Antagonist
Any force aligned against the protagonist
Catharsis
Purification that brings emotional relief or renewal
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Climax
Most exciting moment of the story; turning point
Conflict
Opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot)
Denouement
The final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work
Deus ex Machina
In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem.
An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, esp. as a contrived plot device in a play or novel
Genre
A major category or type of literature
Hubris
The possession of excessive pride, which often surfaces in a character’s defiance of authority or the gods
Narrator
The person telling the story
Protagonist
The main character embroiled in conflict
Setting
Where and when the story takes place
Structure
The arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work;For a poem, how it is organized with rhyming patterns, meter, grammar, and imagery.
Style
The choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work
Theme
The main idea or meaning of a text
Allegory
A narrative or description having a second, deeper meaning beyond the surface layer.
There is a literal meaning to the narrative or description, which also represents a higher meaning often relating to a system of principles or ideas
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of a wordExamples: mirror, moon, money
Allusion
A reference to another work of literature, person, or event
Apostrophe
Addressing someone absent or dead or something inhuman as if it were alive and present and could reply
Assonance
Repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in neighboring words
Blank Verse
Unrhymed verse (usually in iambic pentameter)
Cacophony
A harsh, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds
Cadence
Rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words
Conceit
Extended metaphor or simile, often yoking together two apparently unconnected, highly dissimilar ideas
Connotation
The implied emotional meaning of a word
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds at the end of a wordExamples: spook, plague, sticker
Dirge
A song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person
Dissonance
Unpleasant or inharmonious combination of sound
End-Stopped Line
A line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation
Epic
A long narrative poem telling of a hero’s deeds
Euphony
Any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds
Foot
One accented syllable with one, two, three or zero unaccented syllablesBasic unit of rhythmic measurement in a line of poetry, formed by a combination of two or three syllables, either stressed or unstressed.
Free Verse
Unrhymed verse without a consistent metrical pattern or rhyme sceme
Heroic Couplet
Couplet consisting of two rhymed lines of iambic pentamenter and written in an elevated style
Iamb
Metrical unit made up of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable
Imagery
Language in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses (sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell)
Internal Rhyme
A rhyme between words in the same line
Irony
A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or occurs
Lyric
A type of poem that explores the poet’s personal interpretation of and feelings about the world;Poem that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker;Different types include elegies, odes, and sonnets
Meaning
The idea that is intended
Measure
A particular metrical unit or group;The rhythm of a piece of poetry
Metaphor
A figure of speech indirectly comparing two unlike things;Does NOT use “like” or “as” to compare
Meter
Consistent rhythmThe organization of stressed and unstressed syllables
Ode
A lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject;A lyrical poem of elaborate metrical form and expressing enthusiastic emotion
Onomatopoeia
Word that imitate sounds it describes
Pentameter
A verse line having five metrical feet
Persona
The speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing
Quatrain
A stanza of four lines
Refrain
A repeated work, phrase, or line or group of lines, normally at some fixed position in a poem written in stanzas
Repetition
Repeating words or phrases for a stronger emphasis
Rhythm
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Simile
A direct comparison of two unlike things, using the words “like” or “as.”
Sonnet
14-line lyric poem written in iambic pentameter that focuses on single theme
Soliloquy
A speech given by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is unaware of anyone present who may be listeningIt is a way of letting the audience know the character’s true thoughts.
Stress
The relative prominence of a syllable
Symbol
Something that has literal meaning and meaning beyond literal
Tone
The attitude an author conveys about the subject he is writing about
Trochee
A metrical foot consisting of one accented (stressed) syllable followed by one unaccented (unstressed) syllable
Attitude
An author belief toward his or her subject, and/or his or her audience
Sound Devices
Elements such as rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and onomatopoeia – gives poetry a musical quality
Diction
Choice of words an author uses to create an intended response and to reflect a particular style
Euphemism
A type of understatement replacing an offensive term with a milder one that is less likely to offend or be thought of as harsh
Hyperbole
An exaggeration used to emphasize
Litotes
A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite
Syntax
The arrangement and grammatical relationship of words, phrases, and clauses in sentences; the ordering of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.
Mood
The overall pervading feeling or emotion of the poem itself that is intended to influence the reader’s emotional response.The feeling the reader receives when reading a work
Narrative Techniques
Methods of telling a story – point of view, argument, allegory, description, exposition, monologue, interior monologue, dialogue, stream of consciousness, manipulation of time
Point of View
Refers to a story’s type of narration; the perspective/angle from which a story is told
Rhetorical techniques
The devices used in effective or persuasive language
Satire
Humorous writing or speech that is meant to point out the errors, lies, foibles, or failings.
Its purpose is to inform and reform human behavior or society and its social institutions;The intention is to bring about reform
Ambiguity
The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
Convention
A set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted standards, norms, social norms or criteria (customs) of a particular world
Denotation
The literal definition of a word
Didactic
Any text whose main purpose is to teach or instruct
Enjambment
The employment of run-on lines, which carry the completion of a statement from one line to another without rhetorical pause
Epigram
A witty saying;A pithy, sometimes satiric couplet or quatrain which was popular inclassic Latin literature and in European and English literature of the Renaissanceand the neo-Classical era
Literal
Without interpretation or embellishment; the denotative meaning of something
Lyrical
Songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination.
