Literary Terms Flashcards
Flat Character
A character whose personality can be described in only a few words Ex: Flyboy in The Lesson
Round Character
A character whose personality traits are complex and multi-faceted (more like a real person) Ex: Maggie in Everyday Use
Static Character
A character who is the same sort of person at the beginning and end of the story Ex: Dee in Everyday Use
Dynamic Character
A character who undergoes a permanent change in moral qualities, personal habits, or outlook Ex: Mama in Everyday Use
Stock Character
A personified stereotype, one whose nature is familiar to us from prototypes in literature Ex: private detective, Prince Charming, damsel in distress
Antagonist
Person/force that works against the protagonist. Ex: A flawed and socioeconomically inequitable society in The Lesson
Protagonist
Central/main character. We care about him/her/them and follow his/her/their struggle with interest. Ex: Sylvia in The Lesson
Symbol
An object or action that signifies something beyond its literal meaning. Ex: Canary symbolizes Minnie Foster in Jury of Her Peers
Suspense
A quality in a work of fiction that arouses excited expectation or uncertainty about what may happen Ex: The foreshadowing shown throughout The Lottery
Setting
The place and time in which a story’s action take place, time might include year, season, time of day, etc. Also includes culture, ways of life, and shared beliefs or the characters (the atmosphere) Ex: The old-fashioned but deeply rooted ways of life illustrated in The Lottery
Theme
A main idea or an underlying message of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly. The theme is not the topic, it is the writer’s personal opinion or feeling on such topic. (i.e. topic is war, theme is war is a curse for humanity that requires dire sacrifice for little societal gain).
Foreshadowing
Gives the audience hints or signs about what is to come through imagery, language, and/or symbolism, it does not directly give away the outcome, but rather suggests it. Ex: The Lottery, where the imagery of piles of stones, and people being nervous, etc, uses foreshadowing to imply that something sinister might be to come. Often goes hand in hand with suspense.
Types of Conflict
Person v. Person (Dee and Mama in Everyday Use)
Person v. Environment (Hurricane, shipwreck, storm, etc)
Person v. Society (Unfair socioeconomic society in The Lesson)
Person v. Supernatural (Phenomenon like ghosts, etc)
Person v. Self (Mrs. Peters in Jury of Her Peers)
Point of View
First Person: Inner thoughts and feelings of the narrator
Second Person: Alleged inner thoughts and feelings of the reader
Third Person Omniscient: Inner thoughts and feelings of multiple characters
Third Person Limited: Inner thoughts and feelings of one character
Third Person Objective: No inner thoughts and feelings of any characters
Irony
A situation or use of language involving some kind of discrepancy between what is expected and what actually happens. Ex: Title of The Lottery, winning is actually the ultimate loss
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Personification
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form Ex: Esperanza’s house in The House on Mango Street
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable Ex: Esperanza’s name to her father’s sad Mexican records in The House on Mango Street
Simile
A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. Includes words “like” or “as” Ex: Esperanza’s name to the number nine in The House on Mango Street
Imagery
Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work Ex: The mother’s hair in The House on Mango Street
Tone
An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience, and it’s generally conveyed through the author’s diction, or choice of words. Ex: formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, cheerful, etc.
