ENG 2DA Terminology

AntiHero

Lack of traditional heroic qualities, (courage, physical prowess, etc.) feels helpless and is out of control in the world, often an outcast and is unable to act on his/her ideals. Any act accomplished is usually accidental. ex. Shrek, Venom, Walter White, Edward.

First person major narratation

Told from the point of the narrator

First person minor narration

Told from the point of view of a secondary character who is not the narrator or facing conflict.

Consciousness Narration

Captures a characters thought process, following their thoughts while in the moment to mimic human consciousness.

Third Person Objective Narration

The narrator conveys words and actions of characters but has no insight to the situation.

Frame Narrative

The result of inserting one or more stories within the body of a larger story that involves other smaller ones. Ex.

Bildungsroman

Coming of age story; type of narrative that describes the development of the characters mind, ending in an epiphany/spiritual journey. Ex. Twilight

Assonance

The reputation of the same vowel sound within several words

Consonance

Repetition of the same consonant sound within several words in a close sequence

Euphony

A series of pleasing sounds/soft sounds to create athmpsohere or tone

Cacophony

A series of harsh or grafting used to create atmosphere or a frustrated tone

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like how they describe

Style Structure

The physical form of a text is used to develop the theme. character and tone

Syntax

The arrangement of words and order of grammar elements in a sentence.

Simple Sentreence

Contains a subject and a prescient

Compound Sentence

Contains two or more independent clauses. Clauses are joined by coordinating subjects

Complex Sentence

Cannot exist by itself, contains an independent clause and a dependance clause. Uses if/even though/while…

Incomplete Sentence

Incomplete frogmant

Parallel Structure

A grammatical/structural similirtary between sentences or parts of a sentence (Words, phrases equally/similarly phrased)

Exposition

The beginning of a narrative, which introduces character, setting, and situation, hinting at the main conflict

Inciting incident/force

The moment at which the major conflict is created or revealed to the reader

Rising Action

A series of events between the inciting incident and the climax that complicate the main conflict, building towards the climax

Foil Caracter

Used to highlight or contrast a trait of another character Ex. Gus Fring

Crisis

A moment within the rising action at which the protagonist is faced with a crucial decision, the outcome of which leads to the climax of the narrative

Individual vs Individual Conflict

Two characters having a conflict between the two, usually over a major difference. Ex. Edward vs. Jacob

Individual vs Self Conflict

The character is facing an inner struggle within themselves. Ex. Katniss faces a struggle between keeping her family alive and fighting against the oppressive Capitol.

Individual vs Society

The character faces conflict within societal aspects. Ex. Captain America in Civil War

Individual vs Nature

The character faces resistance from natural sources. Ex. The Day after Tomorrow

First Person stream of consciousness

When the persons thoughts are shown through the first person Ex. Twillight “I like the night. Without the dark, we’d never see the stars.”

Denouement/Resolution

The end of a narrative, where the point is is completely resolved. Moment of epiphany or failure.

Conflict

The opposition of two forces, every plot resolves around a conflict and functions to resolve this conflict.

Subplot

A secondary story/sequence of events presented in many longer narratives with a significant connection to the main plot (Reinforced through repetition or contrast)

Character

Individuals who take part in the action of a narrative

Protagonist

Central character

Antagonist

Adversary of the central character

Round character

Fully developed 3-dimensional character

Flat character

Undeveloped character with few traits

Stock/Stereotypical character

Flat character in a standard role with standard traits

Static character

A character who does not change, or only changes in a superficial or temporary way 

**dynamic character**

a character who changes in response to the action of the narrative; this change is significant, internal, and lasting

**foil character**

A character, usually minor, designed to emphasize a particular trait of the protagonist through similarity and contrast (this character will have many striking similarities to the protagonist to emphasize one key difference in their characters); this particular trait is significant to theme

AntiHero

A protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities (courage, physical prowess, etc.), feels helpless and out of control in the world, is often a social outcast, and is ultimately unable to act on his/her ideals; any heroic act accomplished by this character is often accidental 

**Setting**

 the time and place in/at which the events of the plot take place

**Time**

Day, month, season, year, period/era

**place**

location/building, geographical locale, country/continent, universe

**social/historical context**

 prevailing social/religious/political/moral attitudes of this time and place

**Atmosphere/mood**

the feeling inspired in the reader, often developed by the time and place of the setting but also by the characters and their relationships, or the events/conflict of the narrative

**tone**

the attitude/emotion of the narrator about a character, situation, conflict, etc.; conveyed through diction/description

**bias**

a preconceived attitude (positive or negative) developed by the narrator towards a particular character, situation, etc.

