Unit 1: Reading Critically Across Genres (Vocabulary) Flashcards
At Rise Definition
text that precedes the opening lines of dialogue and explains what the audience should see as the curtain rises
Climax Definition
the point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action
Convention Definition
an established technique, practice, or device
Denotation Definition
meaning; a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea
Denouement Definition
the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work
Dialogue Definition
the conversational element of literary or dramatic composition
Diction Definition
choice of words especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness
Direct Characterization Definition
the artistic representation of human character or motives, as explicitly expressed in narration of a text
Dramatis Personae Definition
the characters or actors in a drama
Dynamic Character Definition
a character who changes significantly in the course of a narrative
Exposition Definition
the introduction of the characters, setting, and situation at the outset of a literary work
Falling Action Definition
the events that follow the climax in a narrative
Flat Character Definition
a character with a single defining characteristic
Genre Definition
a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content
Inciting Incident Definition
the initial event presenting the conflict in a narrative
Indirect Characterization Definition
the artistic representation of human character or motives, as expressed through the character’s words or actions or by the responses of other characters
Irony Definition
the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning
Novel Definition
the longest and most complex narrative form
Novella Definition
a work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel
Plot Definition
the plan or main story in a narrative
Poetry Definition
writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm
Prose Definition
a literary medium distinguished from poetry especially by its greater irregularity and variety of rhythm and its closer correspondence to the patterns of everyday speech
Rising Action Definition
the series of events leading up to the climax of a narrative
Round Character Definition
a complex and well-developed character
Setting Definition
the time and place of the action of a literary, dramatic, or cinematic work
Short Story Definition
an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel, usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot
Situational Irony Definition
incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result
Stage Directions Definition
a description (as of a character or setting) or direction (as to indicate stage business) provided in the text of a play
Staging Definition
the act of putting on a play
Static Character Definition
a character who does not change significantly in the course of a narrative
Style Definition
a distinctive manner of expression (as in writing or speech)
Theme Definition
a deeper underlying message of an artistic representation
Tone Definition
the author’s attitude toward the subject or the audience, as conveyed by word choice, viewpoint, or perspective;
Topic Definition
the subject of a discourse or of a section of a discourse
Verbal Irony Definition
incongruity between the literal meaning of what is said and the intended meaning
Voice Definition
an author’s unique style as expressed in a work or across works
