APLIT

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Aside

a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage

Catastrophe

a large-scale disaster, misfortune, or failure

Catharsis

a release of emotional tension

Dialect

a form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group

Dialogue

Conversation between characters

Direct Characterization

The author directly states a character's traits

Dramatis Personae

list of characters in a play

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight

Fourth Wall

the imaginary wall through which the audience views the play

Indirect Characterization

Author subtly reveals the character through actions and interactions.

In Medias Res

in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things

What is a soliloquy?

An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself.

Monologue

A long speech made by one performer or by one person in a group.

Omniscient Narrator

an all-knowing, usually third-person narrator

Pathos

Appeal to emotion

Stage Direction

an instruction in the text of a play, especially one indicating the movement, position, or tone of an actor, or the sound effects and lighting.

Unities

the time and place of the action

Accusatory

charging of wrongdoing

Authoritative

weighting authority

Contentious

quarrelsome, inclined to argue

Disgruntled

angry or dissatisfied

Fervent

eager; earnest

Intransigent

refusing to compromise

Inquisitive

curious

Malicious

Intended to hurt or harm

Manipulative

skillful in influencing or controlling others to your own advantage

Moralistic

concerned with morals

Vexed

irritated; annoyed

Zealous

enthusiastic

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Caesura

a strong pause within a line of verse

Connotation

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

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word

Diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words

Enjambment

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Imagery

language that appeals to the senses

Inverted Syntax

Reversing the normal word order of a sentence

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Parallel Structure

the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Shifts

A change in time, place, setting, character's tone, punctuation, etc.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Apologetic

sorry; showing regret

Artificial

Made by human beings and not by nature

Baffled

confused

Callous

emotionally hardened, unfeeling

Condemnatory

expressing strong disapproval

Iconoclastic

attacking cherished traditions

Incredulous

disbelieving, skeptical

Indignant

angered at something unjust or wrong

Objective

unbiased; not subjective

Perspicacious

wise; insightful; acutely intelligent

Poignant

evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret

Timid

shy

Analogy

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character

Carpe Diem

seize the day

Dynamic

active, energetic, forceful

End-stopped line

A line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation

Epigraph

a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme.

First-person narrator

a narrator within the story who tells the story from the "I" perspective

Foil

A character who acts as a contrast to another character

Genre

a major category or type of literature

Harlem Renaissance

A period in the 1920s when African-American achievements in art and music and literature flourished

Hubris

excessive pride

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it

Protagonist

Main character in a story

Static

Having no motion or change

Dejected

Downcast or sad; depressed

Derisive

expressing contempt or ridicule

Despairing

showing the loss of all hope

Explosive

sudden and loud

Exuberant

full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy

Foreboding

a feeling that something bad will happen

Impassioned

filled with passionate emotion

Lugubrious

looking or sounding sad and dismal

Mocking

treating with contempt or ridicule

Mournful

expressing sorrow

Pensive

thoughtful

Precocious

talented beyond one's age

Climax/Second culmination

The point in a narrative where the tension or conflict reaches its highest intensity, leading to the resolution.

Colloquial

Language that is informal and conversational, often specific to a particular region or group.

Dramatic premise

The underlying idea or concept that drives the plot of a dramatic work.

Dramatic situation

The context or scenario in which the characters find themselves, often involving conflict.

First culmination

The initial peak of action or conflict in a narrative, leading to the climax.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect.

Inciting Incident

The event that sets the main plot in motion, creating the initial conflict.

Kenning

A figurative expression that replaces a noun, often used in Old English poetry, such as 'whale-road' for the sea.

Obstacles

Challenges or barriers that characters must overcome to achieve their goals.

Oral tradition

The practice of passing stories, history, and culture through spoken word rather than written text.

Secondary character

A character who plays a supporting role in the narrative, not the main focus.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or vice versa, such as 'all hands on deck' meaning all crew members.

Bitter

Expressing harsh or resentful feelings, often related to disappointment or anger.