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Literary Terms
English 12 literary terms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| act/scene | dramas are divided into acts which are further subdivided into acts |
| *acronym | a word formed from the initial letters or syllables of other words. for example SCUBA = Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus |
| *adage/aphorism/proverb/maxim/epigram | a wise saying or phrase that succinctly expresses some truth or observation about life. |
| aesthetics | the science or study of beauty |
| *allegory | an extended metaphor - a comparison story (truth with fiction) with a didactic purpose (animal farm) |
| *allusion | reference to famous historical or literary writings or characters or events |
| alternation rhyme scheme | A B A B |
| ambiguity | the expression of an idea in such a way that more than one meaning is possible - double meaning |
| *anachronism | something out of its proper time |
| anadiplosis | repetition in which the word(s) at the end of one clause/line recur at the beginning of the next |
| *analogy | a direct comparison of two things that are essentially different |
| anaphora | repetition in which the same expression is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences |
| *anecdote | a short narrative lacking a complicated plot that is usually restricted to the relation of a single episode |
| *annotation | a textual comment in a book by an author or editor usually intended to clarify the meaning of the text |
| *antagonist | in fiction or drama, the character directly opposed to the protagonist |
| *anthology | a collection of literary works from the writings of one or more authors |
| *anthropomorphic/personification | attributing human form or qualities to gods or animals - personification attributes human qualities to any inanimate object |
| anticlimax | an abrupt descent from the important to the less important in a series of statements to cause surprise and humor |
| antithesis | a literary technique in which the opposite or strongly contrasting statements are balanced against each other for emphasis |
| *antonym | words that are opposite in meaning |
| apology | in literature - a defense or explanation without admission of wrongdoing or expression of regret |
| *apostrophe | words addressed to an absent person as if he were present, or to a thing or idea as if it could appreciate them |
| archetype | an original pattern from which copies are made - may refer to theme, situati on of character |
| *aside | a remark made by a character in a play and intended to be heard by the audience but not by the other characters on stage |
| *assonance | resemblance or similarity in sound between vowels in two or more syllables (not exact correspondance...thats rhyme) lake...fate |
| asyndeton/polysyndeton | no ands many ands |
| *atmosphere | the mood or feeling evoked by a piece of writing |
| *autobiography/biography | a)life story written by self b) life story |
| *ballad/ballad stanza | a) a narrative poem arranged in quatrains with regular theme and rhythm b)a quatrain of tetrameter and trimeter lines rhyming (ABCB) |
| *bibliography | source page of references |
| black humor | writing in which grotesque elements are juxtaposed with humorous or farcical ones |
| blank verse | poetry with no rhyme, but definite rhythm |
| cacophone | harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones for poetic effect. |
| *cadence | the natural rhyme of language |
| caricature | an exaggerated description of a character's features for comic effect |
| carpe diem | "seize the day" - common theme of lyric poetry |
| catharsis | literally - a purging - the purging of emotions through the spectators imaginative participation in the character's suffering |
| character | a short, descriptive essay focusing on the virtues of a particular social type - not an individual - rather than a personality - "the comedian" |
| *characterization(direct/indirect) | the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character - directly by telling his audience what the character is like or indirectly by showing things that reveal the personality of the character |
| chiasmus | greek - meaning to place crosswise - "if you don't control your fear, then your fear will control you" |
| *cliché | overused word or phrase |
| *climax | the high point of a plot |
| closet drama | a play intended to be read, not performed |
| *colloquialism | an expression used in conversation, but not acceptable in formal speech or writing |
| comedy | any literary work, but especially a play, commonly having a happy ending |
| act/scene | dramas are divided into acts which are further subdivided into acts |
| *acronym | a word formed from the initial letters or syllables of other words. for example SCUBA = Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus |
| *adage/aphorism/proverb/maxim/epigram | a wise saying or phrase that succinctly expresses some truth or observation about life. |
| aesthetics | the science or study of beauty |
| *allegory | an extended metaphor - a comparison story (truth with fiction) with a didactic purpose (animal farm) |
| *allusion | reference to famous historical or literary writings or characters or events |
| alternation rhyme scheme | A B A B |
| ambiguity | the expression of an idea in such a way that more than one meaning is possible - double meaning |
| *anachronism | something out of its proper time |
| anadiplosis | repetition in which the word(s) at the end of one clause/line recur at the beginning of the next |
| *analogy | a direct comparison of two things that are essentially different |
| anaphora | repetition in which the same expression is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences |
| *anecdote | a short narrative lacking a complicated plot that is usually restricted to the relation of a single episode |
| *annotation | a textual comment in a book by an author or editor usually intended to clarify the meaning of the text |
| *antagonist | in fiction or drama, the character directly opposed to the protagonist |
