Advanced English II: Literary Terms

Credits to: Ethan Stevens, Kai Ai

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close proximity, for artistic effect.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect.

Imagerry

Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in literary work, appealing to the five senses.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable, suggesting a resemblance without using "like" or "as."

Mood

The atmosphere or emotional state evoked in the reader by a literary work or passage.

Motif

A recurring element, idea, image, or symbol that appears frequently in a work of literature, often contributing to the theme.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., "jumbo shrimp," "living dead").

Paradox

A seemingly self-contradictory statement or proposition that, when investigated or explained, may prove to be well-founded or true.

Personification

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Point of view

The perspective from which a story is told (e.g., first person, third person omniscient).

Setting

The time and place in which the story takes place, including social and historical context.

Simile

A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid, using "like" or "as."

Structure

The arrangement of elements in a literary work, such as the organization of plot, stanzas in a poem, or chapters in a novel.

Style

The distinctive way an author uses language, including word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and tone.

Symbol

An object, person, place, or action that represents something else, often an abstract idea or concept.

Theme

The central idea or underlying message of a literary work, often a universal truth about life or human nature.

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character or protagonist.

Direct Characterization

The author directly tells the audience what a character is like.

Indirect Characterization

The author reveals a character's traits through their actions, thoughts, speech, and interactions with other characters.

Dynamic Character Characterization

A character who undergoes significant internal change throughout the story due to conflicts and experiences.

Static Character Characterization

A character who remains largely the same throughout the story, experiencing little to no internal change.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another character, typically the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities of the other character.

Protagonist

The main character in a literary work around whom the plot revolves.

External Conflict: Person vs. Person

A struggle between two or more characters.

External Conflict: Person vs. Society

A struggle between a character and societal norms, laws, or institutions.

External Conflict: Person vs. Nature

A struggle between a character and natural forces or elements.

External Conflict Person vs. Supernatural

A struggle between a character and forces beyond the natural world, such as ghosts, gods, or fate.

Internal Conflict

A psychological struggle occurring within a character's mind or emotions, such as a decision or moral dilemma.

Dramatic Irony

A situation in which the audience knows more about what is happening or is about to happen than a character in the story.

Situational Irony

A discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

Verbal Irony

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant, often for humorous or sarcastic effect.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

Antithesis

A figure of speech involving a contrast or opposition of ideas, often expressed in parallel clauses or phrases.

Antonym

A word opposite in meaning to another.

Connotation

The emotional associations or implied meanings of a word, beyond its literal definition.

Denotation

The literal or dictionary definition of a word, free from any associated feelings or ideas.

Diction

The author's choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Figure of Speech

A word or phrase used in a non-literal sense to create rhetoric effect, such as a metaphor, simile, or personification.

Parallel Structure

The repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a sentence or across sentences (e.g., "He came, he saw, he conquered.").

Pun

A play on words that involves words with similar sounds but different meanings, or a word that has multiple meanings.

Repetition

The act of repeating a word, phrase, or sentence for emphasis or rhetorical effect.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language; sentence structure.

Synonym

A word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase.

Tone

The author's or speaker's attitude toward the subject, characters, or audience, conveyed through word choice and style.

Flashback

An interruption in the chronological order of a narrative to present an event that occurred earlier.

Foreshadowing

A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.

Plot: Exposition

The beginning of the story where characters, setting, and basic conflict are introduced.

Plot: Rising Action

The series of events that build suspense and lead to the climax, where the conflict develops.

Plot: Climax

The turning point of the story, the moment of highest tension or drama, where the main conflict is directly confronted.

Plot: Falling Action

The events that occur after the climax, leading to the resolution, as the story winds down.

Plot: Resoution

The conclusion of the story, where the main conflict is resolved and loose ends are tied up.

Suspense

A feeling of anxious uncertainty about what may happen, keeping the reader engaged.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close proximity, for artistic effect.

Poetry

Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively.

Flashcard #56

Prosody

The patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry,

Rhyme

Correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of