Mr. Thiesmeyers English IV British
Literature
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Literary
Terms
Allusion short reference supposedly familiar to the
audience
Ambiguity intentionally vague details
Anachronism
a person, object, or occurrence placed in a
time period in which it does not belong
Analogy a comparison of two things based on a
shared characteristic or feature
Anaphora a rhetorical device where a series of
words are repeated at the beginning of successive phrases
Anecdote a brief story or tale told by a character
in a work of literature
Antecedent
action events that occur before
a play or a story begins
Apostrophe address to something not human or someone
not there
Atmosphere general mood or feeling of a literary work
(see also Tone)
Carpe Diem seize the day
Character persons in a work of literature
Antagonist a character in a story or
poem who deceives, frustrates, or conflicts with the protagonist in some way
Protagonist the main or central
character in a novel, play, story, or poem
Archetype a generic, idealized model of a person, object, or concept from which
similar instances are derived, copied or emulated
Dynamic character a character that changes throughout the
story
Static character a character that
does not change throughout the story
Stock character a character that
displays generalizations about a specific people (stereotype)
Characterization the description of a characters
personality or appearance
Direct characterization the author
tells you explicitly about a characters personality or appearance
Indirect characterization the
personality or appearance has to be determined from hints or clues
Conflict struggle against opposing forces that the
main character(s) undergo [usually man v. man, man v. self, or man v. nature
(or non-human outside source)]
Dialogue verbal exchange between two characters
Diction an author or speakers choice of words to fit
an intended purpose
Euphemism a milder or more acceptable word, phrase,
or sentence use to substitute a more harsh, blunt, or obscene idea, object, or
action
Epiphany a sudden realization of a great or
fundamental truth
Flashback past events and conversations that are
recalled
Figurative
language language that is used to
describe one thing in terms of another (non-literal speech)
Clichι
a term so overused that it has lost its original meaning and strength
Hyperbole exaggeration for emphasis or for poetic or dramatic effect
Metaphor indirect comparison
Allegory an extended metaphor used in a literary work to reveal a deeper, more
complex meaning; characters generally have name which have meaning beyond
themselves and can be a personification of abstract qualities
Metonymy a figure of speech where a word is substituted for another that is
characteristic of or associated with that word
Synecdoche a figure of speech where a part of a being or object replaces the
whole
Onomatopoeia words that sound like what they express
Oxymoron a paradox created by the juxtaposition of words which seem to
contradict each other
Paradox contradictory statement that makes sense
Simile
a comparison of two unlike things using the words like, as, or than
Foil a contrasting personality
Foreshadowing the use of clues to hint at what may
happen later in the story
Genre the category in which a literary work fits
based on a loose set of criteria
Hubris an overwhelming sense of pride in a
character (usually leads to the characters downfall or failure)
Imagery words that appeal to the senses
Irony
a situation
or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected
or understood and what actually happens or is meant
Dramatic Irony when a character says or does something
that they do not fully grasp but is understood by the audience [character(s) v.
audience]
Situational Irony implying, through plot or character, that
the actual situation is quite different from that presented [character(s) v.
character(s)]
Verbal Irony the use of words in which the intended
meaning is contrary to the literal meaning
Sarcasm
a form of verbal irony meant to mock or show contempt
Motivation reason why characters do what they do
Extrinsic Motivation motivation
derived from some physical reward (i.e. money, power, lust)
Intrinsic Motivation motivation derived from an internal reward
(i.e. knowledge, pride, spiritual or emotional peace/wellbeing)
Parallelism
the use of recurring syntactical structures
using similar or repeated words for emphasis and effect
Personification giving human characteristics to something
that is not human
Plot Sequence of incidents or actions in a story
Exposition - introductions of characters, setting, and conflict (background
information)
Rising action series of events that lead up to the climax
Climax highest point of action/drama;
culmination of major conflict
Falling action actions after climax
leading to the resolution
Resolution where all conflicts are
resolved and plot concludes
Point of
view vantage point from which a story is told
1st person POV narrator is
the main character (told in I voice)
3rd person POV narrated by someone outside the action
Limited omniscient POV narrator
outside the action that focus primarily on only a few characters
Rhetoric the art of effective or persuasive speech
or writing
Ethos speech or writing which is an
appeal to the ethical or authoritative character of the speaker/writer
Logos
speech or writing which is an appeal to logic and reason
Pathos speech or writing which is an
appeal to emotion
Satire writing that attacks and ridicules some
social evil or human weakness
Semantics the meaning(s) of a word
Connotation feelings and associations
that are attached to the literal meaning of a word
Denotation the literal meaning of a
word
Setting time and place of a storys action
Suspense sense of uncertainty or anxiety of what
will happen later in a story
Symbol something that stands for itself as well
as something broader or more abstract
Symbolism the use of a material object to represent
an abstract idea
Syntax an author or speakers choice of sentence
construction and phrasing
Theme main idea; central insight the work gives
us about society or human nature
Thesis
statement an intellectual
proposal; the stated main idea and/or intentions of a work
Tone the mood or feeling of a literary work
(see also Atmosphere)
Poetic Terms
Accent where the stress(es) fall in a word creating a rhythm to speech
Alliteration
repetition of initial consonant sounds
Assonance repetition of internal
vowel sounds
Consonance repetition of internal
consonant sounds
Blank
verse unrhymed iambic
pentameter
Caesura an audible pause that breaks up a line of
a verse
Conceit an extended complex metaphor that
encompasses an entire poem
End
stopped phrases end at the end
of the line
Enjambment when a phrase continues on to the next
line or stanza
Free verse poetry not adhering to any regular rhyme
or rhythm patterns
Meter the pattern of stressed and unstressed
syllables
Foot
the basis of meter, the regular unit of rhythm
Anapest two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable
Dactyl stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
Iambic
unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
Pyrrhic two unstressed syllables
Spondee two stressed syllables
Troche
stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable
Scan/Scansion marking the stresses in a poem to
establish the prevailing metrical pattern
Stanza a (usually) regular grouping of lines; a
unit within a larger poem
Couplet two rhyming lines
Quatrain four line stanza
Sestet
six line stanza
Octave
eight line stanza