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Literary Terms

Terms in this set (54)

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.
Antithesis
an opposition, or contrast, of ideas.
Archaic Words
words that are old-fashioned and no longer sound natural.
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.
Colloquialism
an expression that is usually accepted in informal situations and certain locations.
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.
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