Comprehensive Guide to Literary, Poetic, and Rhetorical Terminology
Literary Elements and Narrative Techniques
Situational Irony: Refers to an event that is the exact opposite of what a character or the audience expects to happen.
Dramatic Irony: Occurs when the audience is aware of information or situations that one or more characters in the story do not know.
Irony: The contradiction or contrast in a literary text that often involves unexpected situations or outcomes. Its primary functions are to create suspense, humor, or surprise.
Context: The specific information that clarifies what is occurring in a specific moment or situation.
Narrative Point of View: The specific viewpoint from which a story is told.
Point of View: A person or character's individual perspective on a specific topic.
Theme: A universal message or lesson that can apply to the real world or be found in other stories.
Imagery: Descriptive language consisting of vivid descriptions regarding how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels.
Juxtaposition: The act of placing two different things or ideas next to each other to highlight their contrasts and differences.
Suspense: The feeling of excitement, anxiety, or uncertainty regarding a forthcoming event.
Anticlimax: The sudden transition in discourse from a significant or important idea to a trivial or ludicrous idea. It refers to an event, result, or ending that is strikingly less important than what was originally expected.
Hyperbole: A literary device utilized to draw emphasis through the use of extreme exaggeration.
Climax: The most intense moment within a narrative, which marks a turning point for the protagonist as they confront the main conflict of the story.
Poetic Structure and Terminology
Speaker: The narrator of a poem.
Line: In poetry, a group of words arranged in a single row.
Line Break: The point in a poem marking the end of one line and the start of the next.
Stanza: A group of lines in a poem that are set off from other groups by a space.
Stanza Break: The point in a poem marking the end of one stanza and the start of the next.
Sonnets: A specific type of poem characterized by having lines and several other qualities, including a specific rhythm or rhyme scheme.
Performance, Speech, and Presentation
Annunciation: The act of pronouncing words or specific parts of words clearly.
Pausing: The brief interruption of action or speech.
Tempo: The rate or speed of motion, activity, or pace.
Audience: The assembled spectators or listeners present at a public event, including plays, movies, concerts, or meetings.
Volume: The quality or power of sound, specifically the degree of loudness.
Body Language: The process of nonverbal communication through conscious or unconscious gestures and physical movements.
Posture: The physical position in which someone holds their body while standing or sitting.
Presentation Modes: The various methods or ways to deliver a speech, which include:
Reading from a manuscript word-by-word.
Completely memorizing the content.
Improvisation (improv).
Extemporaneous delivery.
Register: The way a person speaks in relation to their audience or how a speaker uses language differently in varying circumstances. A speaker modifies their language register to signal levels of formality based on their relationship to the audience and the intended purpose of the speech.
Rhetoric, Argumentation, and Composition
Central Idea: The main point an author makes within a nonfiction text or a specific section of a nonfiction text.
Argument: A claim that a writer is defending within a paragraph or a short response.
Thesis: A claim that a writer is defending within a full essay.
Purpose: The reason for which something is created, done, or exists.
Figurative Language: Language that moves beyond the literal meanings of words to convey deeper meaning.
Tone: The element of language used to communicate identity, mood, and personality.
Memoir: An author's narrative focused on their own personal experiences.
Socio-Cultural Context and Conventions
Social-Cultural Context: The concept that language does not exist in isolation but is closely linked to the culture and society in which it is utilized. When learning language, the social community and social-cultural context must be taken into consideration.
Cultural Conventions: The customs, collective habits, rules, and regulations that pertain to the order and aesthetics of a social-cultural environment.
Elements of Conventions: These include:
Social etiquette.
Dress codes.
Social scripts.
The design of artifacts, public spaces, and interiors.