotional atmosphere in a literary work
mood
The sequence of events or actions in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem.
plot
The author lays the groundwork for the reader by revealing the setting, the relationships between the characters, and the situation as it exists before the conflict begins.
exposition
Interrupts the harmony and balance of the situation, and one or more of the characters comes into conflict with an outside force, with his or her own nature, or with another character.
initial incident
During the plot events that arise during the _______ _____, the things that happen build toward an irreversible _______, or _________ _______, after with the _________ _______ leads inevitable toward a revelation meaning that occurs at the ________ and ________ (unraveling) of the problem set up by the initial incident.
rising action, climax or pivotal point, falling action, resolution and denouement
a term that describes the tension between opposing forces in a work of literature and is an essential element of plot. The main types of ______ involve man vs. self, man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs. nature, and man vs. fate (or other supernatural elements).
conflict
a scene that interrupts the action of a work to show a previous event
flashback
the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action
foreshadowing
the quality of a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events
suspense
the perspective from which a narrative is told. The main ______ ___ _____ include 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited, and 3rd person omniscient (all knowing)
point of view (POV)
refers to a change or movement in a piece resulting from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the speaker, character, or the reader.
rhetorical shift
the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem take place
setting
refers to the writer’s characteristic manner of using language
style
the central message of a literary work. It is not the same as subject, which can be expressed in a word or two: courage, survival, war, pride, etc. The _______ is the idea the author wishes to convey about that subject. It is expressed as a sentence or general statement about life or human nature. A literary work may have more than one ______, and most _______ are not directly stated but are implied. An example of a ______ on the subject of pride might be that pride often precedes a fall
theme
