BJU Excursions in Literature Unit 1

third-person point of view

the point of view in which characters are referred to as it, he, or she

idiom

an expression that is unique to itself and cannot be defined from the meaning of the individual words

first-person point of view

the point of view in which the characters refers to himself as "I" throughout the piece

theme

a recurring or emergencing idea in a work of literature

explicit theme

a theme that is stated outright through the words of the characters or through the narration

implicit theme

a theme that is suggested through the details of the story

character flaw

an incidental weakness or serious fault that a character reveals throughout the story

external conflict

conflict that occurs between a character and an outside force

internal conflict

conflict that occurs between a character and his own thoughts, beliefs, and emotions

oral tradition

stories transferred by word of mouth

folklore

songs, fairy tales, tall tales, and legends transmitted by oral tradition

folktale

popular myth, legend, tall tale, or fairy tale that has been passed on from person to person through diverse cultures

moral

a simple statement that sums up a truth about life

proverb

a brief but wise saying

protagonist

the main character of a story

hero

protagonist who behaves virtuously in the story

myth

individual stories that exist within mythology

mythology

a large group of stories that were at one time held by a cultural group to be true and that seek to teach or explain why things happen the way they do

situational irony

the story's events violate normal expectations (ex: something good happens that turns out to be bad)

metaphor

expression of one thing in terms of another

anaphora

repetition at the beginning of lines of poetry

drama

literature written to be acted or performed

act

a major division in a play

scene

the subdivision of an act that does not require a change of time and place

stage directions

instructions for lighting, movement, and action included in the script of a play

playwright

a name given to someone who writes plays