Literary Terms 1-13 Flashcards
1
Q
Act
A
major unit of action in a drama or play
2
Q
allegory
A
story in which people things and actions represent an idea about life; usually have strong morals or lessons.
3
Q
alliteration
A
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
4
Q
allusion
A
a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature.
5
Q
analogy
A
comparison of 2 or more objects that suggests if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways.
6
Q
anecdote
A
a brief account of an interesting incident or event that is usually intended to entertain or make a point
7
Q
antagonist
A
a character in a story who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character in some way.
8
Q
aside
A
an actors speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by the other actors on stage.
9
Q
assonance
A
repetition of a vowel sounds within a line of poetry.
10
Q
audience
A
a particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing
11
Q
author
A
the writer of a book, article or text.
12
Q
authors purpose
A
an authors purpose is his or her reason for creating a particular work.
13
Q
autobiography
A
a form of nonfiction in which a person tells the story of his or her life.
14
Q
ballad
A
a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited
15
Q
biography
A
the story of a persons life that is written by someone else.
16
Q
blank verse
A
unrhymed iambic pentameter (see meter)
17
Q
caesura
A
a pause or sudden break in a line of poetry
18
Q
Cause and Effect
A
two events are related as cause and effect when one even causes the other. The event that follows is the effect.
19
Q
Character
A
a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story or poem or other literature.
20
Q
caricature
A
a picture or limitation of a persons habits, physical appearance or mannerisms exaggerated in a comic or absurd way.
21
Q
foil
A
a character who serves as a contrast to the conflict to another character.
22
Q
hero / heroine
A
a character whose actions are inspiring or noble; often he main character of a story.
23
Q
main characters
A
characters who are central to the plot of the story
24
Q
minor characters
A
a less important character who interacts with the main characters, helping to move the plot along and providing background for the story.
25
protagonist
may be referred to as the hero of a story.
26
characterization
all of the techniques that writers use to create characters
27
character trait
a characters personality
28
direct characterization
the author directly states a characters traits or makes direct comments about a characters nature.
29
dynamic character
a character who changes through out the course of the story
30
flat character
a character about whom little information is provided.
31
indirect character
the author does not directly state a characters traits; instead the reader draws conclusions and discovers a characters traits based on clues provided by the author.
32
round character
character who i fully described by the author
33
static character
a character who does not change or who changes very little in the course of the story.
34
chorus
see refrain
35
chronological order
the order in which events happen in time
36
clarifying
the readers process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he or she understands.
37
cliche
a type of figurative language containing overuse expression or a saying that is no longer considered original
38
climax
see plot
39
comedy
a dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone and usually ends happily with a peaceful resolution of the main conflict.
40
comparison
the process of identifying similarities.
41
concrete poetry
a type of poetry that uses physical or visual form to present its message
42
conflict
tension or problem in the story; a struggle between opposing sides
43
central conflict
the dominant or most important conflict in the story
44
external conflict
the problem or struggles that exists between the main character and an outside force.
45
internal conflict
the problem or struggle that takes place in the main characters mind
46
connecting
a readers process of relating the content of a literary work to his or her own knowledge and experience
47
connotation
the idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary definition or denotation
48
consonance
the repetition of sounds anywhere within a line of poetry.
49
context clues
hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases and clarifying their meaning
50
contrast
the process of pointing out differences between things
51
couplet
a rhymed pair of lines in a poem
52
denotation
opposite of connotation in that it is the exact or dictionary meaning of a word
53
denouement
see plot
54
dialect
a form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people.
55
dialogue
the conversation between characters in a drama or narrative.
56
drama
a drama or play is a form of literature meant to be performed by actors before an audience.
57
drawing conclusions
combining several pieces of information to make an inference.
58
dramatic monologue
a literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost feelings, those that are hidden throughout the story line.
59
elegy
a type of literature defined as a song or poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation; usually for one whose died.