| *anthology | a collection of literary works from the writings of one or more authors |
| *anthropomorphic/personification | attributing human form or qualities to gods or animals - personification attributes human qualities to any inanimate object |
| anticlimax | an abrupt descent from the important to the less important in a series of statements to cause surprise and humor |
| antithesis | a literary technique in which the opposite or strongly contrasting statements are balanced against each other for emphasis |
| *antonym | words that are opposite in meaning |
| apology | in literature - a defense or explanation without admission of wrongdoing or expression of regret |
| *apostrophe | words addressed to an absent person as if he were present, or to a thing or idea as if it could appreciate them |
| archetype | an original pattern from which copies are made - may refer to theme, situati on of character |
| *aside | a remark made by a character in a play and intended to be heard by the audience but not by the other characters on stage |
| *assonance | resemblance or similarity in sound between vowels in two or more syllables (not exact correspondance...thats rhyme) lake...fate |
| asyndeton/polysyndeton | no ands many ands |
| *atmosphere | the mood or feeling evoked by a piece of writing |
| *autobiography/biography | a)life story written by self b) life story |
| *ballad/ballad stanza | a) a narrative poem arranged in quatrains with regular theme and rhythm b)a quatrain of tetrameter and trimeter lines rhyming (ABCB) |
| *bibliography | source page of references |
| black humor | writing in which grotesque elements are juxtaposed with humorous or farcical ones |
| blank verse | poetry with no rhyme, but definite rhythm |
| cacophone | harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones for poetic effect. |
| *cadence | the natural rhyme of language |
| caricature | an exaggerated description of a character's features for comic effect |
| carpe diem | "seize the day" - common theme of lyric poetry |
| catharsis | literally - a purging - the purging of emotions through the spectators imaginative participation in the character's suffering |
| character | a short, descriptive essay focusing on the virtues of a particular social type - not an individual - rather than a personality - "the comedian" |
| *characterization(direct/indirect) | the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character - directly by telling his audience what the character is like or indirectly by showing things that reveal the personality of the character |
| chiasmus | greek - meaning to place crosswise - "if you don't control your fear, then your fear will control you" |
| *cliché | overused word or phrase |
| *climax | the high point of a plot |
| closet drama | a play intended to be read, not performed |
| *colloquialism | an expression used in conversation, but not acceptable in formal speech or writing |
| comedy | any literary work, but especially a play, commonly having a happy ending |
| comic relief | a comic scene to relieve tension in a drama |
| *conflict | opposition of two characters of faces (man vs. man, self, nature, society) |
| *connotation/denotation | a)associated or suggested meaning of a word b) dictionary definition of a word |
| consonance | -harmony of sounds - opposite of dissonance -the repetition of identical consonant sounds after different vowels (click..flock) |
| *contrast | -as a noun, contrast means different -as a verb, to contrast is to comparetwo or more ideas, characters or objects so as to show thier differences |
| couplet | two lines of verse with similar end rhymes |
| *crisis | the part of the plot in fiction or drama that presents the critical stage in the dramatic action |
| *denouement | in drama or fiction, the final unraveling of the plot, the solution of the mystery; the explanation or outcome |
| deus ex machina | latin - god from the machine - any unexpected or improbable person or force that descends upon a play or story to untangle the plot |
| dialect | a variety of spoken language peculiar to a geographical region or community |
| didactic | pertainig to teaching - literature intended to teacha moral truth, political truth etc. |
| *dirge/elegy/lament | a) a wailing song sung at a funeral; a song of lament b)a lyric poem expressing the poet's meditations upon a death; a funeral poem c) expression of grief or sorrow' a mourning song or ballad |
| *dissonance | *the mingling of harsh or jarring sounds of phythmical patterns; a synonym for cacophony |
| double entendre | a play on words in which a word or phrase may be understood in two scenes, one of which is frequently improper |
| drama | in general, a work written to be performed by actors on a stage; tension occuring in life |
| elegiac | having the nature of elegy;sad, mournful |
| ellipsis | the omission of one or more owrds, indicate something has been left out. |
| epic | a long narrative poem presenting heroic characters who take part in a series or adventures usually over an extended period of time |
| epic simile | an elaborated comparison - it is more involved than a regular simile; more ornate; there is a concious limitation of the homeric manner |
| epigraph | - an inscription on a monument, building or statue -a motto or quotation that apprears at the begininning of a written work |
| epilogue | a concluding statement - often the final remarks of an actor addressed to the audience at the close of the play |
| epiphany | a moment of revelation or illumination that results in an altered perception, sudden awareness |
| epistle | any letter, but usually the term is reserved for more formal compositions; a conscious literary form |
| essay | -a prose discussion of a topic -trying or testing something (assay) |
| euphemism | a figure of speech in which an indirect statement is substituted for a direct one to avoid bluntness |
| euphony | word combination s that sound pleasant - the opposite of cacophony |
| expletive | unsavory language |
| exposition |
Created by:
shrocki
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