Literary Elements on Midterm

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, allowing deeper meanings to emerge in a literary work. It enhances the thematic depth and emotional resonance of the narrative.

Imagery

The use of vivid and descriptive language to create mental images and appeal to the senses, enhancing the reader's experience of the literary work.

Mood

The atmosphere or emotional setting created by a piece of literature, influencing how readers feel while engaging with the text.

Tone

The attitude or approach that the author takes toward the work's central theme or subject, influencing how readers perceive the narrative.

Theme

The central idea or underlying message conveyed through a literary work, often reflecting broader societal issues or moral questions.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter commonly used in English poetry.

Comic Relief

A literary device used to offset serious situations or emotions in a narrative, often through humor, to provide a temporary respite for the audience.

Foil Characters

Characters that contrast with another, often highlighting qualities of the other character, typically the protagonist. A foil character is created to emphasize differences, revealing deeper insights into the main character's traits and motivations.

Soliloquy

A literary device where a character speaks their thoughts aloud, often alone on stage, revealing inner feelings and motivations.

Iambic Pentameter

a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable, for example Two households, both alike in dignity.

Tragedy

an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.

Monologue

a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program.

Aside

a short comment or speech delivered by a character directly to the audience (or sometimes another character) but unheard by other characters onstage, revealing inner thoughts, intentions, or foreshadowing events

Tragic Hero

a noble character with heroic qualities whose fatal flaw (hamartia), often impulsiveness or excessive passion, leads to their downfall and death, evoking pity and fear in the audience through a reversal of fortune

Epic poem

a lengthy narrative poem, often book-length, recounting heroic deeds and significant cultural events, featuring extraordinary heroes, supernatural elements, and elevated language, originating from oral tradition but also existing in written forms

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

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 (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).

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. Not using like or as.

Irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Personification

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

Oxymoron

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true ).

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Denotation

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Foreshadowing

a literary device where authors provide hints, clues, or warnings about future events in a story, building suspense and preparing the reader for what's to come without revealing everything upfront

Plot Stages

the sequential parts of a story's structure

Conflict

the struggle between opposing forces that drives the story, creating tension and engaging the reader by placing obstacles in a character's path to their goals

Sequence

the specific order of events, ideas, or scenes in a text

Imagery

the use of descriptive and figurative language to create vivid mental pictures or sensory experiences for the reader, appealing to sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to evoke emotions, build atmosphere, and make scenes more real and immersive

Characterization

the process an author uses to reveal a character's personality, traits, motivations, and psychology through details like appearance, actions, dialogue, and inner thoughts, using either direct (explicit telling) or indirect (readers inferring) methods to bring them to life and explore themes

Infer

for a reader to deduce or conclude something not explicitly stated by the author, using clues from the text (dialogue, actions, setting) combined with their own knowledge to form a logical judgment about characters' feelings, plot details, or themes

Irony

a contrast or incongruity between what is said/expected and what actually happens, revealing a deeper or opposite meaning, often for humor or critique

Suspense

a literary device creating excited or anxious uncertainty, tension, and anticipation about a story's outcome

Point of view

the perspective from which a story is told, determining who narrates the events and how much information the reader receives, shaping their understanding and connection to characters and plot through pronoun usage (like "I," "you," "he/she") and the narrator's access to thoughts and feelings

Mood

the overall feeling or emotional atmosphere an author creates for the reader

Tone

the author's or narrator's attitude toward the subject, characters, or audience, conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, and imagery, creating feelings like humorous, serious, critical, or nostalgic

Humor

a literary device and a quality of a work intended to evoke amusement or laughter in the reader or audience. It is used to entertain, lighten the mood, or make a serious subject more accessible. 

Hubris

excessive pride or overconfidence that leads a character to overstep human limits, defy gods or fate, and ultimately suffer a downfall

Epic Hero

the larger-than-life central character of an epic poem, embodying their culture's highest values (like bravery, honor, strength) while undertaking a grand quest or journey, often with divine help, facing superhuman challenges, and performing deeds of great significance to their people

Human Nature

the fundamental, often universal, characteristics, motivations (like good vs. evil, love, guilt), and behaviors that define humanity, explored through characters and themes, questioning if it's fixed by biology or shaped by society, culture, and circumstances