lit terms
Antagonist
A character or force that goes against the protagonist
Catalyst
A character or force that spurs action within a story
Static Character
A character that does not undergo change in a play or story
Flat Character
A character that is not well developed
Round Character
A character that is very distinct in a novel
Dynamic character
A character that undergoes change throughout a story or play
Tragic Flaw
A characteristic that leads to ones downfall
Stereotypical Character
A conventional opinion or image of a person or a group of people
Sensory Imagery
A description of something that arouses ones senses
Deus ex Machina
God from the machine; a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.
Mood
How a reader feels when reading a story or play
Aside
In drama, a few words or a short passage spoken by one character to the audience while the other actors on stage pretend their characters cannot hear the speaker's words.
Foil
Two characters that directly contradict each other
Syntax
Typical word order and sentence structure
Archetype
Universal setting, symbol, or character type
Idiom
a construction or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language. (Yesterday, the old man kicked the bucket.)
Apology
a defense or justification for a piece of writing
Chronicle
a detailed and continuous record of events (aka history)
Philippic
a fiery speech, or tirade, delivered to condemn a particular political actor
Metonymy
a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing: "Hollywood" = "US Cinema"
Formilaic
a fixed and conventional method of developing a plot
Melodrama
a form of play that intensifies sentiment, exaggerates emotions
Litany
a form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations with identical responses in succession
Chorus
a group of characters in drama that are separate from the principals in the play
Myth
a legendary or traditional story, usually one concerning a superhuman being dealing with events that have no natural explanation
Novel
a lengthy fictitious prose narrative
Saga
a lengthy narrative or legend about heroic or historical events (prose equivalent of epic)
Epic
a lengthy poem in which the action, characters and language are of a heroic nature
Poetic Liscense
a liberty taken by a writer to produce a desired effect by deviating from conventional form or logic
Farce
a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a carefully exploited situation rather than upon character development
Verse
a line of metrical writing, a stanza, or poetry in general
Canon
a list of literary works that are considered standard study
Parody
- a humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation of a person, event, or serious work of literature
Situational irony
A difference in appearance vs reality
Dramatic Irony
A discrepancy between what the main character thinks and what the reader knows to be true
Motif
A dominant idea or central theme; recurring
Stock Character
A familiar character that is used across literature - ex. Mad Scientist
Verbal irony
A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant
Persuasive
A form of literature that is intended to change ones mind into favoring a certain side of an argument
Act
A major division in a play
Soliloquy
A monologue spoken by an actor at a point in the play when the character believes himself to be alone. The technique frequently reveals a character's innermost thoughts, including his feelings, state of mind, motives or intentions.
Comic Relief
A period of comedy directly after a tragic moment in a play
Tragic Hero
A person of noble birth that has, or potentially has heroic qualities
Pun
A play on words
Thesis
A portion of writing that clearly states someones point of view on a subject
Archetypal Character
A prototype, or perfect example of a character - ex the sidekick
Secondary Source
A recollection of an event that does not come directly from that time period
Primary Source
A recollection of an event that is told from someone who experienced it first hand
Crucible
A severe test or development that provokes change
Anecdote
A short account of an interesting or humorous incident
Vignette
A short composition of a considerable skill
Character sketch
A short description of a character
Style
A specific way in which an author writes to achieve a certain effect
Personification
Adding human like qualities to inanimate objects
Nom De Plume
An authors pen name
Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration
Metaphor
An indirect comparison of two unlike things
Internal Conflict
An internal feeling that a character encounters
Bias
An opinion that is heavily favored in an argument
Allegory
Any writing that has double meaning, both on a literal and a figurative level
Oxymoron
Combining two or more words in a phrase that directly contradict eachother
Haiku
Japanese verse composed of three lines containing a fixed number of syllables (17; 5-7-5)
Allusion
Making a direct reference to another work of literature, song, movie, etc
3rd Person omniscient point of view
Narrator is removed from the story and knows all that is needed to be know, uses "He/She"
Context
Parts of discourse around a passage that help throw light on its meaning
Verisimilitude
The appearance of reality in fiction
Symbol
The associated meaning with an object
2nd Person point of view
The author tells a story to another person, using "You"
Theme
The central idea of a work of literature
Internal Monologue
The consciousness of a single character
Suspense
The curiosity a reader feels when anticipating the plots outcome
Denotation
The dictionary definition of a word
Simile
The direct comparison of two unlike things using Like or As
Resolution
The ending of a story that draws conclusions to the problems addressed in the story
Falling Action
The events directly after the climax
Rising Action
The events leading up to the climax
Surprise
The feeling an author feels after their expectations are not met
Connotation
The felling associated with how a word is interpreted
Climax
The high point of events in a story
Foreshadowing
The hinting at an event in the near future
Tone
The intended feeling of an author when writing a story or play
Objective or dramatic point of view
The narrator does not reveal the thoughts or feelings of characters, merely tells the story - "Fly on the wall"
3rd Person limited point of view
The narrator is removed from the story, feelings are only expressed from a select few characters, uses "He/She"
Ellipsis
The omission of narrative information from a story; i.e. Nineteen years later...
