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