Terminology and definition lists from the lit. booklet p1 Flashcards
A simile is…
a comparison using like or as.
A climax in literature is…
the point of highest interest and suspense in a literary work.
A crisis, or a turning point in literature is…
the point in the development of the conflict at which a decisive event occurs that causes the main character’s situation to become better or worse.
A motif is…
any element that recurs in one or more works of literature or art.
Some motifs in Macbeth include…
ambition, deception, disturbances in nature, blood, madness, and sleep.
A metaphor is…
a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another.
A theme is…
a central idea in a literary work.
The exposition, rising action, crisis, falling action, and catastrophe are…
parts of a plot.
The exposition is…
the part that sets the tone or mood, introduces the characters and the setting, and provides necessary background information.
The rising action is…
the part that develops the conflict to a high point of intensity.
The crisis is often the same event as…
the climax.
The falling action is…
all the events that follow the climax.
The catastrophe is…
the event that marks the ultimate tragic fall of the central character.
A soliloquy is…
a lengthy speech in which a character expresses his or her thoughts to the audience - usually alone on stage -.
An aside is…
a brief remark by a character revealing his thoughts or feelings to the audience, unheard by the other characters.
A monologue is…
a lengthy speech addressed to other characters on stage, not to the audience.
A conflict is…
the struggle between two opposing forces that is the basis of the plot.
Irony is…
a contrast between appearance and actuality.
Verbal irony is…
when something is said, but means something entirely different. (“The weather today is just brilliant!”)
Situational irony is…
when something that is expected to happen is entirely different from what does happen. (It rains on the first day of summer in the UAE.)
Dramatic irony is…
when the reader knows information that the characters do not. (There is villian right behind the door the protagonist opens.)
The mood is…
the feeling, or atmosphere, that a writer creates for the reader.
The narrator is…
the person from whose point of view events are conveyed.
The first person NARRATOR is…
a character in the story, who uses the pronoun “I.” The first person narrator does not have to be the main character in the story. (Ex. “for one more day”)
The third person NARRATOR is…
indicated by the pronouns “he” and “she”. The third person narrator is not a participant in the action and thus maintains a certain distance from the characters.
In the third person omniscient point of view…
the he/she narrator who knows everything about the thoughts and feelings of the characters throughout the story (only).
In the third person limited point of view…
the narrator deals with (past or current) events as experienced by only one character. This type of narrator does not have full knowledge of situations, past or future events.
In the third person objective point of view…
the story conveys only the external details of the characters, never their thoughts or inner motivations.
The style is…
the way in which a piece of literature is written.
The suspense is…
the tension or excitement felt by the reader as he or she becomes involved in the story.
