Semester 1+2 Literary Terms

Flat character

Has only one trait

Round character

Has multiple, complex traits

Dynamic character

A character who changes throughout a story

Static character

A character who stays the same throughout a story

Diction

The author’s choice of words

Denotation

The word’s dictionary definition

Connotation

The emotions and ideas associated with words

Syntax

The arrangement of words in a sentence

Prose

The ordinary form of writing

Clause

A group of words with a subject and a verb

Dependent clause

A clause that cannot stand by itself

Independent clause

A clause that can stand by itself

Simple sentence

A sentence with one independent clause

Compound sentence

A sentence with two or more independent clauses

Complex sentence

A sentence with one or more dependent clauses and only one independent clause

Compound-complex sentence

A sentence with two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses

Periodic sentence

A sentence where the dependent clause comes first, then the independent clause

Cumulative sentence

A sentence where the independent clause comes first then the dependent clause

Rhetoric

Persuasive images/languages

Rhetorical triangle

The relationship between speaker, subject, and audience

Ethos

Appealing to speaker’s credibility

Pathos

Appealing to emotions

Logos

Appealing to logic or reason

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem

Quatrain

A stanza with four lines

Deductive reasoning

Using valid evidence to come to a conclusion

Inductive reasoning

Using observations or prior knowledge to make a prediction

Meter

The number and types of stresses in a line

Foot

A basic unit of measurement of poetry

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words or phrases

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words or phrases, followed by different consonant sounds

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds, preceded by different vowel sounds

Apostrophe

A speech/poem addressed to someone who is not there

Internal rhyme

A rhyme that happens within the same line

End rhyme

A rhyme that happens at the last word of the line

Near/slant rhyme

Words that are close to rhyming

Antithesis

Parallel structure, two contrasting ideas/elements are put together

Chiasmus

Parallel structure, where elements are switched

Anaphora

Repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of successive clauses/sentences

Synecdoche

A part of a whole, represents the whole

Metonymy

Something closely related to the whole, represents it

Tropes

A word or expression used in a figurative sense

Schemes

Deals with the structure of sentences

Juxtaposition

Placing two contrasting elements together to highlight their differences

Intercalary chapters

Chapters that interrupt the main narrative to provide context, background, or commentary

Motif

A recurring element, symbol, or idea in a story that supports its themes

Theme

The central idea or message explored in a story

First-person limited

A narrative told from one character’s perspective revealing only their thoughts and experiences

First-person omniscient

A narrative told by a character who has insight into all character’s thoughts and experiences

Third-person limited

A narrative told from an outside perspective, with access to only one character’s thoughts and experiences

Third-person omniscient

A narrative told from an outside perspective with insight into all character’s thoughts and experiences

Third-person objective

A narrative told from an outside perspective without insight into any character’s thoughts and feelings

Personification

Giving human-like characteristics to something non-human

Simile

Indirect comparison of two things using “like” or “as”

Metaphor

Direct comparison of two things using “like” or “as”

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims used to make a point

Allusion

A reference to something else

Paradox

Something that is seemingly contradictory, yet makes sense once you think about it

Aphorism

A succinct (short) statement of truth

Euphemism

A word or phrase used to soften an uncomfortable or offensive topic

Pun

A play on words involving a word/phrase with multiple meanings (usually used for jokes)

Double entendre

A word or expression with two possible interpretations, usually sexual

Foil character

A character that contrasts with another character in order to accentuate certain qualities

Situational irony

When the outcome of a situation is contrary to what is expected

Verbal irony

When someone says something that is different from what they actually mean

Dramatic irony

When an audience of a play knows something that the characters do not

Aside

A comment a character makes directly to the audience, which the other characters do not hear

Monologue

A long speech made by one character

Soliloquy

A monologue where a character expresses their thoughts or feelings out loud without anyone else on stage

Plastic theater

Props, sound/music, lighting, stage direction, and more used in combination to present what happens on stage.

Panel

An individual frame or single drawing in a multi-panel sequence

Gutter

The space between two panels in a graphic novel

Graphic weight

The visual prominence or weight that certain elements in a panel hold

Splash

An image that takes up the whole page

Bleed

An image that extends to the the very edge of a page

Emanata

Elements drawn near a character to portray emotion (tears, sweat-drops, etc).

Background

Part of the panel with the least amount of details

Midground

The area between the background and foreground

Foreground

The area closest to the viewer within a panel

Satire

The use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to expose or criticize people’s stupidity.

Bildungsroman

A genre of novel that depicts the protagonist’s journey from childhood to adulthood

Fallacy

Faulty logic; mistaken belief

Ad hominem

A fallacy where someone attacks the person instead of addressing the argument

Argument from authority

A fallacy where someone cites a perceived authority on a particular topic as evidence to support a claim

Red herring

A fallacy where someone brings up a irrelevant topic to distract from the main issue

Hasty generalization

A fallacy where a broad conclusion is made from insufficient evidence

Faulty causality

The inaccurate assumption that one thing caused another to happen

Slippery slope

An argument that suggests an initial event will result in a series of consequences

Persona

The identity and characteristics that an author creates for themselves to connect with their specific audience

Blank verse

Poetry written with a regular meter, but without rhymes

Free verse

Poetry written with no fixed meter or rhyme scheme

Idiom

A phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult to understand when looking at it literally

Colloquialism

Informal regional/cultural dialect

Syllogism

A form of reasoning where one arrives at a conclusion based on two premises (A=B, B=C, therefore, A=C)

Warrant

The underlying belief or justification that links a claim to supporting evidence

Exigence

An issue, problem or situation that prompts someone to write or speak

Allegory

A fictional work that conveys a hidden or abstract message through the use of symbolic elements

Caesura

A stop or pause in the sound in the middle of a line

Zeugma

A figure of speech where one word in a sentence is used to convey two different meanings at the same time

Auditory imagery

The use of descriptive language to create imagery that appeals to hearing