Literary Terms Flashcards
Theme
the general idea or insight of a work of literature
Plagiarism
copying or cheating off of someone else’s work
Flashback
an interruption in the present action to show earlier events
Reversal
a certain change in someone (e.g., a good guy turns bad, or a bad guy turns good)
Dramatic irony
dramatic effect achieved by relying on the audience to understand an incongruity between a situation and accompanying speeches
Rhythm
The repetition of stress and unstressed syllables providing a poem’s beat
Couplet
when two rhyming lines are consecutive
Free verse
to write anything in any way for poetry
Alliteration
the repetition of constant sounds. (e.g., apples are awesome)
Assonance
when vowel sounds are repeated
Ballad
a sad story, about a death or loss
Epic
long narrative poem about the many deeds of a great hero
Narrative
poem that tells a story
Lyric
a poem that doesn’t tell a story but expresses the speaker’s feelings
Ode
long lyric poem usually praising some subject, written in dignified language
Sonnet
14-line lyric poem that follows strict rules of structure, meter and rhyme
Internal rhyme
two words in the same line the rhyme (e.g., broken, spoken)
Protagonist
the good guy or hero
Antagonist
the bad guy or villan
Genre
a class or category of artistic endeavor (sci-fi, romance, drama, western, kids)
Conflict
a problem to be solved or something to overcome
Resolution
coming to an agreement, solving the problem, reaching a conclusion
Style
the characteristic way a work is written or performed
Simile
a figure of speech comparing two things using “like” or “as” (e.g., she is like a rose)
Metaphor
a figure of speech comparing things in a non-literal manner (e.g., he is like a toad)
Paraphrase
a restatement that gives the meaning in another form or way
Biased
a tendency toward a conclusion or opinion (e.g., Jack is biased toward playing video games rather than doing homework)
Approximate rhyme
words that sound similar but don’t rhyme perfectly
Objective
a goal, or something that can be determined without bias
End rhyme
Rhymes that occur at the end of the lines
Resources
sources of supply or aid, especially those that can be drawn upon when needed
Primary source
an original document or an eye-witness to an event
Secondary source
a source that obtained information from a primary source, but did not witness the event directly
Dynamic character
a literary or dramatic character who undergoes a permanent inner change during a story
