Literary Terms Flashcards
Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Beast Fable
a prose or verse fable or short story that usually has a moral
Allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
Antagonist
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.
Main Character
A story has a central character that acts as the focus of the audience’s emotional attachment to the story.
Minor Character
usually a character who’s not the protagonist or one of the main supporting characters or secondary characters
round character
deep and layered character in a story
flat character
a two-dimensional character lacking depth or a real personality
dynamic character
a character who undergoes significant internal change throughout the course of a story.
static character
a type of character who remains largely the same throughout the course of the storyline.
stereotype character
an action or a characterization that is oversimplified, widely imitated, or handed down by tradition
Chiasmus
a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form
Simile
Compares two unlike things using the words ‘like’, or ‘as’. For example, the dog smells like dirty socks.
Metaphor
Compares two unlike things without “like” or “as.” Examples: “Coach is a cupcake” or “The altar of war.”
Alliteration
The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words. It helps create effect, tone and mood within a text.
Personification
An object, idea or animal is given human attributes.
Protagonist
The central or leading character in a story, e.g. Harry Potter.
Antagonist
A character or group of characters that oppose the protagonist.
Foreshadowing
The author hints what is to come in the unfolding story. This serves to avoid disappointment or to arouse interest.
Oxymoron
When two opposing words are placed side by side to create an effect. For example: pretty ugly, civil war, awfully good.
Allusion
A brief or indirect reference to a person, historical event, cultural media product, the Bible, political event, or idea.
Diction
The words an author uses to craft his or her work.
Hyperbole
An exaggeration of an idea. For example: He has the memory of an elephant.
Onomatopoeia
A word that resembles or imitates a sound.
Point of View
The perspective from which a writer presents or recounts his or her story.
First person POV
‘I’ or ‘we’ is used to narrate the story. For example: I walked down the road and saw a rabbit run across the road.
Second Person POV
The word ‘you’ is used. The writer controls all of the information and the reader has little input into the story or information. For example: You open your eyes and the sun is already in the sky.
Third person omniscient POV
The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story.
Third person limited POV
The narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character in a story.
Imagery
Images made with words
Symbol
An object that represents or stands for an idea, belief or action. A heart is a sign of love.
Theme
The main topic/message of a text.
Setting
The time, place, and conditions of a story
Verbal Irony
Words state the opposite of what is actually happening or understood. (for example: “It’s burning up out here” - spoken when it’s freezing outside)
Dramatic Irony
The audience knows more about the present or future circumstances than the characters themselves.
Figurative Language
Language that conveys meaning through literary devices rather than being direct or literal. It is open to interpretation and is more poetic in style.
Situational Irony
occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected
Paradox
a statement that seems contradictory, but may be true. “Everything I say is a lie.”
Synecdoche
where a part stands for the whole. “Hey, you got new wheels!” (meaning a new car)
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it. Like “the crown” standing for a monarchy, or “Hollywood” referring to the film industry.
Dialogue
Conversation between characters
Allegory
a literary work where the characters, settings, and plot events represent real people, places, and events in order to communicate a moral or political value
Motif
a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a story
Motif
a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a story
Mood
Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader
Stereotype
a widely held but fixed and oversimplified/mistaken image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
Chiasmus
a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases, e.g. “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” (John F. Kennedy)
Conflict
the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story: person vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. self (internal conflict) and person vs. nature
Fiction
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
Nonfiction
writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people; narrative (shares a true story/biography); expository (explains a process); descriptive; persuasive
Novel
an extended work of fiction, usually including many characters, settings, events, and possible themes
Thesis
the primary position taken or claim made by a writer or speaker
Tone
attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character
Exposition
introduces the characters, settings, and opening situations of a story
Narrative Hook
introduces the central conflict of a story
Rising Action
the series of actions, including conflicts or struggles. that build a story toward a climax.
Climax
the turning point of the story, often the greatest moment of suspense
Falling Action
events after the climax, leading to the resolution
Resolution
the end of the story where the conflict is resolved
Parallelism
similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses; e.g. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of of times.” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)
