| Term | Definition |
|---|
| prose | writing in sentences |
| verse | fancy name for poetry |
| diction | language |
| genre | theme of a piece |
| denotation | found in a dictionary |
| connotation | not found in dictionary but can be associated with word |
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter |
| couplet | two rhyming sentences |
| aside | when an actor goes to one side of the stage speaking privately to the audince |
| soliloquy | one person on stage alone talking |
| monologue | one person talking, everyone else is quiet |
| alliteration | repeated consonant sounds |
| short story | can be read in one sitting |
| hero | most important character |
| christian hero | important character based on middle class values |
| tone | writers attitude toward play of book |
| antagonist | villain |
| anti-climax | what happens to the characters after the climax |
| syntax | the way a sentence is worded |
| voice | person speaking |
| teaser | unexplained humor in middle of chapter |
| narrative | a story or account of events |
| coincidence | when two related things happen at the same time |
| comedy | humor |
| tragic flaw | when something bad happens that shouldn't have happened |
| minor character | lesser person in book or play |
| audience | who a play or book is directed towards |
| third person omniscient | when the author says what the characters are going to say |
| falling action | action following the climax, very STATIC |
| figurative language | figures of speech |
| dramatic irony | when the audience knows something the characters don't |
| major character | important or main character in a book or play |
| situational irony | ironic situation |
| psychological realism | mental slice of life |
| imagery | figurative description or illusion |
| motif | REPEATED mini theme |
| essay | formal or familiar piece of writing |
| hyperbole | over exaggeration |
| foreshadowing | prediction or looking into the future |
| assonance | rhyme in which same vowel sounds are used with different consonant sounds |
| understatement | under stating something |
| iambic pentameter | five accented beats |
| epic | long journey, classical poetry |
| setting | time and place something HAPPENS in a story |
| climax | the point of most dynamic action in a book or play |
| chronological narrative | write in time order |
| narrator | speaker of the story |
| point of view | the way a story gets told and who tells it, their view towards the story |
| allusion | references to other things |
| comic relief | tension breaker |
| foil | when a person is IDENTICAL to the PROTAGONIST but is different in one CRITICAL area |
| existentialism | through darwinism, find a reason to live |
| first person | the person talking, using I |
| euphemism | polite or vague way to say something |
| dynamic character | person that changes |
| synecdoche | part for a whole |
| dramatic monologue | person give dialogue with dramatic effect to the way its said |
| satire | making fun of SERIOUS CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS through humor |
| realism | slice of life |
| social realism | deals with important aspects of society |
| symbol | something that goes beyond what it is on a literal level, word, place, character or object |
| theme | central idea or statement unifying entire literary work |
| apostrophe | personification of something that is not physically present |
| omens | foreshadowing devices |
| consonance | last consonant in words repeat |
| paradox | something that is though to be impossible yet it is |
| novel | extended fictional prose narrative focussing on a few primary characters but also involving scores of second characters |
| play | specific piece of drama |
| anti-hero | someone in book or play that isn't a perfect role model but means well |
| black humor | sick humor |
| protagonist | main character |
| turning point | when something happens that usually changes or turns it to go in another direction |
| flashback | plot or story line that takes place before the present |
| speaker | person that gives the narrative in a book |
| cliff hanger | question or situation unanswered usually at the end of a chapter |
| persona | someone pretending to be someone else |
| tragedy | serious play in which main character passes through a series of misfortunes and ends in one final catastrophe |
| archetype | repeated patterns of human life in different stories or plays |
| play of manners | static, no action, deals with some sort of societal issue |
| mood | feel of the piece |
| second person | the person being talked to by the first person |
| rising action | the lead up to the climax of the book or play |
| static character | person in book that has no action |
| stock character | one that doesn't change and usually represents something |
| metonymy | substitute one thing for another |
| epic hero | individual who has parent (one diety) unusual childhood or birth, companions, magic, goes on quests, dies in a bad way |
| classical hero | greek/latin literature |
| figurative language | figures of speech, symbols, images, etc... |
| allegory | story on two different levels, literal or figurative |
Combine with other sets
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