IB Literary Terms

Prose

anything in literature besides poems (written in sentences & paragraphs)

Conflict

tensions or struggles experienced by the characters (internal or external)

Characterization

how author reveals different qualities of a character throughout the story.

Monologue

a long speech by one person during a conversation.

Allegory

story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning /the whole story is symbolic.

Symbol

an object that represents an idea.

Antithesis

expresses opposite or contrasting ideas.

Flashback

a return to a memory of a character.

Connotation

association, implications, or suggestions evoked by a word or phrase.

Pastiche

taking inspiration or mimicking another thing.

Stage direction

an instruction in the text of a play indicating movement.

Syntax

the arrangement & ordering of words in a sentence.

Denotation

actual or literal definition of a word.

Motif

a common theme or recurring idea.

Apostrophe

talking to someone who isnt really there.

Personification

giving human characteristics to a non human thing.

Ambiguity

having more than one possible meaning at the same time.

Metaphor

an IMPLIED COMPARISON between two unlike objects.

Catharsis

process of releasing emotions & providing relief.

Hubris

excessive pride (a fault of a character)

Imagery an authors description

________ "/painting the picture.

Diction

an authors choice of words.

Soliloquy

speaking ones thoughts aloud when by oneself.

Epiphany

a sudden realization or divine intervention.

Graphic weight (graphic novel)

the way some images draw the eye more than others.

Stream of consciousness

a characters unedited thoughts & expressions.

Parallelism

structural similarity or conceptual similarity throughout a story /poem.

Narrator

voice telling the story.

Situational irony

a striking reversal of whats expected or intended.

Tragic flaw

flaw in character that brings about their downfall or tragedy.

graphic weight (graphic novel)

the way some images draw the eye more than others

omniscient pov

narrator assumes an "all knowing" perspective on the story