Plot
The overall backbone of the story, includes events, setting, etc
Setting
The place where a story takes place, includes time
Protagonist
The positive character or force in a play or story
Epiphany
The realization moment for a character
Alliteration
The repetition of the same, or similar, beginning vowel sounds
Diction
The specific words that an author might use
Dialogue
The spoken interaction between two or more characters
Flashback
The technique of stopping the chronological action in a story and shifting to an earlier period to introduce additional information.
1st Person point of view
The telling of a story from a direct standpoint using I, Me, My etc
Direct Characterization
When a character is directly described by the author or another character
Indirect Characterization
When a character us shown in action and the reader is to infer what they are like
Onomatopoeia
Words that employ actions
Masculine Ending
Words with the accent on the final syllable; snow having only 1 syllable is masculine, be-low is accented on the last syllable making it masculine
Local Color Writing
Writing style that uses physical details associated with a particular time or place giving readers a clearer understanding; often utilizes dialect
Aphorism
a brief concise statement expressing a simple doctrine
Persona
a character in drama or fiction or the part any one sustains in the world or in a book
Hero
a character of physical or moral courage, admired for bravery and noble deeds
Expository
a composition type; it intends to set forth or explain
Narrative
a composition type; it tells a story or gives an account of something, dealing with sequences of events and experiences
Epilogue
a concluding portion added to a literary work, often used to explain the meaning
Synopsis
a condensed statement providing a general view of a topic or subject
Romanticism
a literary style that focuses on the senses and emotions over reason and intellect
Frame Device
a literary technique whereby a main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories (Frankenstein, Canterbury Tales)
Fantasy
a literary work in which the action occurs in a nonexistent and unreal world (such as fairyland) or to a selection that involves incredible characters.
Sonnet
a lyric poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to certain definite patterns
Ode
a lyric poem with a dignified theme that is phrased in a formal, elevated style; purpose is to praise and glorify
Phyrric
a metrical foot of two short unaccented syllables which is common in classical poetry; "One more such victory and we are lost."
Homily
a moralizing discourse or sermon explaining some part of the Bible
Science Fiction
a narrative which draws imaginatively on scientific knowledge, and its effects on future events, in its plot, theme, and setting
Story
a narrative, either true or fictional, designed to interest, amuse, or inform readers
Couplet
a pair of successive lines of poetry, especially rhyming
Caesura
a pause in a line of poetry, especially to allow its sense to be made clear or to follow the rhythms of natural speech, often near the middle of the line
Spoonerism
a phrase in which two words' initial consonants have been switched deliberately for a humorous effect; "the queer old dean" for "the dear old queen."
