Literary+Terms+&+Techniques

__Matthew Little__


 * Plot-the action sequence of a narrative; what happens


 * Theme-the main message of the story


 * Climax-high point of interest in a story


 * Exposition-the beginning of a story; setting is created, characters are introduced


 * Denouement-the end of a story, after the climax


 * In Medias Res-a story that begins in the middle of a sequence of events. Previous events are made evident with flashback


 * Topic-expressed in one or two words; does not express a view of life
 * Rising Action-longest part of the story; where conflicts are introduced


 * Falling Action-explains the complications of the climax to the reader
 * Conflict-struggle between opposing forces
 * Metaphor-a figure of speech in which something is spoken of as though it were something else; direct comparison of two unlike things
 * Simile-a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison
 * Personification-a figure of speech in which something not human is treated as if it were human
 * Symbolism-the use of something to represent something beyond itself
 * Alliteration-repetition of the same initial consonant sound
 * Situational Irony-exists when what happens is the exact opposite of what is expected to happen
 * Verbal Irony-exists when a person says one thing and means another
 * Dramatic Irony-occurs when the audience has important information that the characters do not
 * Onomatopoeia-the use of a word or phase that actually imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes- Example: sparkle
 * Hyperbole-a great exaggeration
 * Foreshadowing- use of clues or hints of what will happen later
 * First person narration- narrated by "I"
 * Second person narration- narrated by you
 * Third person limited- narration limited to ones characters thought and feelings as the authors own
 * Third person omniscient- narration in which the author knows and reveals several characters thoughts and feelings
 * Narrative- a story told in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama
 * Characterization- the act of creating and developing characters
 * setting- time and place
 * Short story- a short work of fiction
 * Narrator- Speaker or Character who tells a story
 * Tone- the writers attitude towards his or her audience and subject
 * Protagonist- main character or hero
 * Antagonist- a character or force in conflict with the main character
 * Fiction-prose writing telling about imaginary characters and traits
 * Direct characterization- when the author directly tells what the characters traits are
 * Indirect characterization- when the author tells what the characters look like, does, say, and how other characters react to them
 * Dynamic character- one who develops or grows during the story
 * Static character- character who doesn't change or grow during the stor
 * Novel- a long work of fiction
 * Sensory language- writing or speech that appeals to one or more of the senses
 * Cliche- a phrase that has used so long that its meaning is lost
 * Allusion- a reference in a work of literature to a character, place, or situation from another work of literature, music, or art.
 * Flashback- narration of events before the normal time sequence of the plot
 * Analogy- when one thing is explained in terms of another
 * Understatement- when a response is deliberately incomplete
 * Oxymoron- two words that seem to mean the opposite of each other
 * Biography- a work about a persons life written by another person
 * Autobiography- a person writing about his/her own life
 * Nonfiction- prose writing presenting ideas or telling about real people, places, objects, or events
 * Figurative language- writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally
 * legend- story about someone local or from a particular region
 * Myth- a fictional account that explains the actions of goods or causes of natural phenomena
 * Caricature- a drawing of a person in which one feature is exaggerated
 * Anecdote- a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event
 * Genre- a division or type of literature
 * Prose- ordinary form of written language
 * Mood- feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage
 * Diction- word choice
 * Denotation- dictionary meaning of a word
 * Connotation- meaning of a word in context of a work
 * Narrative- tells a story
 * Descriptive essay- conveys an impression about a person, place, thing, or idea
 * Persuasive essay- tries to get reader to do something or accept writers point of view
 * Expository essay- gives information,discusses ideas, or explains a process
 * Satire- using humor to make fun of or change things
 * Dialect- form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group
 * Dialogue- conversation between characters
 * Suspense- a feeling of events in a literary work
 * Paradox- a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true
 * Rhetorical question- a question asked for effect, not to be answered
 * Free verse- poetry with out fixed meter or pattern
 * Blank verse- poetry written in unryhmed iambic pentameter
 * Soliloquy- one character, on stage, thinking aloud alone
 * Couplet- a pair of rhyming lines usually of the same length and meter
 * Tragedy- a work of literature, especially a play, that results in ctastrophe for the main character
 * Monologue- speech by one character in a play, story, or poem
 * Comedy- a work of literature especially a play, that has a happy ending
 * Foil- a character who is contrasted with another character
 * Aside- a short speech delivered by an actor in a play expressing his/her thoughts
 * Drama- a story written to be performed by actors
 * Repetition- more than one use of any element of language
 * Parody- making fun a work by writing something similar but exaggerated
 * Dramatic poetry- poetry that includes the techniques of drama
 * Rhyme scheme- a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem
 * Round character- a character with many different traits
 * Archetype- original pattern or model; all others are copies
 * Stanza- a group of lines in a poem considered as a unit
 * Narrative poem- a poem that tells a story
 * Epic Simile- extended simile in a long epic poem, often several lines
 * Lyric- a poem expressing thoughts and feeling
 * Epic- a long narrative poem that traces the adventures of a hero, usually a hero with superhuman strength
 * Ballad- a short, musical poem usually focused on a single situation, often love or death
 * Haiku- a three line poem usually about nature
 * Rhythm- the pattern created by arranging stressed and unstressed syllables
 * Rhyme- repetition of accented vowel sounds and all succeeding consonant sound
 * Assonance- the repetition of vowel sounds
 * Consonance- the repetition of consonant sounds int the middle or end of words
 * Subjective- based on opinions or feelings
 * Objective- based on facts/evidence
 * Chronological order- the order in which something happened