**Frame narrative**

the result of inserting one or more small stories within the body of a larger story that encompasses the smaller ones; the main plot of the narrative is framed within a separate story/sequence of events that introduces and concludes the main plot; the frame story is sometimes told by a separate narrator and generally set in a separate time/place; develops themes of text in several ways and generally serves to position the reader’s attitude towards the main narrative 

**naïve narrator/ingénue**

a narrator who is young or naïve/inexperienced in the world; functions in several ways to develop themes of narrative

**diction**

word choice; intended to convey a particular effect/attitude/emotion

**denotation**

the dictionary definition of a word

**connotation**

the feelings/attitudes associated with a word (the emotional impact of language)

**high/formal diction**

proper, elevated, or elaborate language characterized by complex words and a lofty tone

**low/informal diction**

relaxed, conversational/colloquial, or substandard/slang use of language

**dialect**

the speech patterns of a particular region or group

**satire**

A type of narrative in which irony and/or humour are used to ridicule something/someone/society in order to provoke change

**bildungsroman**

a “coming-of-age” story; a type of narrative that describes the experiences and education of/charts the development of the protagonist’s mind and character in his/her passage from childhood into maturity; usually ends with a spiritual crisis leading to an epiphany that is a recognition of his/her role in the world; child is often literally or figuratively orphaned/fatherless; often involves a literal journey

**theme topic**

a word/phrase identifying the subject of the text (loyalty, love, appearance versus reality, etc.)

**theme statement**

a fully developed sentence outlining the author’s message/observation about this topic 

**dramatic irony**

involves a situation in which the audience/reader has knowledge that the character is lacking

**cosmic irony**

occurs when God, destiny, or the universal process is represented as though deliberately manipulating evens to frustrate and mock the protagonist

**situational irony**

an incongruity between what we are led by the author to expect will happen and the actual outcome of events

**verbal irony**

a statement made by an individual, stating one thing but meaning/implying the opposite

**biblical allusion**

a reference to the Bible

**classical allusion**

a reference to Greek or Roman mythology 

**historical allusion**

a reference to a historical event

**literary allusion**

a reference to another work of literature

**topical allusion**

a reference to a contemporary event, person, thing, etc. from the popular culture of the period in which the narrative is set

**figurative language**

a statement in which meaning is not literal but is understood through implication

**simile**

a comparison of two unlike things using like, as, or than in order to attribute the characteristics of the one object of comparison to the other

**metaphor**

a direct comparison of two unlike things (without using like, as, or than) for the same purpose

**personification**

giving human qualities nonhuman objects

**imagery**

vivid descriptions used to appeal to one or more of the five senses 

**motif**

a recurring image or type of image (bestial imagery, blood imagery, black or white imagery, etc.) that develops theme 

**symbol**

a recurring object that has literal significance within the narrative while also representing an idea larger than itself (a quality, attitude, belief, value, etc.)

**pathetic fallacy**

when elements of the physical setting/nature (weather, etc.) are used to reflect the characteristics or the emotional state of a character

**pathos**

occurs when an author intentionally develops extreme sympathy for character

**paradox**

a statement that seems to contradict itself while revealing a deeper, hidden truth

**oxymoron**

a type of paradox in which a pair of opposite terms is combined into a single, unusual expression 

**hyperbole**

an extreme exaggeration, often used in satire for purposes of ridicule or in love poetry

**Understatement**

the opposite of hyperbole; a statement that represents an idea as much less significant than it actually is, in order to emphasize an often overlooked significance

**comic relief**

comedy inserted to relieve tension that is created by horrific, stressful, or tragic events (usually in drama)

**pun**

a play on words; when an author uses a word with two diverse meanings or uses two very similar sounding words in a statement in order to play on both meanings of the word; puns can have serious as well as humorous uses

**malapropism**

incorrect word usage by a character (replacing one word with a similar sounding but dramatically inappropriate word) as an indication of the character’s ignorance

**foreshadowing**

a hint of an upcoming event

**foreboding**

 hint of a negative event to come; creates an ominous atmosphere

**flashback**

a scene that interrupts the action of the narrative in order to show a significant previous event

**juxtaposition**

the placement of characters, objects, images, scenes, etc. side by side for the purpose of comparison or contrast

**repetition**

when words, phrases, or ideas are used more than once for emphasis

**alliteration**

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of two or more words in close sequence

**assonance**

the repetition of the same vowel sound within several words in close sequence

**consonance**

the repetition of the same consonant sound within several words in close sequence

**euphony**

a series of soft or pleasing sounds (“f”, “h”, “m”, “s”, etc.) used to create a particular atmosphere or tone; soft sounds can create a positive (i.e. tranquil) tone or a negative (i.e. mournful) tone

**cacophony**

 a series of harsh or grating sounds (“b”, “k”, “p”, “t”, etc.) used to create a particular atmosphere or tone; harsh sounds can create a positive (i.e. excitement) or a negative (i.e. frustration) tone

**onomatopoeia**

words that sound like the sound that they describe

**sentence types/syntax**

the arrangement of words and order of grammatical elements in a sentence 

**long (complex** **or compound)**

contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses or two independent clauses joined by a conjunction; series of long sentences used to convey significant description of character or setting or to develop atmosphere/tone