Refrain
a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song
Euphony
a pleasant sound, especially in speech or pronunciation (ant. cacaphony)
Synesthesia
a plot device or way of developing a character's inner life; transcending the material world
Riddle
a puzzling problem or question; an enigmatic saying
Epigraph
a quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, or section of a book, usually related to its theme
Invective
a rude expression or discourse intended to offend or hurt
Essay
a short literary composition on a particular theme or topic
Ballad
a short narrative folk song, or a type of literature that has a tight focus and begins in media res with little or no background material
Proverb
a short saying that expresses some useful thought or truth
Parable
a short, simple story designed to convey some moral principle
Point of view
a specified position or method of consideration and appraisal: three types of POV: Physical - position of author relative to action; mental - author's attitude toward subject; Personal - perspective from which the writer relates the story
Monologue
a speech by one person in a drama, a form of entertainment by a single speaker
Romance
a story that involves noble heroes, idealized love, or fantastic events removed from everyday life; typically includes 3 stages: quest, test, return
Absurd
a style in which the standard conventions such as plot or characterization are ignored to focus the reader's attention on the nature of man's isolation in the universe and the lack of meaning in life
Anticlimax
a sudden and unexpected drop from an important idea to a trivial or secondary situation
Device
a term used to describe any literary technique deliberately used for a specific effect
Legend
a tradition or story handed down from earlier times, popularly accepted as true but actually a mix of fact and fiction
Folk Tale
a traditional legend or narrative originating among a people, usually part of an oral tradition
Black Comedy
a type of literature that portrays situations that are tragic and depicts them as humorous
Euphemism
a word or phrase used to express an idea that is considered unpleasant
Plaindrome
a word, sentence, or verse reading the same backward as forward
Epithet
an adjective that expresses a quality of a character i.e.- Catherine the Great
Morality play
an allegory in dramatic form intended to teach a moral lesson
Paradox
an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth ("War is peace." "Freedom is slavery." "Ignorance is strength." George Orwell, 1984)
Stanza
an arrangement of lines of verse in a pattern usually repeated throughout the poem. It has a fixed number of verses or lines, a prevailing kind of meter, and a consistent rhyme scheme
Parallelism
an arrangement of the parts of a composition so that elements of equal importance are balanced in similar constructions; drawing comparisons between similar situations or characters
Catharsis
an emotional discharge that results in a spiritual renewal
Hamartia
an error in judgment or unwitting mistake is applied to the actions of the hero
Conceit
an imaginative poetic image, or writing that contains a comparison that is extreme or far-fetched
Scenario
an outline of the plot of a dramatic work
External Conflict
an outside force that a character encounters
Cacophony
an unpleasant combination of loud, often jarring, sounds
Fiction
any imagined and invented literary composition
Comedy
any play or narrative poem in which the main characters manage to humorously avert an impending disaster and have a happy ending
Nemesis
any situation or person that one cannot change or overcome
Bard
archaic term for poets / storytellers
Hubris
arrogance, excessive self-pride and self-confidence
Pastoral
artistic composition dealing with the life of shepherds or with a simple, rural existence
In medias res
beginning a narrative well along in the sequence of events
Motto
brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal.
Statistical evidence
collection of numerical data used to help create an argument
Drama
composition in prose or verse presenting, in dialogue, a narrative involving conflict between a character or characters and some external or internal force
Ambiguity
confusion between the connotative and denotative meaning of a literary work
Polysyndeton
conjunctions (e.g. and, but, or) are used repeatedly in quick succession
Antithesis
contrary ideas presented in a concise sentence
Sensory Details
description which invokes any or all of the five senses
Canto
division of a long poem (chapter in narrative literature)
Scene
dramatic sequence that takes place within a single locale (or setting) on stage. Often scenes serve as the subdivision of an act within a play
Gothic
stories designed to thrill readers by providing mystery and blood-curdling accounts of villainy, murder, and the supernatural
Exegesis
explanation of a piece of literature, especially for difficult works of poetry or prose
Explicit
fully or clearly expressed
Feminine ending
in poetry, words that are accented on the second to last syllable making it feminine; season
Irony
incongruity between what happens and what was expected to happen; dramatic, situational and verbal
Arbitrary
lacking in substantial justification; objective
Limerick
light humorous verse consisting of five lines, rhyming aabba
Plagiarism
literary theft, which is the taking or closely imitating of the language and thoughts of another author and representing them as one's own
Didactic Literature
literature designed to teach a moral lesson i.e. The Bible
Lampoon
literature which severely ridicules a character's intentions or behavior
Essential Question
looks for deeper meaning and understanding of an issue, concept, or principle. It sets the stage for further questioning, fosters the development of critical thinking skills and higher order capabilities, such as problem-solving and understanding complex systems
Rhyme
matching similarity of sounds in two or more words, especially when their accented vowels and all succeeding consonants are identical. For instance, the word-pairs listed here are all rhymes: skating/dating
Subplot
minor or subordinate secondary plot which takes place simultaneously within a larger plot
Short Story
narrative that is designed to produce a single dominant effect in a concise narrative
Prose
ordinary form of spoken and written language whose unit is the sentence, rather than the line as it is in poetry
Synecdoche
part of something is used to refer to the whole thing
Elegy
personal reflective poem; often mournful or melancholy
Aesthetics
study of the emotions in relation to their sense of beauty, separate from moral, social, political or economic considerations
Realism
style of writing in which ordinary aspects of life are depicted in a matter of fact, straightforward manner designed to reflect life as it actually is
Vernacular Style
style of writing that imitates everyday spoken language of local people
Credibility
quality or power of inspiring belief
Rhetorical question
question asked solely to produce an effect or to make a statement, but not expected to receive an answer
Meter
recognizable though varying pattern of stressed syllables alternating with syllables of less stress. Compositions written in meter are said to be in verse. There are many possible patterns of verse.
