Vocab 1.1 (literary terms) Flashcards
allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to find some deeper meaning
aside
a speech or short comment made directly to the audience of a play
catastrophe
final action that unravels the plot of a play
catharsis
literary device in which emotion is built up through a play and then released in some way in the end
dialect
conveying the specific and unique way in which a person or group speaks/communicates
dialogue
any spoken or written exchange of words between characters
direct characterization
the author explicitly tells us about a character’s thoughts/feelings/motivations/etc
dramatis personae
“person of the play”
collectively refers to all the characters of a play
epiphany
character has sudden realization or insight that changes how they think about or view things
fourth wall
a metaphorical block between the audience and the characters of play so there can not be any communication between us
indirect characterization
the author reveals what a character is like through their actions, speech, and thoughts rather than explicitly stating it
in media res
“in the middle of things”
a story that begins halfway through the plot and fills in the rest of the story though some method
solioquy
a speech spoken by a character to reveal their inner thoughts that is only meant to be heard by the audience
monologue
a speech given by a character that reveals their thoughts and feelings (heard by everyone)
omniscient narrator
all knowing narrator that has insight into all the characters and plot
