Lit Terms - FINAL - Mr. Lyke

dramatic irony

a discrepancy between what a character says or thinks and what the reader knows to be true

situational irony

an incongruity between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment

verbal irony

a figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant

plot

the sequence of events in a story

climax

turning point or high point in the plot

rising action

the development of the plot that precedes the climax

falling action

segment of plot between climax and conclusion

resolution

the conclusion of a literary work

setting

time and place of the action of the story

theme

central idea implied or stated by a literary work

Anecdotal Evidence

use of a narrative describing an interesting, amusing or biographical incident to help create an argument (often untrustworthy)

Author's Purpose

the reason a work is written

Authoritative Evidence

use of information/quotations from a person considered an authority on a particular subject to help create an argument

Bias

an inclination of temperament or outlook; a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment

Credibility

quality or power of inspiring belief

Flashback

The technique of stopping the chronological action in a story and shifting to an earlier period to introduce additional information.

Intended Audience

the person or people for whom the author wrote

Narrative

a composition type; it tells a story or gives an account of something, dealing with sequences of events and experiences

Secondary Source

accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources

Primary Source

original materials. They are from the time period involved and have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation

Paradox

an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth ('War is peace.' 'Freedom is slavery.' 'Ignorance is strength.' George Orwell, 1984)

Persuasive

a composition type; it moves the reader by argument to a belief or position

Sensory details

description which invokes any or all of the five senses

Statistical Evidence

collection of numerical data used to help create an argument

Thesis

an author's opinion in a single, arguable statement: what will be proven

Subplot

minor or subordinate secondary plot which takes place simultaneously within a larger plot

Verisimilitude

The appearance of reality in fiction

Vernacular Style

style of writing that imitates everyday spoken language of local people

Nom de plume

(aka pseudonym) the assumed name under which an author writes

Satire

the use of humor and wit with a critical attitude, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule for exposing or denouncing the frailties and faults of mankind's activities and institutions

Essential Question

looks for deeper meaning and understanding of an issue, concept, or principle. It sets the stage for further questioning, fosters the development of critical thinking skills and higher order capabilities, such as problem-solving and understanding complex systems

Explicit

fully or clearly expressed

Exposition

the start of the story. The way things are before the action starts.

Expository

a composition type; it intends to set forth or explain

Genre

type or category of literature or film marked by certain shared features

Gothic

stories designed to thrill readers by providing mystery and blood-curdling accounts of villainy, murder, and the supernatural

Implicit

to be assumed, not directly expressed

Local color writing

Writing style that uses physical details associated with a particular time or place giving readers a clearer understanding; often utilizes dialect

Motto

brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal.

Oxymoron

a combination of contradictory terms (jumbo shrimp)

Act

major division in a play. Often, individual acts are divided into smaller units ('scenes') that all take place in a specific location.

Aside

In drama, a few words or a short passage spoken by one character to the audience while the other actors on stage pretend their characters cannot hear the speaker's words.

Comedy

any play or narrative poem in which the main characters manage to humorously avert an impending disaster and have a happy ending.

Comic Relief

A humorous scene, incident, character, or bit of dialogue occurring after some serious or tragic moment.

Didactic Literature

literature designed to teach a moral lesson i.e. The Bible.

Drama

composition in prose or verse presenting, in dialogue, a narrative involving conflict between a character or characters and some external or internal force.

Meter

recognizable though varying pattern of stressed syllables alternating with syllables of less stress. Compositions written in meter are said to be in verse.

Idiom

a construction or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language. (Yesterday, the old man kicked the bucket.)

Pun

play on two words similar in sound but different in meaning. (I've never tipped a cow. Then again, one has never served me food.)

Rhyme

matching similarity of sounds in two or more words, especially when their accented vowels and all succeeding consonants are identical.

Romance

a story that involves noble heroes, idealized love, or fantastic events removed from everyday life; typically includes 3 stages: quest, test, return.

Scene

dramatic sequence that takes place within a single locale (or setting) on stage. Often scenes serve as the subdivision of an act within a play.

Soliloquy

A monologue spoken by an actor at a point in the play when the character believes himself to be alone. The technique frequently reveals a character's innermost thoughts, including his feelings, state of mind, motives or intentions.

