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
pathos
any appeals to emotion made by the author/writer
stage direction
instructions written into the script of a play with directions indicating movement, how to stand, how to move, etc
unities
things that remain consistent in a play (time, setting, and line of development)
