Literary Terms #2 (Simplified)

in medias res

plot structure that begins with little exposition and thrusts reader into the story

irony

use of a word/situation to mean the opposite of its literal meaning

verbal irony

character says one thing & means something else

situational irony

outcome is different than the reader expects it will be

litotes

affirmative expressed with the negative of its contrary (ironic understatement)

lyric poetry

poem that was originally a song (sung with a musical instrument)

metaphor

one thing compared with something else directly as if they were the same

meter

repeated patterns of (un)stressed syllables in poetry

metonymy

one thing referred to one of its distinct characteristics

mood

atmosphere within a work that evokes a certain emotion/feeling

moral

the lesson/message the author wants to convey to the reader

motif

a key idea/device that supports the main theme

narrative

fancy word for story

ode

lyric poem that addresses a specific subject; elevated in style and written in irregular meter

onomatopoeia

words that sound like what they describe

oxymoron

combines opposite qualities in a single term

parody

imitation/ridicule of another author or genre

pathetic fallacy

personification in poetry; inanimate objects in nature given human emotions & responses

personification

giving human qualities to inanimate objects, animals, things, or ideas

first person participant (point of view)

narrated by one of the main characters

first person observer (point of view)

narrated by a minor character (only play a small part in the plot)

third person omniscient (point of view)

narrated by an impersonal author that sees/knows everything (thoughts)

third person limited (point of view)

narrated by the author; focuses on thinking/actions of a specific character)

objective (point of view)

describes only what can be seen

protagonist

central character in a work

pun

humorous use of words that don’t sound alike

rhyme (scheme)

ordered patterns of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem/verse

satire

tone used to ridicule human vice/weakness to change the subject

horatian satire

formal, sophisticated satire

juvenalian satire

crude, crass, and common satire

setting

the locale, time, and context that the action of a work occurs

simile

comparison of different things using “like” or “as”

soliloquy

extended speech where a character expresses their thoughts

sonnet

a fourteen-line lyric poem in iambic pentameter & a formal rhyme scheme

stanza

a group of lines forming the basic metrical unit in a poem

suspension of disbelief

in order to enjoy any work, the reader must put aside their skepticism and accept the premise presented

symbolism

words or objects stand for/represent other things

synecdoche

figure of speech where a part of something refers to the whole

syntax

an author’s distinctive form of sentence construction

theme

the lesson/message of a work

tone

the writer’s attitude, mood, or moral outlook toward the subject & readers

tragedy

work that deals with tragic events & has an unhappy ending (downfall of the protagonist)

tragic flaw

a protagonist’s character trait that leads to their downfall

voice

an author’s distinctive literary style, basic vision, and general attitude toward the world

volta

the turn of thought or argument in a sonnet

iambic (meter)

2 syllables (1u, 2a)

dactylic (meter)

3 syllables (1a, 2 & 3 u)

trochaic (meter)

2 syllables (1a, 2u)

anapestic (meter)

3 syllables (accent on final)

spondaic (meter)

2 syllables (both a)