Tragedy

serious play in which the chief character, by some peculiarity of psychology, passes through a series of misfortunes leading to a final, devastating catastrophe.

Tragic Flaw

a misperception, a lack of some important insight, or some blindness that ironically results from the hero's own strengths and abilities. It often causes catastrophic results after he fails to recognize some fact or truth that could have saved him if he recognized it earlier.

Sound Devices

writing methods used to create a particular sound effect or rhythm

Alliteration

a sound device which repeats the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words, such as tongue twisters like 'She sells seashells by the seashore;' alliteration can be used to establish a connection between ideas 'Fair is foul, Foul is fair'

Assonance

sound device which repeats, at close intervals, the vowel sounds of accented syllables or important words (hat-ran-amber); used to create a rhythm

Consonance

sound device in which repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (book-plaque-thicker); used to create a rhythm

Onomatopoeia

sound device in which words will mimic their meaning in their sound (snort, click, bang, smack, rip...)

Hyperbole

type of figurative language in which great exaggeration is used (The whole world was staring at me.)

Metaphor

type of figurative language in which an implied comparison is made between two things (He is a tiger)

Personification

type of figurative language in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or ideas (happy house)

Simile

type of figurative language in which an implied comparison is made between two things using the words 'like' or 'as' (He is as sly as a fox)

Sensory Imagery

use of figurative language to create vivid images that appeal to one of the five senses

Diction

choice of a particular word as opposed to others.

Context

parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning.

Connotation

the implied or associative meaning of a word.

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word.

Catalyst

an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.

External Conflict

opposing forces between a character and an outside force that creates the action (man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. man).

Internal Conflict

opposing forces within a character that creates the action (man vs. self).

Archetype

universal symbol, setting, or character type.

Symbol

word, place, character, or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level.

Figurative language

word or phrase that departs from everyday literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness.

Allegory

any writing in verse or prose that has a double meaning. This narrative acts as an extended metaphor in which persons, abstract ideas, or events represent not only themselves on the literal level, but they also stand for something else on the figurative level.

Allusion

reference in literature to a person, place, event, or another passage of literature, often without explicit identification.

Anecdote

A short account of an interesting or humorous incident.

Epiphany

a moment of understanding, insight, or revelation experienced by a character concerning what is happening to her.

Motif

recurring thematic element; a dominant idea or central theme.

Style

the characteristic way that a writer uses language to achieve certain effects.

Surprise

the result a reader experiences when their expectations are not met.

Suspense

the curiosity a reader experiences anticipating the plot's outcome.

Syntax

typical word order and sentence structure of a language.

Vignette

short composition showing considerable skill, especially such a composition designed with little or no plot or larger narrative structure. Often vignettes are descriptive or evocative in their nature.

Crucible

a severe test; a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development

Tone

the writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject, the audience, or himself; the emotional meaning of a work

Mood

a feeling, emotional state, or disposition of mind--especially the predominating atmosphere or tone of a literary work

Internal Monologue

also known as inner voice, internal speech, or stream of consciousness through which the author depicts the interior thoughts of a single individual in the same order these thoughts occur inside that character's head

Foreshadowing

The technique of giving the reader clues to upcoming events

1st Person Point of View

narration in which the point of view is that of the main character (uses "I")

2nd Person Point of View

The narrator tells the story to another person using "you"

3rd Person Limited Point of View

the narrator is removed from the story; knowledge is confined to what is thought/felt by a single or limited number of characters (uses "he/she")

3rd Person Omniscient Point of View

The narrator is removed from the story and knows everything that needs to be known (uses "he/she")

Objective or Dramatic Point of View

The narrator does not reveal the feelings and thoughts of any character; the narrator only records what is seen and heard; the reader can only infer what characters feel; fly on the wall

Character Sketch

Short piece of analytical writing describing a person, especially in terms of personality traits and behavior patterns

Antagonist

The character against whom the protagonist struggles or contends

Protagonist

Main character in a work on whom the author focuses most of the narrative attention

Foil

A character who provides a strong contrast to another character

Dynamic character

A character who undergoes a significant change during the course of a story