Lit Terms Units 1 & 2 Semester Exam

allegory

a tale in prose or verse in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities

alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds

allusion

a reference to a person, place, or event in a literary work that the writer expects the reader to recognize

almanac

a book of months and days for one year, containing weather predictions, a wide variety of miscellaneous information, and often proverbs

analogy

a comparison made between two things that show the similarities between them

anapest

a poetic foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable (uu')

anecdote

a very short story that is told to make a point

antagonist

a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative

aphorism

a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or non human is addressed directly

aside

in drama, a short speech spoken by a character in an undertone or directly to the audience

assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds

autobiography

a person's account of his or her own life

ballad

a story told in verse and usually meant to be sung, often about great deeds or important moments

biography

a detailed account of a person's life written by someone else

blank verse

verse (poetry) written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

caesura

a break or pause in a line of poetry

catalog

a long list of things, people, or events

character

any person, animal, thing, or force presented as a person and in a story

characterization

revealing the personality of the character to the audience or reader

chorus

in drama, one or more characters who comments on the action

classicism

a movement or tendency in art, literature, and music reflecting the principles manifested in the art of ancient Greece and Rome

climax

the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest

comedy

a literary work that ends happily and is usally funny or light-hearted

conceit

a kind of metaphor that make a comparison between two startlingly different things

conflict

a struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a short story, novel, play, or poem

consonance

the repetition of sounds in groups of words

couplet

two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

dactyl

a poetic foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables ('uu)

denouement

the outcome or resolution of the plot

description

detailing a person or place and their visible features

dialect

the characteristic speech of a particular region or social group

diction

the writer's choice of words, particularly for clarity, effectiveness, and precision

dramatic irony

when the audience knows more about events or what will happen than the characters in the story

dramatic monologue

a narrative poem in which one character speaks to one or more listeners whose replies are not given in the poem

elegy

a poem (or song) of mourning, usually over the death of an individual

end rhyme

when the pattern of rhymes happens at the end of each line of poetry

epic

long narrative poem describing the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the culture from which it originated

epigram

short, witty statement in prose or verse

epigraph

quotation or motto at the beginning of a chapter, book, story, or poem that makes some point about the work

epitaph

an inscription on a gravestone or a short poem written in memory of someone who died

epithet

descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something, such as 'fair weather friend' or 'Catherine the Great'

essay

a prose work, usually short, that deals with a subject in a limited way and expresses a particular point of view

exposition

the kind of writing that is intended primarily to present information

fable

a brief story that is told to present a moral or practical lesson

falling action

all the events that follow the climax of the story and lead to the resolution/end of the story

farce

a type of comedy based on farfetched humorous situations, often with ridiculous or stereotyped characters

figurative language

language that is not intended to be interpreted in a literal sense

figure of speech

a single word or a single phrase or a single expression that is not meant to be interpreted literally

flashback

a scene in a story that interrupts the action to show something that happened earlier

foil

a character who sets off another character by contrast

folklore

traditional songs, myths, legends, fables, dances, proverbs, or riddles passed down orally from generation to generation and makes up the culture it came from

folktale

an anonymous story passed down within a culture orally from generation to generation based on imaginative things or people

foot

a unit used to measure the meter, or rhythmic pattern of beats, in a line of poetry.

foreshadowing

the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come

form

the structure and organization of literary work, as distinct from its content which is what the work is about

forms of discourse

a classification of writing into types according to the writer's main purpose

free verse

unrhymed verse that has either no metrical pattern or an irregular pattern

gothic

a term that describes the use in fiction of grotesque gloomy settings and mysterious, violent, and supernatural occurrences to create suspense and awe

haiku

a Japanese poem consisting of three lines and 17 syllables in the order of 5-7-5.

Harlem Renaissance

a flowering of black writing, art, and music in the 1920s in New York City

hyperbole

a figure of speech using exaggeration, or overstatement, for special effect

iamb

a poetic foot consisting of an unstressed then stressed syllable

iambic pentameter

the beat consists of five feet of unstressed then stressed syllables making ten syllables in the line of poetry

imagery

words or phrases that create pictures or images in the reader's mind

imagism

a movement of poetry to express an object with clarity using clear, precise, and sharp language

incongruity

the joining of opposites to create an unexpected situation

internal rhyme

a rhyme that happens within one line of poetry

inversion

the reversal of the usual order of words for dramatic effect

irony

a contrast between what is stated and what is meant, or between what is expected and what actually happens