60
enjambement
in poetry, incomplete syntax at the end of a line, the meaning running over into the next without terminal punctuation.
61
epigram
a short poem or verse that seeks to ridicule a thought or event, usually with witticism or sarcasm
62
epic
a long narrative or poem abut the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or group.
63
epiphany
a sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to change or act in a certain way.
64
epitaph
short poem or verse written in memory of someone.
65
essay
a short work of nonfiction that deals with a single subject.
66
descriptive essay
one that describes a particular subject.
67
expository essay
one whose purpose is to explain and give information about a subject.
68
formal essay
highly organized and thoroughly researched.
69
humorous essay
one whose purpose is to amuse or entertain the reader.
70
informal essay
lighter in tone and usually reflects the writers feelings and personality.
71
narrative wssay
an essay that tells a story
72
persuasive essay
attempts to convince a reader to adopt a particular option or course of action
73
evaluating
the process of judging the value of something or someone.
74
exaggeration
see hyperbole
75
exposition
see plot
76
extended metaphor
a figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things in great length.
77
external conflict
see conflict
78
fable
a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature. often features animals as characters.
79
fact and opinion
Fact: a statement that can be proved. Opinion: a statement that reflects an authors opinion or belief.
80
falling action
see plot
81
fantasy
a work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element
82
fiction
prose writing that tells an imaginary story, fiction includes both short stories and novels.
83
figurative language
expressions that are not literally true, see simile metaphor hyperbole understatement irony cliche and metonymy
84
first person point of view
see Point of View
85
Flashback
an interruption of the chronological sequence(as a film or literary work) or an event of earlier occurrence. a flashback allows a writer to present past events during current events, in order to provide background for current narration
86
foil
see character
87
folklore
traditions, customs, and stories that are passed down within a culture, folklore contains various types of literature such as legends, myths, and fables.
88
folktale
a simple story that has been passed from generation to generation by words of mouth
89
foot
a unit of meter with a line of poetry
90
foreshadowing
when the writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict future events in a story
91
free verse
poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythms often used to capture sounds and rhythms of ordinary speech.
92
generalization
a broad statement about an entire group
93
genre
a type or category of literature, the four main types are fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
94
haiku
traditional form of Japanese writing usually dealing with nature.
95
Heroic Couplet
a couplet consisting of two successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought
96
historical fiction
fiction that explores a past time period and may contain references to actual people or events of the past
97
horror fiction
fiction that contains mysterious and often supernatural events to create a sense of terror
98
humor
the quality that provokes laughter or amusement
99
hyperbole
a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect
100
iambic meter
see meter
101
idiom
a phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say
102
imagery
the use f words and phrases that appeal to the senses
103
inference
a logical guess based n evidence in the text
104
internal conflict
see conflict
105
interview
a meeting in which one person asks about personal matters, professional matters of both
106
irony
a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or is happening
107
verbal irony
occurs when the speaker means something totally different than what he or she is saying,often times the opposite of what a character is saying is true
108
dramatic irony
occurs when facts are not known to the characters in a work of literature but are known by the audience
109
cosmic irony
suggests that some unknown force brings about dire and dreadful events
110
irony of situation
difference between what is expected to happen and the way events actually work out.
111
Legend
a story handed down from the past about a specific person, usually someone of heroic accomplishments.
112
Limerick
A short humorous poem composed of five lines that usually has the same rhyme scheme abba, created by 2 rhyming couplets followed by a fifth line that rhymes with the first couplet. a limerick typically is a sing song rhyme
113
literal meaning
the actual meaning of a word or phrase
114
lyric poetry
a song like poem written mainly to express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker,
115
main character
see character
116
main idea
the most important point that a writer wants to express,
117
memoir
a specific type of autobiography that covers personal experiances not the authors entire life
118
metaphor
type of figurative language that compares 2 things that are essentially unlike but have similarities.
119
Meter
the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables.
