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Literary Terms- Joni
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| A story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea about life | allegory |
| The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (tongue twisters) | alliteration |
| A reference to a well-known person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature | allusion |
| A comparison of two or more like objects that suggests if they are alike in certian respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well | analogy |
| a brief account of an interesting incident or event that is intended to entertain or make a point | anecdote |
| The repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry | assonance |
| The particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing | audience |
| An author's purpose for creating a particular work | author's purpose |
| A form of nonfiction in which a person tells the story of his or her life | autobiography |
| A poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited | ballad |
| The story of a person's life written by someone else | biography |
| When one event brings about or causes the other | cause and effect |
| a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem or other literature | character |
| A person, thing, or any challenge that works against the protagonist | antagonist |
| A character whose actions are inspiring or noble | hero/heroine |
| Characters who are central to the plot of a story | main characters |
| A less important character who interacts with the main characters to help move the plot along and provide background for the story | minor characters |
| All of the techniques that writers use to create characters | characterization |
| A character's personality; a trait tht is NOT a physical description | character trait |
| A character who changes throughout the course of a story | dynamic character |
| A character who does not change or who changes very little in the course of a story | static character |
| The order in which events happen in time | chronological order |
| a type of figurative language containing an overused expression or a saying that is no longer considered original | cliche |
| The tension or problemin the story; a struggle between opposing forces | conflict |
| The dominant or most important conflict in a story | central conflict |
| The problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force | external conflict |
| The problem or struggle that takes place in the main character's mind (person vs self) | internal conflict |
| The idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary definition | connotation |
| Hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases and clarify their meaning | context clues |
| The term that means the process of identifying similarities | comparison |
| The process of pointing out differences between things | contrast |
| The idea and feeling associated with a word that is the exact dictionary meaning of the word | denotation |
| A form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people | dialect |
| The conversation between characters | dialogue |
| combining several pieces of information to make an inference | drawing conclusions |
| A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideal and values of a nation or group | epic |
| A sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to change or to act in a certain way | epiphany |
| A short work of nonfiction that deals with a single subject that includes descriptive, expository, formal, humorous, informal, marrative, and persuasive | essay |
| The process of judging the value of something or someone | evaluating |
| A breif tale that teaches a lesson about human nature and often features animals as characters | fable |
| A work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element | fantasy |
| Prose writing that tells an imaginary story | fiction |
| Expressions that are not literally true - includes simile, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, oxymoron, cliche | figurative language |
| An interruption in the narrative that allows the writer to present past events during current events to provide background | flashback |
| A simple story that has been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth | folktale |
| When a writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict future events in a story | foreshadowing |
| A type or category of literature | genre |
| Fiction where the setting takes place in a real event or time in history but has fictional character | historical fiction |
| A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect | hyperbole |
| A phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say ("It's raining cats and dogs" instead of "It's raining hard") | idion |
| The use of words and phrases that appeal to the five senses: sight, touch, smell, sound, taste | imagery |
| A logical guess based on evidence in the text | inference |
| A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens | irony |
| When the speaker means something totally different than what he/she is saying | verbal irony |
| Irony where the facts are not known to the characters but by the audience | dramatice irony |
| Irony when the difference between what is expected to happen and the way events actually turn out | irony of situation |
| The most important point that an author wishes to express | main idea |
| A comparison of two things that are NOT alike but have a quality in common and does NOT use the words "like or as" | metaphor |
| An atmosphere that a literary work conveys to the reader | mood |
| A lesson that a story teaches and is often stated at the end of a fable | moral |
| A recurring object or concept in a work of literature | motif |
| A traditional story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the world is the way it is | myth |
| Any writing that tells a story | narrative |
| One who tells the story | narrator |
| Prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects or, events | nonfiction |
| The use of words whose sound sugges their meaning (buzz, bang, hiss) | onomatopoeia |
| A form of figurative language combining contradictory words or ideas (jumboshrimp, bittersweet) | oxymoron |
| A statement that seems to contradict itself but is true | paradox |
| The use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or of equal importance ("The sun rises. The sun sets" | parrallelism |
| The restatement of a text by readers in their own words or in another form | paraphrasing |
| A figure of speech where animals, ideas or inanimate objects are given human characteristics | personification |
| Writing that is meant to sway readers'feelings, beliefs, or actions | persuasion |
| The part in literary work that introduces the characters and the conflicts they face and includes setting and backgroud information | exposition |
| The part of a literary work that follows the introduction of the central conflict - includes suspense | rising action |
| The turning point, point of maximum interest, and highest tension in the plot of a story | climax |
| The end of the central conflict in a story when the action starts to wind down | falling action |
| What occurs after the climax and is where conflicts are resolved and loose ends are tied up | resolution |
| A grouping of two or more lines within a poem | stanza |
| How a writer says something | style |
| The process of briefly recounting the main ideas of a piece of writing | summarizing |
| A feeling of growing tension and excitement | suspense |
| Using something specific to stand for something else, expecially an idea | symbolism |
| An idea or message that the author presents to the reader about life or human nature, is universal (hate, love, friendship) | theme |
| The writer's attitude or feeling about his or her subject | tone |
Created by:
jonidillard
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