Literary Terms Word Scramble

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Term	Definition
paradox	occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each other. Although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth
oxymoron	a form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression such as sweet sorrow, sanitary landfill, or cold fire
personification	a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics
imagery	the words or phrases a writer uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the senses - sight, sound, smell, touch, taste
simile	comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words "like" or "as"
metaphor	comparison of two or more unlike things NOT using the words "like" or "as"
symbolism	the use of any object, person, place, or action that has both a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value
verbal irony	saying one thing but meaning another
situational irony	when a situation turns out to be the opposite of what one would normally expect
dramatic irony	when the audience knows what is going to happen but the characters on stage or in the story do not
tone	the writer's or speaker's attitude toward a subject, character, or audience which is conveyed though the word choice
foreshadowing	use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action
flashback	a scene that interrupts the action of a work to show a previous event
mood	the atmosphere or predominant emotion of a literary work as felt by the reader
plot	sequence of events or actions in a story, novel, play, or narrative poem
point of view	the perspective from which a story is told
suspense	quality of a literary piece that makes the reader uncertain or tense about the outcome of events
Setting	time and place in a literary work
characters	people or animals who take part in the action of a literary work
protagonist	the character with whom readers identify / the good guy
antagonist	the adversary / the bad guy
dynamic characters	they experience some change of personality or attitude as a results of the story's events
static characters	they do not experience change, but remain the same
characterization	the process of revealing the personality of a character in a story
climax	the point of the highest interest and greatest emotional involvement in a story; the turning point that determines the outcome of the story
conflict	the struggle between two opposing forces
internal conflict	a struggle that takes place within an individual; a moral dilemma
external conflict	a struggle against some outside force, such as another person, nature, society, or fate
dialogue	conversation between two or more characters
diction	style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words
exposition	(in a play, novel, etc.) dialogue, description, etc., that gives the audience or reader the background of the characters and the present situation.
rising action	a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest.
Falling action	the part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved.
denouement	the resolution or conclusion to a story/play
internal conflict	in literature and drama, a struggle which takes place in the protagonist's mind and through which the character reaches a new understanding or dynamic change
external conflict	in literature, a struggle between the protagonist and another character against nature or some outside force
first person	when the narrator is the main character and tells the story
third person	when the narrator tells a story but is not a character in the story
thrid person omniscient	when the narrator tells the story and allows the reader to know what the characters are not only saying but thinking
omniscient	all-knowing
theme	the lesson learned from a story
figure of speech	any expressive use of language, as a metaphor, simile, personification, or antithesis, in which words are used in other than their literal sense, or in other than their ordinary locutions, in order to suggest a picture or image or for other special effect
hyperbole	an exaggeration
allusion	in literature, an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text.
connotation	the ideas, emotions, or associations a word suggests
denotation	the dictionary meaning of a word
denouement	the resolution to a story
idiom	an expression that means something different than its literal meaning
pun	a word or phrase that has a double meaning as intended by the writer; often the words sound the same but have different meanings

Created by: nwalker