SEMESTER 2 Literary Terms

filled and complete

allusion

brief but purposeful references, within a literary text, to a person, place, event, or to another work of literature.

analogy

a literary device that compares seemingly unrelated things to one another

antagonist

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.

autobiography

an account of a person's life written by that person.

characterization

the way a writer creates and develops a character’s personality

flat character

one that lacks depth or a real personality

round character

deep and layered character in the story

dynamic character

one who changes and evolves throughout the story

static character

one who stays the same throughout the story

chronological order

order in which events occur from first to last

conflict

a struggle between opposing forces

dialogue

conversation between two or more people

dramatic irony

when audience or readers know more about a situation than the character does

fiction

literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people

flashback

an account of a conversation, an episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of a story, often interrupts the chronological flow of a story to give context to readers

foreshadowing

a writer’s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in a story

imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work

irony

a special kind of contrast between appearance and reality- usually one in which reality is the opposite of what it really seems

main character

the characters with the most amount of influence on the plot or the characters that the plot has the most influence on

metaphor

a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated

mood

the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

nonfiction

prose writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biography or history

novel

a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism

personification

a figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal or idea

plot triangle

exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution

point of view

refers to the method of narration used in a short story, novel, narrative poem or work of nonfiction

1st - I, me

2nd- your

3rd- they, he, she

protagonist

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

setting

the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.

simile

a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as

situational irony

the irony of something happening that is very different to what was expected

suspense

the excitement or tension that readers feel as they wait to find how a story ends or a conflict is resolved

symbolism

an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other meanings

theme

an underlying message about life or human nature that a writer wants the reader to understand

tone

the attitude a writer takes toward a subject

verbal irony

when a speaker's intention is the opposite of what he or she is saying

1 method of characterization

writer makes direct comments about a character’s personality or nature through the voice of the narrator

2nd method of characterization

writer describes the character’s physical appearance

3rd method of characterization

writer presents the character’s own thoughts, speech and actions

4th method of characterization

may present pertinent thoughts speech and actions of other characters

aside

a short speech directed to the audience or another character, that is not heard by other characters on stage

blank verse

poetry written unrhymed but metered lines, almost always iambic pentameter

comic relief

 a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episode interposed in the midst of serious or tragic elements in a drama

comic threat

refers to a situation or statement that is intended to be humorous or lighthearted while simultaneously conveying a sense of danger or harm

internal conflict

occurs within a character's mind and involves the struggle between different desires, beliefs, or emotions within the individual.

external conflict

involves a character pitted against an external force or another character.

connotation

refers to the emotional, cultural, or subjective associations and meanings that are attached to a word or phrase beyond its literal or dictionary definition.

ex: home

denotation

refers to the literal or dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotional or cultural associations

epilogue

a section or chapter that comes after the main story or narrative and provides a concluding or final comment on the events or characters.

exaggeration

a literary and rhetorical technique that involves overemphasizing or magnifying something beyond its normal or reasonable bounds

fantasy

a genre of literature, art, and entertainment that involves imaginative or fictional elements, often set in an unreal or magical world

foil

a character who contrasts with another character, typically the protagonist, in order to highlight their distinct traits, qualities, or actions

iambic pentameter

consists of lines containing five pairs of syllables, known as "feet," with each foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

illusion

something that appears to be real or true but is actually deceptive or misleading.

motif

 a repeated pattern—an image, sound, word, or symbol that comes back again and again within a particular story.

paradox

seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that may nonetheless suggest an important truth

parody

an imitation of another work, a type of literature, or a writer’s style, usually for the purpose of poking fun.

pathetic fallacy

chaos in the natural world mirrors chaos in the human world

prose

the ordinary form of written or spoken language that lacks the metrical structure or poetic qualities found in verse (stories, conversations, essays)

pun

a form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a word, or words that sound similar but have different meanings, to create humor or add a clever twist to a statement

soliloquy

a literary device commonly used in drama, particularly in plays, where a **character speaks their thoughts** aloud, often revealing their innermost feelings, conflicts, or dilemmas (monologue and alone)

verse drama

a form of theatrical performance in which the dialogue is written and spoken in poetic verse or metrical patterns

alliteration

characterized by the repetition of the same consonant sound, typically at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words