Literary Terms and Plot Elements

A comprehensive collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, literary devices, plot structures, and genre characteristics based on the lecture material.

Dialogue

conversation between characters

Tone

author’s attitude towards the subject

Diction

author’s word choice

Voice

writing style/personality of the author or narrator

Irony

contrast between expectation and reality

Flashback

scene that goes back to an earlier event

Foreshadow

hint about future events

Omen

sign that something important or bad will happen

Imagery

language appearing to senses (sight, sound, smell, touch and taste)

Symbolism

something that represents a deeper meaning

Theme

central message/lesson of the story

Anaphora

repetition at the beginning of phrases

Quatrain

stanza with four lines

Couplet

two consecutive rhyming lines

Apostrophe

speaker address something/someone that isn’t there

Shakespearean Sonnet

14 lines (3 quatrains+1 couplet), ends with a twist

Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme

ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Petrarchan Sonnet

14 lines (octave 8+ sestet 6)

Petrarchan Sonnet rhyme scheme

ABBA ABBA

Iambic Pentameter

rhythm pattern of 10 syllables per line (unstressed+stressed pattern)

Topic

subject of the text, one or two words

Thesis Statement

main argument of the essay, gives main points

Mood

feeling created for the readers

Syntax

sentence structure

Exposition

plot element that introduces characters/setting

Rising Action

plot element in which conflict develops

Climax

plot element that reveals turning point

Falling Action

plot element that reveal events after climax

Resolution

plot elements that reveal ending

Metaphor

comparison between two unrelated things

Pulitzer Prize

American award for excellence in journalism and literature

Magical Realism

mix of ordinary and magical elements

Setting

where and when a story takes place

Sensory Details

specific description using 5 sentences

Characterization

how author reveals the characters traits

Elements of Gothic Literature

dark settings, suspense, mystery, fear, madness