English III Midterm

euphemism

substituting less pungent words for harsh ones with ironic effect

metonymy

identifying something by replacing it with something closely associated with it

paradox

a statement that appears to be contradictory but has some truth

alliteration

the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of successive words or syllables within words

assonance

involves the repetition of vowel sounds within words

consonance

refers to the repetition of ending consonant sounds in successive words (ends of syllables or words)

schemes

arrangements of ideas, words, or phrases that are stylistically effective

chiasmus

grammatical structure of the first clause or phrase is reversed in the second, sometimes repeating the same words

antithesis

the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas

asyndeton

conjunctions are omitted in stylistically effective ways, but they can also be omitted for emphasis

ellipsis

the omission of a words or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context

anaphora

the regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses

polysyndeton

the use of many conjunctions to slow the pace (opposite of asyndeton)

periodic sentence

a sentence withholding its independent clause until the end

loose sentence

the modifiers follow the independent clause

syntax

the way in which words are arranged into sentences

coherence

a principle demanding that the parts of any sentence, paragraph, or composition be so arranged that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible

fluency

occurs as a result of sentences flowing together smoothly; achieved through a variety of lengths, structures, beginnings, and techniques

telegraphic

5 words or shorter

short

5-10 words

medium

10-20 words

long and involved

21+ words

antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

act

a major division of a drama

antagonist

a character or force in conflict with a main character; a villain

anticlimax

an arrangement of details such that something less than expected appears at the point where something greater is expected

antihero

a main character who does not have the usual good qualities that are expected in a hero

archetype

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious in order to evoke strong responses

aside

a short speech delivered by an actor in a play, expressing the character’s thoughts to the audience; not intended to be heard by other actors on stage

authorial aside

a written digression, a time in a novel or drama when the author steps outside of the story to provide commentary or insight

catastrophe

the conclusion of a play, particularly of a tragedy

catharsis

the process by which an unhealthy emotional state produced by an imbalance of feelings is corrected and emotional health is restored to a character

flat character

embodies a single quality and does not develop in the course of a story

round character

demonstrates some complexity and develops or changes in the course of a work

static character

does not change

dynamic character

changes

climax

the high point of interest or suspense in a literary work

comic relief

a humorous scene, incident, or speech in the course of a serious fiction or drama, introduced, it is sometimes thought, to provide relief from emotional intensity and, by contrast, to heighten the seriousness of the story

external conflict

a character struggles against an outside force

internal conflict

a character struggles against himself/herself

crisis

the point at which the opposing forces that create the conflict interlock in the decisive action on which the plot will turn

denouement

the final unraveling of the plot; the solution of a mystery; a explanation or outcome

dilemma

a situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives

direct characterization

the writer tells us directly what a character’s personality is like

indirect characterization

a writer allows us to exercise our own judgment by putting clues together to infer what a character is like, through how he appears, speaks, thinks, feels, relates to other characters, or acts

deus ex machina

the employment of some unexpected and improbable incident to make things turn out right

epigraph

a saying or statement on the title page of a work or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work that hints at its theme

epilogue

concluding statements or section at the end of a narrative

epiphany

a moment of sudden revelation or insight experienced by a character

exposition

writing/speech that explains, informs, or presents information; the element of plot that provides essential background information early in a narrative

falling action

follows the climax

flashback

a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time

foil

a character who contrasts with another character

foreshadowing

the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work

frame device/story

a story within a story

hamartia

the error, frailty, mistaken judgement, or misstep which brings about the downfall of the hero in a tragedy

hero

a character whose actions are inspiring or noble

hubris

overweening pride or insolence that can result in the misfortune of the protagonist of a tragedy

incident

an event

intercalary chapters

inserted chapters that perform a different function from the main chapters of a novel

interior monologue

a narrative technique that records a character’s internal flow of thoughts, memories, and ideas; a longish passage of uninterrupted thought

monologue

a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem

motif

the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop theme or characters

motivation

a reason that explains or partly explains a character’s thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior

narrator

the one who tells the story

narrative

the story or narrated account

pacing

movement of a literary piece from one point or section to another

persona

figuratively a mask adopted by a character who pretends to be something other than what he or she is

plot

the action of a narrative or drama

first person participant pov

a character in the story tells the story as he/she experiences it

innocent eye narrator

the character telling the story may be a child or a developmentally disabled individual; the contrast between what this narrator perceives and what the reader understands may create dramatic irony

objective or dramatic pov

a narrator who is totally impersonal tells the story, with no comment on any characters or events; it is like the pov of a movie camera; what we know is only what the character might see and record

third person omniscient pov

an all-knowing narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of any or all characters

third person limited pov

the author tells the story in the third person and yet presents it as it as seen and understood by a single character, restricting information to what that character sees, hears, feels, and thinks

prologue

an introduction to a novel or drama

protagonist

the main character in a literary work

resolution

the events following the climax and concurrent with the falling action when all or most of the conflicts have been settled

rising action

the part of a dramatic plot that has to do with the complication and the action that leads to crisis and climax

scene

the division of the act within the play; a real or fictional episode

setting

the time, place, and environment in which action takes place

soliloquy

a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on a stage

stage directions

the specific instructions a playwright includes concerning sets, characterization, delivery, etc.

stereotype/stock character

a fixed idea or conception of a character or an idea that does not allow for any individuality and is often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices

stream-of-consciousness

a mode of narration that incorporates the total range of awareness and emotive-mental response of an individual

structure

the organization and form of a work

subplot

a subordinate or minor story in a longer piece of fiction

suspense

a feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story

theme

a central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work that can be stated directly or implied

tragedy

a work of literature, especially a play, that results in a catastrophe for the main character; the cause of a tragedy is usually a tragic flaw, or weakness, in the hero’s character

tragic flaw

the theory that there is a flaw in the tragic hero that causes his or her downfall

turning point

a point in a work in which a very significant change occurs; sometimes concurrent with crisis

villian

an evil character, potentially or actually guilty of serious crimes

allegory

the use of characters or events to represent ideas or principles in a story, play, or picture

anecdote

a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event, which is told to entertain or to make a point

aphorism

a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation, about human nature

autobiography

an account of the writer’s own life

biography

an account of someone’s life written by another person

comedy

a work of literature, especially a play, usually humorous and having a happy ending

diary

a day by day chronicle of events; a journal

discourse

a mode or category of expression