Internal Rhyme
rhyme which occurs within a single line of poetry
Digression
section of writing that departs from the basic plot, used extensively in storytelling
Tragedy
serious play in which the chief character, by some peculiarity of psychology, passes through a series of misfortunes leading to a final, devastating catastrophe
Fable
short simple story, usually containing animals, designed to teach a moral truth
Consonance
sound device in which repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (book-plaque-thicker); used to create a rhythm
Assonance
sound device which repeats, at close intervals, the vowel sounds of accented syllables or important words (hat-ran-amber); used to create a rhythm
Naturalism
style of writing which suggests that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character: Naturalistic works exposed the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism, sex, violence, prejudice
Bombast
stylistic extravagance often at the expense of content
Juxtaposition
the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side; drawing comparisons or parallels between similar characters or situations in literature
Malapropism
the act or habit of misusing words to comic effect. This usually results from ignorance or from confusion of words similar in sound but different in meaning
Poetry
the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, which is designed to produce pleasure through beautiful, elevated, imaginative, or profound thoughts
Semantics
the branch of linguistics that deals with the meanings of words, expressions, and sentences, and with historical changes in those meanings
Characterization
the creation and presentation of imaginary persons in literature
Affective Fallacy
the error of judging a literary work by its emotional effect on readers rather than an objective analysis
Figure of speech
the expressive use of language: There are three classes A. imagined similarities such as allegory, allusion, conceit, and simile B. suggestive associations in which one work is linked with another such as hypallage, hyperbole, metonymy, and synecdoche C. appeals to the ear and eye such as alliteration, anacoluthon, and onomatopoeia
Imagery
the forming of mental images
muse
the genius or powers characteristic of a literary artist; the inspiration for a writer
Poetic Justice
the ideal distribution of rewards and punishments
Dialect
the language of a specific group of people; usually geographically based
Asyndeton
the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence
Prologue
the opening section of a longer work; preface
Chiasmus
the order of the words in the second of two paired phrases is the reverse of the order in the first; "gray was the morn, all things were gray."
Denouement
the outcome or result of a complex literary situation, especially tragedies and comedies that have catastrophes in their plot
Intended Audience
the person or people for whom the author wrote
Author's Purpose
the reason a work is written
Oratory
the rendering of a formal speech delivered on a special occasion
Paraphrase
the restatement of a passage presenting the meaning in another form
Rhetoric
the rules that govern all prose composition or speech designed to influence the judgment or feelings of people
Genre
type or category of literature or film marked by certain shared features
Closure
the sense of completion at the end of a story
Oral Tradition
the spreading or passing on of material by word of mouth
Exposition
the start of the story. The way things are before the action starts
Anachronism
the unusual chronological placement of an event
Satire
the use of humor and wit with a critical attitude, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule for exposing or denouncing the frailties and faults of mankind's activities and institutions
Implicit
to be assumed, not directly expressed
Blank Verse
type of iambic pentameter poetry that has no rhyming pattern
Apocalyptic
type of literature connected with revelation or the end of the world
Anecdotal Evidence
use of a narrative describing an interesting, amusing or biographical incident to help create an argument (often untrustworthy)
Authoritative Evidence
use of information/quotations from a person considered an authority on a particular subject to help create an argument
Free Verse
verse that lacks regular meter and line length but relies upon natural rhythms. It is free from fixed metrical patterns, but does reveal the cadences that result from alternating stressed and unstressed syllables
Epigram
witty, pointed saying that is tersely expressed
Figurative Language
word or phrase that departs from everyday literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness
Colloquialism
words or phrases used in an easy informal style of writing; often slang or culturally bound terms
Sound Devices
writing methods used to create a particular sound effect or rhythm
Literature
writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas and concerns of universal and apparently permanent interest, are essential features. While applied to any kind of printed material, there are some who feel it is more correctly reserved for prose and verse of acknowledged excellence