| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Prose | Writing in sentences (not poetry) |
| Verse | Poetry |
| Diction | language |
| Genre | A category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length. |
| Denotation | The literal (explicit or direct) meaning of a word; the dictionary meaning |
| Connotation | An implied meaning of a word; a secondary or alternate meaning |
| Blank Verse | Poetry with a regular meter but no rhyming. Almost always in Iambic pentameter. |
| Couplet | A pair of lines in verse (poetry) which can show something important. Often rhyming, often at the end of a scene or act. |
| Aside | a speech made by a character, which is heard by the audience, but not the other actors in the play. |
| Soliloquy | A character is speaking to himself, as though unaware of the presence of others; often a reflection revealing a character's innermost thoughts |
| Monologue | One character speaking alone, but to others or to an audience |
| Alliteration | A repetition of initial sounds in several words; a poetic device |
| Short story | A story that is short |
| Hero | Someone who does something above and beyond what's expected of them |
| Christian Hero | A hero who is Christian |
| Tone | Expresses the author's attitude toward his or her subject |
| Antagonist | A person or force who opposes the protagonist in a literary work |
| Anti-climax | In fiction and drama, this refers to action which is disappointing in contrast to the previous moment of intense interest or anything which follows the climax. The effect may be comic |
| Syntax | the rules and/or patterns used to form sentences in a language. |
| Voice | The dominating ethos or tone of a literary work. The voice in literature is not necessarily identifiable with the views of the author. |
| Teaser | Unexplained info in the middle of a chapter. A preview of what is to come or a hint or clue, which will tie back in or be explained later in the story. |
| Narrative | a story describing a sequence of events |
| Coincidence | a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance |
| Comedy | A literary work with a happy ending, often ending in a marriage. Developed into humorous works through time |
| Tragic Flaw | One fatal flaw possessed by hero. (Hubris, etc.) |
| Minor Character | a character not central to the story. |
| Audience | whomever a literary work is intended for. |
| 3rd person omniscient | A narrative mode where the audience can know the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters. |
| Falling Action | everything after the climax |
| Figurative language | a way of saying one thing, but meaning something else. Not literal |
| Dramatic Irony | The audience knows something that the characters don't |
| Major character | A vital character who is central to the story (protagonist/antagonist are, but there can be others) |
| Situational irony | When the result of an action is the opposite of what a character expected. Mainly, it's simply when a situation is ironic. |
| Psychological realism | goes deep into the characterization, motives, circumstances, and internal action. Delving into the mental states of characters. |
| Imagery | Words which appeal to the senses. Very descriptive or good at making people imagine things. |
| Motif | mini theme |
| Essay | Usually short and written from the author's point of view. Can be literary criticisms, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. Familiar- informal Formal- no "I" or "you" diction |
| Hyperbole | extreme over-exaggeration |
| Foreshadow | Hints of what is to come. A method to build suspense |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds |
| Understatement | A statement which lessens or minimizes the importance of something. (Opposite of hyperbole) |
| Iambic pentameter | Five accented beats per line- ululululul |
| Epic | A narrative poem concerning a serious subject. Has a hero who has to pass trials and often has a comitatus. |
| Setting | Time, place, and circumstances of a story |
| Climax | The turning point in a story. The height of action |
| Chronological narrative | narrative in time order |
| Narrator | whoever tells the story. Whose point of view the story is told from |
| Point of view | Who or where the story is being told from (how much the reader knows and from what perspective) |
| Allusion | references to something outside of a story Classical- Romans/Greeks Biblical Literary |
| Comic relief | Something funny to break up serious things. Stop the monotony with something stupid. |
| Foil | A person who reflects a character, with one major difference |
| Rite of Passage | A ritual that marks a change in a person's social status |
| Existentialism | Reason to live |
| First Person | Narrative by one character |
| Euphemism | An agreeable or less offensive expression used to replace something unpleasant or offensive |
| Dynamic character | a character that changes dramatically in the story. Opposite of a static character. |
| Allegory | A story with double meaning. It has a symbolic meaning behind the actual story. Often illustrates ideas or moral principles |
| Synecdoche | Refers to a part of something, as opposed to the whole thing. |
| Dramatic monologue | a single speaker says something to a silent audience. The speaker often is explaining their feelings or motives. |
| Satire | using humor to criticize serious, controversial topics |
| Realism | The trend in the 19th and 20th centuries where authors depicted contemporary life and society 'as they were'. Realist authors opted for depictions of everyday and banal activities and experiences, instead of a romanticized or similarly stylized presentation. |
| Social Realism | Deals with some important aspect of society |
| Symbol | a word or object that stands for another word or object |
| Theme | a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. A thought or idea the author presents to the reader that may be deep, difficult to understand, or even moralistic |
| Apostrophe | A speech or address to someone or something not present |
| Omen | it was a prophetic sign of the possible course of future events. (Ex: birds in ancient Greek and Roman times) |
| Personification | A figure of speech where animals, ideas or other objects are given human characteristics |
| Consonance | Repetition of consonant sounds |
| Paradox | a statement that is apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really contains a possible truth. Sometimes the term is applied to a self-contradictory false proposition. |
| Novel | A long narrative in literary prose |
| Play | a form of literature written by a playwright, almost always consisting of dialogue between fictional characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than reading. Can be in either verse or prose. |
| Anti-hero | a protagonist who is lacking the traditional heroic attributes and qualities. Has many faults. Instead, often has one or more important redeeming quality. |
| Black humor | sick or dark humor |
| Protagonist | main character |
| Turning Point | something decisive happens, and the plot turns. Often, but not always, happens at the climax |
| Flashback | an interruption of the chronological sequence by an event of earlier occurrence. A narrative technique that allows a writer to present past events during current events, in order to provide background for the current narration. |
| Speaker | the "voice" of a poem. A narrator is for prose and a ______ is for verse! |
| Cliffhanger | a chapter/scene ends at a suspenseful or dramatic moment, ensuring that the audience will read on. |
| Persona | Character based off the author |
| Tragedy | a dramatic presentation of serious actions in which the chief character has a disastrous fate. Meaning, death. |
| Archetype | A theme, idea, or stereotype spanning across different societies and time periods. |
| Play of Manners | A play with no action. The story is in the talking of characters |
| Mood | the atmosphere or emotional condition created by a piece. The general sense or feel |
| Second Person | a narrative mode in which the protagonist or another main character is referred to by employment of personal pronouns and other kinds of addressing forms, for example the pronoun "you". (Pretty uncommon) |
| Rising Action | things leading up to the climax |
| Static character | a character that doesn't change throughout the story. Opposite of a dynamic character. |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace