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literary terms final
coriaty
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| theme | the general insight into life revealed through a piece of literature. |
| symbol | anything that stands for or represents a larger concept. |
| personification | when a non-human subject is given human characteristics. |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which the thing is directly compared to another that is completely different. |
| simile | a figure of speech in which the thing is directly compared to another that is completely different. |
| conflict | a struggle between opposing forces |
| internal conflict | a struggle one has within himself (man vs. self) |
| external conflict | a struggle one has with an outside force (ex. man vs man, man vs society, man vs nature, man vs fate, man vs supernatural, man vs machine) |
| characterization | the manner in which an author reveals the traits of a character or characters to the reader. |
| 1. direct characterization 2. indirect characterization | 1. when the author directly reveals a trait of a character to the reader. 2. when the reader finds out about a character through action or dialogue. |
| tone | a writer's attitude toward his or her audience. tone is found by analyzing word choice (diction) |
| resolved conflict | a conflict where the problem is ultimately solved |
| unresolved conflict | a conflict where the problem is not solved |
| drama | a story written to be performed by actors on stage |
| comedy | a work of literature that has a happy ending. in a comedy, all of the conflicts are solved |
| tragedy | a piece of literature that results in a catastrophe for the main character(s) |
| allusion | a reference in a piece of literature to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work. |
| character foil | when two characters with opposing traits are placed next to each other, thereby enhancing the existing traits of each. ex A mean person spits in Atticus's face. He cleans his face and walks away. His calmness and kindness makes the person look even mer. |
| oxymoron | two contrasting terms that are placed next to each other. an oxymoron typically displays an internal conflict of a character. |
| irony | the name given to a literary technique that involves the differences between appearance and reality or what is expected and what actually occurs. |
| verbal irony | words that are used to suggest the opposite of what it is meant |
| dramatic irony | a contraction between what a character thinks and what the reader knows to be true. |
| irony of situation | an event which occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the character and reader |
| dynamic character | a character that grows or changes throughout the course of the text |
| static character | a character that remains the same throughout the course of the selection |
| flat character | a character that the reader knows very little about. typically, flat characters are minor characters in a text. |
| 3-D Character | a life-like character that the reader is able to learn many aspects of it. typically, 3-D characters are main characters in a text. |
| Point of View | the perspective from which a story is narrated |
| first person point of view | the narrator is a character in the story and refers to himself with the first person pronoun, "I". |
| third person point of view | in third person point of view, the narrator is not a character in the story. (2 types of 3rd person pov: omniscient 3rd person pov and limited 3rd person pov) |
| omniscient third person point of view | in this type of narration, the narrator knows and reveals what each character feels and thinks. |
| limited third person point of view | in this type of narration, the narrator shares the inner thoughts and feelings of only one character and everything is viewed from this character's perspective. |
| satire | the name given to a style of writing that uses humor to criticize people, ideas, or institutions in hopes of improving them. |
| flashback | a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time |
| figurative language | writing that is not meant to be taken literally. three types of figurative language include personification, metaphor, and simile |
| imagery | writing that paints a picture in a reader's mind. imagery is executed through the inclusion of descriptive words by the author |
| participial phrase | a phrase that begins with a verb that ends in "ing" or "ed" |
| hyperbole | the use of words to exaggerate the description of a person or event |
| motivation | a character's reason for saying or doing something |
| foreshadowing | when an author gives the reader clues about what may happen later in the story |
| suspense | a feeling of curiosity about the outcome of a particular event in a story |
| dialogue | conversation between characters |
| protagonist | the central character in a literary work |
| antagonist | a central character in conflict with the protagonist |
| expository writing | writing that explains, informs, or presents information |
| moral | the lesson learned through a piece of literature |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods and goddesses and/or heroes |
| climax | the high point of interest or suspense in a story |
| alliteration | the repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| anecdote | a brief story about an interesting event |
| monologue | a speech by one character to another in a play, story, or poem |
| soliloquy | a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage |
| mood | the feeling created in a reader by a literary work |
| parody | a work done in imitation of another, usually in order to mock it, but sometimes just for fun. |
| paradox | a statement that seems contradictory or absurd, but actually expresses the truth |
| plot | the sequence of events in a literary work |
| stanza | a group of lines in a poem considered a unit |
| symbol | anything that stands for or represents a larger concept |
| narrative | writing that tells a story |
| inference | any reasonable conclusion that can be drawn based on evidence |
| ballad | a song-like poem that tells a story |
Created by:
alyna
Popular English Vocabulary sets