| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allusion | a reference to another work of literature, person, or event |
| resolution | the final unraveling or solution of the plot |
| flashback | a scene or event from the past that appears in a narrative out of chronological order, to fill in information or explain something in the present |
| foreshadowing | events or information presented to prepare for later events |
| imagery | description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) |
| irony | when reality is different from appearance; the implied meaning of a statement is the opposite of its literal or obvious meaning |
| situational irony | occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected |
| verbal irony | occurs when what is said contradicts what is meant or thought |
| dramatic irony | occurs when the audience knows more than one or more characters on stage about what is happening |
| metaphor | an imaginative comparison between two dissimilar things |
| oxymoron | a figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms |
| personification | when something nonhuman is given human characteristics (must be HUMAN, or it's a metaphor) |
| plot | the pattern of events in a play, poem, or fictional work. |
| point of view | the perspective from which the writer tells the story (1st, 2nd, 3rd person; omniscient, limited omniscient) |
| setting | the time(s) and place(s) of a story |
| simile | a similarity between two objects or ideas, using like or as (and sometimes than) |
| symbol | something that stands for itself at a literal level but which also suggests something (or several things) at the same time; frequently a concrete object or animal that represents a quality or abstract idea |
| theme | central idea; what readers learn from a piece of literture; applications to "real" life |
| tone | the author's view or feeling toward his/her piece of literature |
| mood | the feeling(s) the reader experiences from a piece of literature |
Combine with other sets
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