Metonymy
A figure of speech characterized by substituting an aspect or detail from the experience, or closely related to the experience, to represent the whole experience;Figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea
Oxymoron
A combination of contradictory terms
Parable
A short, simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson
Paradox
A contrasting statement or phrase which illuminates a truth or insight
Parody
Humorous or satirical mimicry
Personification
Giving human qualities to an inanimate object
Stereotype
A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image
Thesis
The primary position taken by a writer; serves as the author’s point of view on a topic
Verbal Irony
Saying one thing but meaning the opposite
Situational Irony
Where there is a disparity between appearance and reality;When a disparity exists between an actual situation and what is appropriate;When there is a situation with a recognizable oddity
Dramatic Irony
When the audience knows something the character does not
Frame Story
Story that Encloses series of frames/short stories
Round
A complex character with many qualities and traits
Flat
A simple character with only few traits
Static
A character that remains the same throughout a plot; doesn’t experience change or grow as an individual
Dynamic
A changing character; one who undergoes awakening of some kind of grains insight
Direct
Characterization that occurs when the author tells us information about the character
Indirect
Characterization that occurs when the author shows the reader the character, and some determination of inference about the character is made by the reader
Stichomythia
Line-for-line, verbal fencing match between two principal characters, used to retort sharply to each other in lines that echo the opponent’s words and figures of speech
Stream of Consciousness
A literary technique presenting the thoughts of a character as they occur
First Person
Point of View that utilizes character to personally tell us about characters & actions
Second Person
Point of View that uses a narrator who refers to you, the reader, as a character in the story
Third Person Limited
Point of View that describes a narrator guide who is on the outside of the story; tells readers what characters do and say and creates meaning by detailing the thoughts, opinions, motives, inner feelings, etc. of one character
Third Person Omniscient
The all-knowing point of view;The author knows everything the characters are thinking and feeling, and can relate any piece of information desired to the reader;Creates meaning by providing the reader with all the information available
Third Person Objective
Point of View in which reader observes action and hears dialogue but without the input of a narrator; like a self-guided tour
Tercet
A group of three lines of verse, often rhyming together or with another triplet
Foil
A minor character whose situation or actions parallel a major character’s
Villanelle
Fixed form poem consisting of 19 lines;5 stanzas of 3 lines each and closing w/ stanza of 4 lines;The form includes repeating refrain, and the rhyme scheme depends on only two rhyming sounds
Syllogism
Logical argument where the conclusion is inferred from 2 previous truths that this structure employs;”If only x were reality, but y is reality; therefore, we have z.”
Iambic Pentameter
A rhythmical pattern of syllables consisting of poetic lines of five feet of unstressed and stressed syllables
Rhyme Scheme
The pattern of rhyming words in a stanza
Anachronism
Something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time
Analogy
A comparison of similar things, often to explain something unfamiliar with something familiar
Anaphora
Repetition of an opening word or phrase in a series of lines
Aside
A combination of a monologue and a soliloquy in which a character reveals his or her thoughts as if there were no other characters on stage.The character speaks to the audience, but the other characters are not meant to hear what is said.
Ballad
A form of narrative poetry that presents a single dramatic episode, which is often tragic or violent
Caesura
A pause within a line of poetry. Usually a dash or comma will indicate the reader should pause
Characterization
The creation and development of the people who take part in the story;Includes appearance, personality, behavior, beliefs, relationships
Colloquial
Language that is conversational or informal.
May contain slang or non-standard grammar usage.
Man Vs. Man
Where the conflict is between people
Man Vs. Himself
Where conflict is psychological;Character grapples with his/her values/morals or some situation affect his/her life
Dialogue
Conversation between characters in a play or poem;Helps to develop a character
Drama
Compositions in prose or verse to narrate a story involving conflict between one or more characters and internal or external forces, or both
Realistic Convention
In drama, it is a convention which preserves the illusion of actual, everyday life
Non-Realistic Convention
In drama, it is a convention which departs from preserving the illusion of actual, everyday life
Envoi
Part of a complex poem that ends with 3 lines which include repeated end words sprinkled in the middle of the lines and then concluding the lines using some of the same 6 end words
Figurative Language
Words that aren’t used in their ordinary meaning (such as similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, understatement, etc.)
Flashback
Action that shows better understanding by interrupting to show an event that happened in the past
Foreshadowing
Method used to build suspense by providing hints of what is to come
Auditory
Imagery of a sound
Olfactory
Imagery of a smell
Gustatory
Imagery of a taste
Tactile
Imagery of a touch
Organic
Imagery of an internal feeling
Kinesthetic
Imagery of movement or tension in the muscles
Italian Sonnet
A sonnet that has:1 eight line octet and 1 6 line sestetTypically, octet poses dilemma that is answered in sestetRhyme Scheme: ABBA CDDC CDECDE
Monologue
A speech given by one person often alone on the stage. The actor speaks directly to the audience and is conscious of having a listener.
