characterization
acting the part of a character on stage
indirect characterization
the character is revealed through their personality, appearance, words, actions, and effect on others
direct characterization
the writer tells us directly what a character's personality is like
flat character
this character seems to possess only one or two personality traits - little or no background is revealed
round character
this character is fully developed - the writer reveals good and bad traits as well as background
static character
a character who does not change at all, or who remains almost entirely the same, throughout the course of a play or story
dynamic character
one whose character changes in the course of the play or story
protagonist
the principal character in a work of fiction
antagonist
the character who works against the protagonist in the story
conflict
opposition between or among characters or forces in a literary work that spurs or motivates the action of a plot (internal, external; person vs. person, self, nature, society)
internal conflict
a struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character
external conflict
a problem or struggle between a character and someone or something outside of the character
exposition
The introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story.
narrative hook
the point in the story or novel at which the author catches the reader's attention by presenting an interesting problem or situation
rising action
A series of events that builds from the conflict. It begins with the inciting force and ends with the climax.
suspense
Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in a story
climax
Most exciting moment of the story; turning point
falling action
events after the climax, leading to the resolution
resolution
the final unraveling or solution of the plot
narrator
someone who tells a story
1st person point of view
The narrator is a character in the story. ( I, me, my, we, our )
3rd Person point of view
This is where the narrator is outside the characters and talks about the characters. The narrator has a limited perspective and can only read one character's mind, feelings, and motives (most likely the main character).
3rd person limited point of view
someone outside the story is the narrator and shares the thoughts and feelings of only one character
3rd person omniscient
A point of view in which the narrator is not one of the characters and while telling the story also tells the thoughts and feelings of more than one of the characters
Novel
a printed and bound book that is an extended work of fiction
short story
a prose narrative shorter than a novel
style
the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work
theme
a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work
setting
arrangement of scenery and properties to represent the place where a play or movie is enacted
fate
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
fiction
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
dialect
author writes as a character speaks, according to local accents or vernacular
dialogue
a literary composition in the form of a conversation between two people
verbal irony
In this type of irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer's true meaning
situational irony
an unexpected twist; the contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually occurs
dramatic irony
This occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the characters know.
prose
ordinary speech or writing without rhyme or meter; referring to speech or writing other than verse
satire
witty language used to convey insults or scorn
archetype
A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response
nonfiction
writing that tells about real people, places, and events
purpose
What the author is trying to do by writing (ex - entertain, inform, persuade, describe).
audience
the reader or spectators of a work of literature or dramatic performance
style
the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work
biography
story of a person's life written by another person
autobiography
Story of a person's life written by that person
essay
A short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
formal essay
an essay that uses academic language, logical organization, and serious purpose
informal essay
a brief writing that is light in tone and usually reflects the writers feelings and personality
connotation
the suggested, or implied, meaning of a word, not its strict literal meaning; an idea or feeling associated with a word
anecdote
a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
denotation
the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression
critical essay
an informative or persuasive writing that presents an argument in support of a particular interpretation or evaluation of a work of literature
expressive essay
Need definition
informational essay
an essay which offers facts/evidence that supports a topic and educates an audience
argumentative essay
an essay where the writer states a strong thesis about a debatable issue, providing evidence to back up that claim
subjective
influenced by personal feelings; occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal; Ex. subjective sensation of the ghostly presence
objective
undistorted by emotion or personal bias
inference
the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation
report
need definition
rhetorical question
a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered
human interest
Human-interest stories appeal to reader's emotions. They may make a reader happy, nostalgic, sad, angry, or sympathetic.
propaganda
information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
accuracy
the quality of nearness to the truth or the true value
cliche
an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off
tone
the quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author
alliteration
use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
Ex. "around the rock the ragged rascal ran
allusion
a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize
assonance
the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words
blank verse
unrhymed verse, esp. the unrhymed iambic pentameter most frequently used in English dramatic, epic, and reflective verse.
consonance
the repetition of consonants (or consonant patterns) especially at the ends of words
couplet
two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
free verse poetry
no repeating patterns of syllables, no rhyme, conversational, modern
hyperbole
a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor
iambic pentameter
a common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable
imagery
The use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, thing, place, or experience
lyric poetry
Personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject
narrative poetry
a poem whose main purpose is to tell a story
metaphor
a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity
mood
the overall emotion created by a work of literature
onomatopoeia
using words that imitate the sound they denote
parrallelism
This literary technique uses the repetition of words, phrases, or thought patterns for emphasis.
personification
kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human
poetry
A kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery designed to appeal to our emotions and imagination.
refrain
a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song
simile
A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used (e.g., She eats like a bird.).
sonnet
a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
stanza
a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem
symbolism
A person, place or object which has a meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well. Things, characters and actions can be symbols. Anything that suggests a meaning beyond the obvious. Some symbols are conventional, generally meaning the same thin
verse
A single line of poetry????
end rhyme
Rhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry
exact rhyme
repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words that are close together in a poem
rhyme
similar or identical sounds near each other (usually in two or more lines of poetry)
internal rhyme
when two words in the same line rhyme
rhyme scheme
the pattern of rhyme in a poem
implied metaphor
implies/suggests a comparison between two things without stating it directly... ex. "the city sleeps peacefully
extended metaphor
A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.
Epic
a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
epic hero
the main character or protagonist in an epic that heroically larger than life, often the source and subject of a legend or a national hero
epic simile
A simile developed over several lines of verse, esp. one used in an epic poem.
epithet
a defamatory or abusive word or phrase
invocation
the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., for aid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication
drama
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
aside
a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage
soliloquy
a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections
dramatic monologue
A type of poem in which a speaker addresses a silent listener. As readers, we overhear the speaker in a dramatic monologue.
tragedy
A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character
tragic hero
A literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy
double entendre
an expression that has more than one interpretation, usually arising in a risque pun
Pun
a humorous play on words