Schory Lit Terms

plot

the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work

character (flat, round, static, & dynamic

the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual laurel

apostrophe

an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem

oxymoron

a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in a conjunction

connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning

setting

the place where the characters are in the movie, novel, play, etc

theme

the subject of a play, a novel, a person's thoughts, and movies

exposition

a compressive description and exploration of an idea or theory

conflict

a serious disagreement or argument

climax/ turning point

a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs

resolution/denouement

a firm decision to do or not to do something

analogy

a comparison between 2 things, typically for the purpose of explantation or clarification

foreshadowing

be a warning or indication of a future event

consonance

agreement or compatibility between opinions or actions

archetype

a very typical example of a person or thing

characterization

the creation or construction of a fictional character

context

the circumstances that form the setting for an event statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood & assessed

argument

an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one

simile

a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more empathic

metaphor

a figure of speech in which a word of phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable

allegory

a story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

point of view

a particular attitude or way of considering a matter

assonance

in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in non rhyming stressed near enough to each other for the echo to be discovered

denotation

the literal of primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests

diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing

anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

anthropomorphism

the attribution of humane charasetics or behavior to a god, animal or object

irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous of empathic effect

author's purpose

the reason an other decides to write about a topic

blank verse

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter

symbol

a mark or character used as a conventional reprenstation of an object, function or process

aside

a remark that is not directly related to the main topic of discussion

epic

a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic history

flashback

a scene in a movie, novel, etc. set in a time earlier than the main story

imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literal work

tone

the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc

mood/atmosphere

the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art

onomatopoeia

the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named

personification

the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form

en medias res

in the middle thing

monologue

a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program

euphemism

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or bunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

allusion

an expression to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

alliteration

the assurance of the same letter or sound at the beginning of a adjacent or closely connected words

protagonist

the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text

antagonist

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something

aphorism

a pithy observation, that contains a general truth

ballad

a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas

colloquialism

a word or phrase that is not formal or literal

fable

a short story, typically with animals as characters

memoir

an essay on a learned subject

narrator

a person who narrates something

tragic flaw

less technical term for hamairtia

tragic hero

a character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction

rhetoric

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing

viooce

the distinctive tone or style of a literary work or author

hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literal

oversimplification

implication of something to such an extent that a distorted impression is given

flaacy

faultily reasoning; misleading or unsound argument

myth

tradition stories or legends collectivley

syntax

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

understatment

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is

paradox

a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictoryfeatires or qualities

motif

a decrotivepattern or design

free verse

poetry that doesn't rhyme or have a regular meter

juxtaposition

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

tragedy

a play dealing with tragic events

figurative language

departing from a literal use of words

genre

a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature

style

a way of painting, writing, composing, building, etc.

hubris

excessive pride or self- confidence

narrative

a spoken or written account of connected events

foil

type of juxtaposition

pun

make a joke exploting the different possible meanings of a word

meter

the rhythm of a piece of poetry, determined by the number and length of feet in a line

parallelism

the use of successive verbal construction in poetry or prose that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meaning, meter, etc.

testimonial

a former statement testifying to someone's character and qualifications

soliloquy

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, escpically by a character in a play

idiom

a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of individual words

satire

a play, novel, film, or other work

sarcasm

the use of irony to mock or convey content

prose

written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure

sonnet

a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line

plot

the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work

character (flat, round, static, & dynamic

the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual laurel

apostrophe

an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem

oxymoron

a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in a conjunction

connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning

setting

the place where the characters are in the movie, novel, play, etc

theme

the subject of a play, a novel, a person's thoughts, and movies

exposition

a compressive description and exploration of an idea or theory

conflict

a serious disagreement or argument

climax/ turning point

a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs

resolution/denouement

a firm decision to do or not to do something

analogy

a comparison between 2 things, typically for the purpose of explantation or clarification

foreshadowing

be a warning or indication of a future event

consonance

agreement or compatibility between opinions or actions

archetype

a very typical example of a person or thing

characterization

the creation or construction of a fictional character

context

the circumstances that form the setting for an event statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood & assessed

argument

an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one

simile

a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more empathic

metaphor

a figure of speech in which a word of phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable

allegory

a story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

point of view

a particular attitude or way of considering a matter

assonance

in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in non rhyming stressed near enough to each other for the echo to be discovered

denotation

the literal of primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests

diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing

anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

anthropomorphism

the attribution of humane charasetics or behavior to a god, animal or object

irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous of empathic effect

author's purpose

the reason an other decides to write about a topic

blank verse

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter

symbol

a mark or character used as a conventional reprenstation of an object, function or process

aside

a remark that is not directly related to the main topic of discussion

epic

a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic history

flashback

a scene in a movie, novel, etc. set in a time earlier than the main story

imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literal work

tone

the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc

mood/atmosphere

the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art

onomatopoeia

the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named

personification

the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form

en medias res

in the middle thing

monologue

a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program

euphemism

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or bunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

allusion

an expression to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

alliteration

the assurance of the same letter or sound at the beginning of a adjacent or closely connected words

protagonist

the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text

antagonist

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something

aphorism

a pithy observation, that contains a general truth

ballad

a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas

colloquialism

a word or phrase that is not formal or literal

fable

a short story, typically with animals as characters

memoir

an essay on a learned subject

narrator

a person who narrates something

tragic flaw

less technical term for hamairtia

tragic hero

a character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction

rhetoric

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing

viooce

the distinctive tone or style of a literary work or author

hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literal

oversimplification

implication of something to such an extent that a distorted impression is given

flaacy

faultily reasoning; misleading or unsound argument

myth

tradition stories or legends collectivley

syntax

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

understatment

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is

paradox

a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictoryfeatires or qualities

motif

a decrotivepattern or design

free verse

poetry that doesn't rhyme or have a regular meter

juxtaposition

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

tragedy

a play dealing with tragic events

figurative language

departing from a literal use of words

genre

a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature

style

a way of painting, writing, composing, building, etc.

hubris

excessive pride or self- confidence

narrative

a spoken or written account of connected events

foil

type of juxtaposition

pun

make a joke exploting the different possible meanings of a word

meter

the rhythm of a piece of poetry, determined by the number and length of feet in a line

parallelism

the use of successive verbal construction in poetry or prose that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meaning, meter, etc.

testimonial

a former statement testifying to someone's character and qualifications

soliloquy

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, escpically by a character in a play

idiom

a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of individual words

satire

a play, novel, film, or other work

sarcasm

the use of irony to mock or convey content

prose

written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure

sonnet

a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line