Motif
A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object or situation that appears in various works or throughout the same work
Overstatement
Exaggeration of language in order to reveal a truth
Plot
The sequencing of events in a piece of fiction
Realism
A method or technique in fiction which provides an accurate portrayal of life
Regionalism / Local Color
Stories refer to works recognizing the differences of specific areas of the country by focusing on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other particular features of the region
Scene
Minor division of a play
Shift
A change in perspectiveORmoving from one line of thought to another often signaled by words like: if, but, however or therefore.
Understatement
A figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or saying what one means with less force than the situation requires in order to reveal a truth
Universality
How the theme of a novel or play applies to individuals, transcending race, class, gender, and other systems which tend to segregate individuals
Verisimilitude
Creating an accurate and truthful portrayal of something
Voice
The relationship between a sentence’s subject and verb (active and passive);ORThe total “sound” of a writer’s style based on diction, syntax, and figurative language
Commercial Fiction
Fiction meant to entertain and meet the demands of audiences whose pocketbooks drive the production of such works
Literary Fiction
Fiction created to express artistic intent and insight into important aspects of life
Reliable
Narrator who is considered trustworthy
Unreliable
Narrator who is NOT considered trustworthy; untrustworthy
Naive
Narrator who is uncomprehending (child, simple-minded adult); he or she narrates the story without realizing its true implications
Intrusive
Narrator who keeps interrupting the narrative to address the reader
Rising Action
The part of a plot that leads through a series of events of increasing interest and power to the climax or turning point
Malapropism
The comic substitution of one word for another similar in sound, but different in meaning.
Functions to make characters look ignorant or amusingly uneducated
Pseudonym
Fictitious name assumed by a writer who wished to remain anonymous or who chooses not to use her/his real name professionally
Romanticism
Literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form.Characteristics:individuality, subjectivity, spontaneity, freedom from rules, solitary life vs. life in society, the belief that imagination is superior to reason, devotion to beauty, worship of nature, fascination with the past, etc
Sarcasm
Harsh, cutting, personal remarks to or about someone, not necessarily ironic
Surrealism
Employs illogical, dreamlike images and events to suggest the unconscious
Reliability
The extent to which a narrator can be trusted or believed.The closer the narrator is to the story, the more his judgment will be influenced by forces in the story.
Aphorism
A terse statement of a principal or truth which expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation
Kenning
A metaphoric compound word or phrase used as a synonym for a common noun
Proverb
A short saying that expresses some commonplace truth or bit of folk wisdom
Synaesthesia
The description of one kind of sensation in terms of another”He is wearing a loud shirt.”
Synecdoche
Figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole
Couplet
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme and that are written to the same meter, or pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
In medias res
Latin for “the middle of things.” The term describes the narrative practice of beginning a story in the middle of the action to involve the reader, and then using one or more flashbacks to fill in what led up to that point
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
Asyndenton
Conjunctions are omitted, producing a fast-paced and rapid prose
Parallelism
Expressing similar or related ideas in similar grammatical structure;repetition of words, phrases, sentences that have the samegrammatical structure or that restate a similar idea
Man vs. Nature
Where the conflict is between a person and natural forces/elements outside of human creation/control
Comedy
Drama that is meant to amuse the audience through wit, humor, subtlety, character
Poetry
Literature that is written with regular rhythm and is usually expressive, imaginative, and relevant to the life and experience of the reader/listener
Prose
Literature that’s not written with a regular rhythm.Includes novels, novellas, short stories, plays, essays
Tragedy
Drama that is meant to show the darker aspects of human existence that occur through nature of their own flaws
Stock Character
a fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypesfor its personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics
Hamartia
Also known as tragic flawCharacter flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall
Vernacular
Everyday speech of the people
Roman a clef
Novel in which actual persons & events are disguised as fictional characters
Pastoral
Of, relating to, or being a literary or other artistic work that portraysor evokes rural life, usually in an idealized way
Polemic
A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking aspecific opinion or doctrine.
Naturalism
describes a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings.implies a philosophical position
Minimalism
Works that use short descriptions and simple sentences
Inversion
Reversal of normal order of words for dramatic effect
Idiom
Specialized vocabulary used by group of people
Homily
Inspiration saying or platitude
Anecdote
A very short tale told by a character in a literary work
Anti-hero
protagonist who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero
Archetype
A term used to describe universal symbols that evoke deep andsometimes unconscious responses in a reader
Epigraph
Brief quotation which appears at the beginning of a literary work
Epithet
a word of phrase preceding or following a name which serves to describe the character
Farce
type of comedy based on a humorous situation
Anapest
Unstressed/unstressed/stressed
Dactyl
Stressed/unstressed/unstressed
Spondee
Stressed/stressed
Juxaposition
Deliberately placing dissimilar things side by side for comparison
English Sonnet
Sonnet that has:3 four line quatrains, and 1 two line coupletTypically, a couplet that reverses, alters, or challenges the meaning of the preceding 12 lines in an ironic twistRhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Spenserian Sonnet
A sonnet that is a variant on the Shakespearean sonnet, with 4 quatrains with interlocked rhyme schemeRhyme Scheme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
Prose Poem
Form of free verse that lacks the formal shape of poetry