10th Grade L.A. Literary Terms FINAL

Essay

A brief composition on a single subject that usually presents the personal view of the author

Fable

A brief tale told to illustrate a moral or teach a lesson

Tragic Hero

A central character in a drama who is dignified or noble but also possesses a defect

Foil

A character who provides a striking contrast to another character. A writer calls attention to certain traits a main character has or enhances a character by contrast.

Comedy

A dramatic work that is light and often humorous

Tragedy

A dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character

Extended Metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things at some length and in several ways

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are unlike

Simile

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things using the word like or as.

Memoir

A form of autobiographical writing in which a person recalls specific events

dialect

A form of language as it is spoken in particular geographic area or by a particular social or ethnic group

Stanza

A grouping of two or more lines in a pattern that is repeated throughout a poem

Comic relief

A humorous scene, incident, or speech that is included in a drama.

Figurative Language

A language that communicates ideals beyond the ordinary, literal meanings of words

Style

A particular way in which a piece of literature is written

Symbol

A person, place, an activity, or an object that stands for something beyond itself

Ballad

A poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited

Meter

A regular pattern or accented and unaccented syllables in a line of poetry

Aside

A remark spoken in an undertone by one character either to the audience or to another character.

Soliloquy

A speech which a character speaks thoughts aloud; usually alone on the stage

Oxymoron

A statement that seems self-contradictory, such as "honorable villain"

First-Person Point of View

A story told from this view has a narrator who is a character in the story and uses the pronouns, I, me, and my

Speech

A talk or public address

Understatement

A technique of creating emphasis by saying less than is actually true

Biography

A true account of a person's life told by someone else. Written in third person.

Diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words and way of arranging the words in sentences

Foreshadowing

A writer's use of hits or clues to indicate events and situations that will occur later in the plot

Falling Action

Also called the resolution, occurs after the climax of the story

Climax

Also known as the turning point in a story

Flashback

An account of a conversation, an episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of the story

Allusion

An indirect reference to another literary work or to a famous person, place, or event

Surprise Ending

An unexpected twist in the plot at the end of a story

Blank Verse

An unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter

Imagery

Descriptive words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for the reader

Resolution

Happens after the climax of a story, also called falling action

Verbal Irony

Happens when someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing and means another

Fiction

Has imaginary elements and includes novels and short stories

External Conflict

Involves a character pitted against an outside force, such as nature, a physical obstacle, or another character

Assonance

Is the repetition of vowel sounds within non rhyming words

Drama

Literature in which the plot and characters are developed through dialogue and action

Iambic Pentameter

Made up of two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed

Act

Major unit of action in a play, similar to a chapter in a book

Stage Directions

Often printed in italic type at the beginning of a play and at the beginning of acts and scenes

Conflict

Part of the story always involves struggle between opposing forces. Two types: External and internal

Character

People who take part in the action of a story, a novel, or drama

Free Verse

Poetry that does not contain a regular pattern or rhyme and meter

Voice

Refers to a writer's unique use of language that allows a reader to "hear" a human personality in his or her writing

Characterization

Refers to the techniques that a writer use to develop characters

Form

Refers to the way poem is laid out on the page

Expository Essay

Seeks to explain something and therefore fosters reader's understanding

Exposition

Sets the tone, establishes setting, introduces characters and gives the reader important background information

Rhyme

Similar or identical sound at the ends of two or more words

Repetition

Sound, word, phrase or line is repeated for the effect or emphasis

Irony

Special contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens

Novel

Tells a complex story that unfolds through the actions speech, and thoughts of the characters

Narrative Essay

Tells a story, not a novel

Narrative Poem

Tells a story. Like a short story or a novel

Tone

The attitude a writer takes toward a subject

Narrator

The character of the voice from whose point of view events are told

Rising Action

The events in a story that move the plot along by adding complications

Suspense

The excitement of tension that readers feel as they become involved in a story

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader

Protagonist

The main character or hero in a narrative or drama

Theme

The main idea in a work of literature

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern is charted by assigning a letter of the alphabet to each line

Rhythm

The pattern or flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words

Plot

The sequence of events in a story. Tells what happens, when, and to whom

Setting

The time and place of action of a story

Speaker

The voice in poetry that talks to the reader, similar to the narrator in fiction

Structure

The way in which the parts of a work of literature are put together

Humor

Three basic types of literature, all of which involve exaggeration or irony

Author's Purpose

To express him/herself, to inform, explain, persuade, and/or to entertain

Antagonist

Usually the principal character in opposition to main character.

Dramatic Irony

When the reader or viewer knows something that a character does not know

Internal Conflict

When the struggle takes place within a character.

Poetry

When words are chosen and arranged to create a certain effect

Nonfiction

Writing that deals with real people, events, and places

Vivid imagery

Writing that helps a reader to picture scenes, events, and characters

Autobiography

Writings include personal narratives, journals, memoirs, diaries and letters. Written in first person

Dialogue

Written conversation between two or more characters in either fiction or nonfiction. Used to bring life

Scene

in a play this indicates a different time and place

Moral

the lesson taught in a works such as a fable