Lit. Terms and vocab.

antagonist

a character or force in conflict with a main character or protagonist

protagonist

main character or hero of story

fallacy

incorrect reasoning that renders arguments logically unsound

conflict

the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story

internal conflict

a character struggles with his or her own opposing desire, beliefs, or needs (man vs. self)

external conflict

a character struggles against an outside force (man vs. man, nature, society)

motif

recurring subject, word, action, idea, etc

hubris

excessive pride or vaulting ambition

in medias res

in the middle of things

irony

a difference between appearances and reality

dramatic irony

contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader of audience knows to be true

situational irony

when the actual outcome of a situation is the opposite of someone’s expectation

verbal irony

words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant

metaphor

comparison between two object without using like or as

mood/atmosphere

the feeling or created by a literary work or passage

colloquialism

Informal speech that people use in everyday language (Y’all come over to my house.)

plot

the series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the

storyline.

exposition

Introduces characters, conflict, and setting

rising action

Suspense increases, learn more about characters and conflict

climax

turning point, main event of story

falling action

suspense decreases, learn outcome/consequences of turning point

denoument

the end, loose ends are tied up

satire

a writing that exposes and criticizes the flaws of people in society

setting

time and place in which the action of the story occurs

simile

comparison of two unlike things using like or as

symbolism

an object, person, place etc. that means more than what it is

tragedy

work of literature that tells of a catastrophe or great misfortune

theme

central message of a work

foil

a character who provides a strong contrast to another character (e.g.

Shrek to the donkey)

flashback

an account of an event that happened before a story began

point of view

perspective from which the story is told

first person point of view

the narrator speaks as “I” and the narrator is a character in the story and may or may not influence events within it

third person limited point of view

an unknown narrator, tells the story, but only focuses on thoughts and feelings of one character

third person omniscient point of view

an all-knowing narrator tells the story, also using third person pronouns. This narrator often tells us everything about several characters

allusion

reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

foreshadowing

hint of things to come

characterization

the act of creating and developing a character

direct characterization

the author directly tells the reader what the

character is like or looks like

indirect characterization

the author gives clues about a character by describing what a character does, says, as well as how other characters react to them

imagery

descriptive or figurative language used to create “word pictures” for the reader (These pictures are created by details of the five senses.)

exasperated (adj)

intensely irritated and frustrated; annoyed

mad, furious, enraged

3 synonyms of exasperated

relinquish (v)

to give up, abandon

quit, vacate, ditch

3 synonyms of relinquish

mystified (v)

puzzled or confused

baffle, puzzle, stump

3 synonyms of mystified

chastise (v)

rebuke or reprimand severely

punish, beat, thrash

3 synonyms of chastise

apprehensive (adj)

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen

afraid, doubtful, uncertain

3 synonyms of apprehensive

meticulous

showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise.

accurate, cautious, exact

3 synonyms of meticulous

exhilarating

producing intense feelings of joy or excitement; thrilling.

breathtaking, exciting, elevating

3 synonyms of exhilarating

ominous

giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen

dangerous, dark, gloomy

3 synonyms for ominous

obsolete

no longer produced or used; out of date

antique, outdated, ancient

3 synonyms of obsolete

permeate

to pass or spread through

infiltrate, infuse, pervade

3 synonyms of permeate

suppress

to prevent or restrain action or emotion

abolish, silence, conceal

3 synonyms for suppress

emphatically

in a forceful way; firmly

assuredly, distinctly, certainly

3 synonyms of emphatically

vigilant

keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties

anxious, cautious, aware

3 synonyms of vigilant

tantalizing

displaying something that arouses desire or interest.

alluring, drawing, persuading

3 synonyms of tantalizing

solace

comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness

condolence, pity, consolation

3 synonyms for solace

melancholy

sad; sadness

gloomy, grim, somber

3 synonyms of melancholy

vexation

the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried

aggravation, agitation, annoyance

3 synonyms of vexation

conceit

excessive pride in oneself; self-admiration

arrogance, immodesty, pride

3 synonyms of conceit

cunning

having or showing skill in achieving one’s end by deceit or evasion

keen, smart, slick

3 synonyms of cunning

entreat

ask for or request earnestly

ask, beg, coax

3 synonyms of entreat

soliloquy

a long speech delivered by a character, alone on stage

monologue

a speech by one character, unlike a soliloquy, that is addressed to another character or characters

aside

a character’s comment, in a play, that is directed to the audience or another character

tragic hero

main character who experiences a downfall

tragic flaw

hero’s weakness which causes a downfall

comic relief

the use of a comic scene to interrupt a series of intense dramatic moments

pun

play on words involving two words that sound alike or have different meanings

blank verse

poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines

prose

the ordinary form of spoken or written language without metrical structure

dramatic irony

contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader of audience knows to be true

archetype

type of character, detail, image, or situation that appears in literature throughout history (e.g. beggar)

testimonial

formal statement testifying to someone or something’s character

connotation

the non-literal, implied, suggested meaning of a word (e.g. lemon for a poor performing vehicle)

denotation

strict literal dictionary definition of a word

meter

rhythmical pattern determined by the number and types of stresses, or beats in each line

paradox

statement that seems to say two opposite things, but that may be true

personification

animal, object, etc. given human qualities or characteristics

figurative language

a phrase that stands for something other than its literal meaning, used for descriptive effect. (e.g. simile, metaphor, hyperbole)

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds

idiom

a saying that takes on special meaning, different from the actual words that make it up (e.g. It is raining cats and dogs.)