Literary Flashcards
Allegory
A story in verse or prose with characters representing virtues and vices.
Two meanings symbolic and literal
Ballad
A story told or sung usually in verse accompanied by music.
Includes a repeated section and incremental repetition for effect.
Drama
Plays: comedy, modern, or tragedy.
Usually in 5 acts
Plot advanced via dialogue.
Asides, soliloquies and the chorus rep. Public opinion
Epic
Long poem. Usually book length reflecting the views of that generation.
Epistle
A letter or other work written in the form of a letter
Essay
Typically a prose or work of limited length focusing on a topic or propounding a definite point of view
Fable
Terse take offering a motor or exemplum.
Legend
A traditional narrative or collection of related narratives popularly regarded as historically factual but are actually a mixture of fact and fiction
Novel
A long form of fictional prose containing a variety of characterization, settings, local color and regionalism
Most hav complex plots, expanded description and attention to detail
Myth
Stories that are universally shared within a culture to explain its history and traditions
Poem
Rhythmic, often figurative works
Romance
A highly imaginative tale set in a fantastical realm dealing with conflicts between heroes, villains and/or monsters
Short story
Typically a terse narrative with less development of characters.
May include description, author’s point of view and tone
