 | Term | Definition |
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Allegory |
The representation of ideas or moral principles by means of symbollic characters, events, or objects |
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Alliteration |
The repetition of a consonant sound to create rhythm and aid memory |
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Allusion |
A brief reference to a historical or literary person, place, object, or event |
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Analogy |
The comparioson of two similar things to suggest that if they are alike in some respects, they are probably alike in other ways as well |
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Anecdote |
A short narrative that tells the particulars of an interesting and/or humorous event |
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Antagonist |
A person or thing that opposes the protagonist or hero/heroine of a story |
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Apostrophe |
A figure of speech where someone, an object, some abstract quality, or a nonexistent person is directly adressed as though present and real |
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Blank Verse |
Unrhymed, but otherwise regular verse, usually iambic pentameter |
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Caricature |
A representation or imitation of a person's physical or personality traits that are so exaggerated they become comic or absurd |
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Characterization |
The creation of imaginary persons so that they seem lifelike |
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Cliche |
A word or phrase that is so overused taht it is no longer effective in more writing situations |
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Climax |
A high point or turning point in a piece of literature, the point at which the rising action reverses and becomes the falling action or the denoument |
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coherence |
The parts of a coposition should be arranged in a logical and orderly manner so that hte meaning and ideas aare clear and intelligable |
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conflict |
The problem or struggle that the characters have to solve or come to grips with by the end of the story |
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connotation |
The emotions and feelings that surround a word; htey may be negative, neutral, or positive, depending on their content |
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context |
The einviornment of a word, the words that surround a particular word and help to determine or deepen its meaning |
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couplet |
In poetry (verse), two consecutive lines that rhyme |
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critique |
A critical examination of a work of art to determine how it measures up to establish standards |
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denotation |
The literal or basic meaning of a word (the dictonary definintion) |
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denouement |
The resolution or the outcome of a play of story |
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dialogue |
The conversation between two or more characters in a work of literature |
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diction |
The writers choice of words based on their clarity and effectiveness |
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drama |
A story told by actors who play hte characters and reveal the conflict through hteir actions and dialogue |
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editorial |
A short essay in a newspaper or magazine that expresses the opinion of the writer |
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foil |
the term is applied to any person who, through contrast, underscores the distinctive characteristics of another |
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Foreshadowing |
the suggestion or hint of events to come later in a literary work |
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Free Verse |
verse written without rhyme, meter, or regular rhythm |
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Genre |
a French word that means type or form of liturature |
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Hamartia |
the error,frailty, mistaken judgement, or misstep through which the fortunes of a tragic hero are reversed |
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Heroic Couplet |
two consecutive lines of rhymed verse written in iambic pentameter |
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Historical Fiction |
fiction whose setting is in some time other than which it is written |
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Hyperbole |
a type of figurative language that makes an overstatement for the purpose of emphasis |
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Iambic Pentameter |
a line of poetry that contains five iambic feet: an iamb is a foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable |
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Imagery |
the use of descriptive words or phrases to create vivid mental pictures in the minds of the reader, often appealing to sigt, sound, taste, and smell |
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Irony: Dramatic |
when the audience knows more than the characters on stage, which creates tension |
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Irony: Situational |
a situation or event that is the opposite of waht is or might be expected. |
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Irony: Verbal |
the experession of an attitude of intention that is the opposite of what it actually meant. |
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Legend |
A narrative or tradition handed down from the past; distinguished from a myth by having more historical truth and perhaps less of the supernatural |
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Limerick |
A form of light verse that follows a definite rhyme scheme where the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme and the third and fourth lines rhyme(patterns may vary) |
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Lyric |
A short poem that expresses the personal feelings and thoughts of a single speaker |
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Malapropism |
When two words become jumbled in the mind of a speaker because they resemble each other and he/ she uses the wrong one |
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Melodrama |
An exaggerated, sensational form of drama which is intended to appeal to the emotions of the audience |
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Metaphor |
A comparison of two dissimilar things |
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Direct Metaphor |
When the writer directly states both of the things being compared |
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Indirect Metaphor |
When the writer states one of the things and the reader must infer the other |
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Metonymy |
The substitution of an object closely associated with a word for the word itself |
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Mood |
The feeling a piece of literature arouses in the reader |
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Motif |
Recurring ideas, images, and actions that tend to unify a work |
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Myth |
A traditional story that presents supernatural beings and situations that attempt to explain and/ or interpret natural events |
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Narrator |
The person who is telling the story |
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Novel |
Covering a wide range of prose materialswhich have two common characteristics: they are fictional and lengthy |
