| Term | Definition |
| allusion | an indirect reference in one literary work to a character or them found in another literary work |
| ambiguity | a statement which can contain two or more meanings |
| antagonist | a person or force which opposes the protagonist in a literary work |
| anti-hero | in fiction, the _________ is a protagonist who is lacking the traditional heroic attributes and qualities |
| catharsis | a purging of emotions brought about by a work of art |
| chorus | in drama, the ______ offers a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance, commented on main themes, and showed how an ideal audience might react to the drama as it was presented |
| cliche | an overused expression or idea |
| climax | the 'turning point' of a narrative work is its point of highest tension or drama in which the outcome is made known |
| comic relief | a comic interlude that relieves the tension in a moment of intense drama |
| conflict | in a plot, ________ occurs whn the protagonist is opposed by some person or force in the story |
| connotation | the ___________ of a word is its secondary meaning depending on its emotional content |
| denotation | the __________ of a word is its dictionary definition |
| denouement | the __________ is that part of a drama which follows the climax and leads to the resolution |
| epic | a long work, usually in poetry, that deals with some important theme and usually features a classical hero |
| falling action | the _______ ______ is the series of events which take place after the climax |
| foil | a character in who sets off the main character or other characters by comparison |
| hamartia | the 'fatal flaw' of a character, usually a hero, that causes his/her downfall |
| hubris | when a character has so much pride he/she puts his/herself above a greater force, usually bringing about the character's ruin |
| in medias res | a story that begins 'in the middle of' its action |
| situation | irony of _________ - when the reverse of the expected happens or when the person you least expect to do something, does it |
| dramatic | ________ irony - when the viewer or the reader is aware of a situation of which the character(s) are not aware |
| language | irony of ________ - when a name or description refers to or suggests the opposite of truth |
| mood | the atmosphere or feeling created by a literary work, partly by a description of the objects or by the style of the descriptions |
| parody | a literary work that imitates the style of another literary work |
| plot | the stucture of a story, the sequence in which the author arranges events in a story that usually includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution |
| protagonist | the hero or central character of a literary work, in accomplishing his or her objective, the ____________ is hindered by some opposing force |
| resolution | the part of a story or drama which occurs after the climax and which establishes a new norm, a new state of affairs, the way things are going to be from then on |
| rising action | the part of a drama which begins with the exposition and sets the stage for the climax |
| satire | a piece of literature designed to ridicule the subject of the work, while ______ can be funny, its aim is not to amuse, but to arouse contempt |
| stream of consciousness | a literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur in a first person point of view |
| subplot | a smaller storyline or storylines found within the main story |
| thesis | a ______ statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove |
| tone | the ____ of a work expresses the author's attitude toward his/her subject |