literary terms Flashcards
a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the piont of greatest interest.
rising action
the angle or point of view from which a story is told.
perspective
the cause that moves a character to act.
motive
a combination of terms that contradict each other.
oxymoron
a person, or anything presented as a person in a literary work.
character
the decisive moment in a literary work that determines the outcome of the conflict.
climax
a conversation between characters.
dialogue
the story of a person’s life written by himself or herself.
autobiaography
a refrence to an event that took place prior to the begining of a story/ in the past.
flashback
a method used to build suspense by providing hints of what is going to happen later on.
foreshadowing
using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning.
symbolism
the attitude that a writer takes towards a subject or character. E.g. serious, humorous sarcastic ect…
tone
the struggle found within the literary work.
conflict
an exaggeration or overstatement in a piece of literature.
hyperbole
a comparison of to unlike things.
metaphor
a word or group of words on a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell.
imagery
a method used by the writer to develop a character. E.g. showing their appearance, displaying their actions, thoughts ect…
characterization
the story of a person’s life written by someone other than the subject of the work/ the person its about.
biography
when the result of an action is the revers of what the actor expected.
irony
a figure of speech in which something non-human is given a human characteristics.
personification
the events that happen in a story.
plot
the hero or main character in a literary work.
protagonist
the person that opposes the main character in a literary work.
antagonist
the time and place in which a story takes place.
setting
when the main character is portrayed in a way so they are immediatly identified with a group.
stereotype
provides an answer to the question: what is this work about?
theme
a comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”
simile
the moment that triggers the conflict in the story.
initial incedent
