Critical Reading
Explication
The act of explaining the meaning of a text
Tone
The attitude towards a subject convey in a literary work.
Archetypes
The characters, images, and themes that symbolically embody universal human meanings and experiences.
Allusion
An indirect reference to something the reader is suppose to be familiar with.
Character
Any person who plays a part in a narrative work. The main character is usually labeled the protagonist.
Resolution
End of the story where loose ends are tied up
Falling Action
Events after the climax, leading to the resolution
Figurative Language
Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.
Abstraction
Language that describes ideas or qualities as opposed to concrete language.
Literal Language
Words used in their denotative sense, the opposite of figurative language.
Understatement
the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.
Onomatopeia
formation or use of words that imitate sounds of the actions they refer to
Connotative Meaning
the meaning suggested by the associations or emotions triggered by a word or phrase
Narrative
A poem that tells a story
Rhythm
A regularly recurring sequence of events or actions.
Image
A series of words that refers to a sensory object, usually and object of light; in effect, and image is a direct or literal recreation of perceptual experience.
Short Story
A brief work of fiction
Genre
A category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content.
Antagonist
A character or force in conflict with the main character
Metaphor
A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared.
Simile
A comparison using "like" or "as"
Style
A distinctive and recognizable way an author uses language to create a work of literature.
Personification
A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. "Jumpo Shrimp"
Hyperbole
A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor
Allegory
A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
Satire
A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.
Epiphany
A moment of sudden revelation or insight
Foreshadowing
A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.
Ballad
A narrative poem, often a song that tells a story.
Parable
A short narrative used to wander a difficult moral question or to teach a moral truth
Aphorism
A short, concise statement of a principle or a sentiment.
Paradox
A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
Voice
A term referring to the specific manner chosen by the author to create a story or poem.
Symbol
A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
Parody
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
Diction
A writer's or speaker's choice of words
Theme
Central idea of a work of literature
Didactic
Literature that attempts to teach a lesson or moral or provide a model for proper behavior.
Protagonist
Main character in a story
Climax
Most exciting moment of the story; turning point
Narrator
Person telling the story
Close Reading
Reading works of literature analytically in order to understand the authors creation of design and pattering in the text.
Alliteration
Repetition of consonant sounds
Rhyme
Repetition of sounds at the end of words
Setting
The context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs.
Action
The events of things that happen in a plot - what the characters do and what is done to them.
Denotative meaning
The literal or dictionary meaning of a word or phrase
Plot
The sequence of events in a short story or play and their reactions to one another.
First-Person Narration
The telling of a story by a person who was involved in or directly observed the action narrated.
Blank Verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter
Irony
Uses words to express something other than what is meant by the speaker
