Literary Terms (21-24) Flashcards
Stanza
a grouping of two or more lines within a poem.
Two line stanza
couplet
Three line stanza
triplet or tercet
Four line stanza
quatrain
Five line stanza
cinquain or quintet
Six line stanza
sestet or sextet
Seven line stanza
septet
Eight line stanza
octave
Fourteen line stanza
sonnet
Static character
see character
Stereotype
a broad generalization or an oversimplified view that disregards individual differences.
Story mapping
a visual organizer that helps a reader understand a work of literature by tracking setting, characters events and conflicts.
Style
how a writer says something; many elements contribute to style, including word choice, sentence length, tone and figurative language
Subplot
see plot
summarizing
the process of briefly recounting the main ideas of a piece of writing in a person’s own words, while omitting unimportant details.
Simile
a type of figurative language that makes a comparison between two otherwise unlike objects.
Suspence
a feeling of growing tension and excitement.
Symbolism
using something specific to stand for something else.
Synecdoche
a literary technique in which the while is represented by naming one of its parts.
Tall tale
humorously exaggerated story about impossible events
Theme
a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work.
3rd person POV
see POV
Tone
the writer’s attitude or feeling about his or her subject.
Tragedy
a dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character or characters who are involved in historically or socially significant events.
