English- Literary Terms Quiz- 9-16-07
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Created by:
VaraTC on September 16, 2007
Subjects:
Classes:
Whipple English 10, Whipple English, 1102 Online
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54 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Action | what happens in a story: the events or conflicts. |
| Allegory | a story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea or generalization about life. |
| Allusion | a reference in literature to a familiar person, place, thing, or event. |
| Analogy | a comparison of two or more similar objects, suggesting that if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well. |
| Anecdote | a short summary of a funny or humorous event. |
| Antagonist | the person or thing working against the protagonist, or hero, of the work. |
| Characterization | the method an author uses to reveal or describe characters and their various personalities. |
| Climax | the high point, or turning point, in a story-usually the most intense point. |
| Conflict | the problem or struggle in a story that triggers the action. |
| Context | the set of facts or circumstances surrounding an event or a situation in a piece of literature. |
| Denouement | the final solution or outcome of a play or story. |
| Diction | an author's choice of words based on their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. |
| Archaic Words | words that are old-fashioned and no longer sound natural. |
| Colloquialism | an expression that is usually accepted in informal situations and certain locations. |
| Didactic | literature that instructs or presents a moral or religious statement. |
| Dramatic Monologue | a literary work in which a character is speaking about him- or herself as if another person were present. |
| Epic | a long narrative poem that tells of the deeds and adventures of a hero. |
| Epithet | a word or phrase used in place of a person's name; it is characteristic of that person. |
| Exposition | writing that is intended to make clear, or explain, something that might otherwise be difficult to understand. |
| Falling Action | the action of a play or story that works out the decision arrived at during the climax. |
| Figurative Language | language used to create a special effect or feeling. |
| Figure of Speech | a literary device used to create a special effect or feeling by making some type of interesting or creative comparison. |
| Antithesis | an opposition, or contrast, of ideas. |
| Hyperbole | an exaggeration, or overstatement. |
| Metaphor | a comparison of two unlike things in which no word of comparison is used. |
| Metonymy | the substituting of one word for another that is closely related to it. |
| Personification | a literary device in which the author speaks of or describes an animal, object, or idea as if it were a person. |
| Simile | a comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison is used. |
| Understatement | stating an idea with restraint to emphasize what is being talked about. |
| Foil | someone who serves as a contrast or challenge to another character. |
| Foreshadowing | giving hints and clues of what is to come later in a story. |
| Genre | a category or type of literature based on its style, form, and content. |
| Imagery | the words or phrases a writer selects to create a certain picture in the reader's mind. |
| Irony | using a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of is literal or normal meaning. |
| Motif | a term for an often-repeated idea or theme in literature. |
| Myth | a traditional story that attempts to explain a natural phenomenon or justify a certain practice or belief of a society. |
| Narration | writing that relates an event or a series of events. |
| Parable | a short, descriptive story that illustrates a particular belief or moral. |
| Paradox | a statement that seems contrary to common sense yet may, in fact, be true. |
| Parody | a form of literature intended to mock a particular literary work or its style. |
| Plot Line | the graphic display of the action or events in a story. |
| Point of View | the vantage point from which the story is told |
| Protagonist | the main character or hero of the story. |
| Pun | a word or phrase that is used in such a way as to suggest more than one possible meaning. |
| Resolution | the portion of the story where the problem is solved. |
| Rising Action | the series of conflicts or struggles that build a story toward a climax. |
| Sarcasm | the use of praise to mock someone or something. |
| Satire | a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun or human vice or weakness. |
| Setting | the time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs. |
| Soliloquy | a speech delivered by a character when he or she is alone on stage. |
| Stereotype | a pattern or form that does not change. |
| Theme | the statement about life a particular work is trying to get across to the reader. |
| Tone | the overall feeling, or effect, created by a writer's use of words. |
| Tragic Hero | a character who experiences an inner struggle because of a character flaw. |
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