English

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Genre

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a category of written artistic expression

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Characterization

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the methods an author uses to create and develop their characters.

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Cause and Effect:

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two events are related as ‘cause and effect’ when one event brings about the other. The event that happens first is the cause, while the one that follows is the effect.

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Climax:

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the point of maximum interest in the plot of a story or play. After the climax, the conflict is resolved and the outcome of the plot may become clear.

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Foreshadowing:

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when a writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story, poem, or play. Be careful of Red Herrings and the possibility of an unreliable narrator-narrative misdirection (JK Rowling is famous for the latter term: think of the twists she places near the climax of each of the first six novels…).

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Irony

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a contrast of what appears to be and what really is

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Verbal Irony:

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when one says the opposite of the intended meaning~ sometimes people use sarcasm as verbal irony…

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Irony of Situation:

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when what happens is the opposite of what is expected or intended~ for example, winning the lottery and then your house burns down the next day…

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Dramatic irony

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occurs when the reader or spectator knows more about the true state of affairs than a character…

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Mood:

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: a mood or atmosphere is a feeling that a literary work conveys to readers. Writers use a variety of techniques: word choice, dialog, description, characterization, and plot complications to establish Mood can change during the course of a story… just think how your moods change during the course of a day!

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Tone:

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: the tone of the work is the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject. Tone is conveyed in much the same way the mood is, and so they are easily confused. The tone may be serious, bitter, humorous, sympathetic, cynical, ironic…

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Motivation

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a character’s motivation is the reason why her or she acts, feels, or thinks in a certain way. Motivations may be stated directly or merely implied.

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Personification:

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a figure of speech in which human characteristics are given to non-living things, and sometimes animals (figurative language).

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Plot

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a series of ‘happenings’ or events in a literary work. This also refers to the action of a story as it is introduced in the exposition, organized around a conflict that builds through rising action/complication(s) to a climax followed by the falling action toward a resolution.

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Setting

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when and where the action takes place in a story/text. Sometimes the setting is crucial to what happens, and then may be described in detail by the author. The influence of the setting on character’s decisions and action may vary.

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Theme

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underlying meaning of literary work. A theme may be directly stated or only implied. Theme is not the same thing as subject or topic~ although, for a variety of reasons, they may be linked. Think of the The theme as the message the writer may have intended for the reader to infer. Not all works of fiction have a clearly defined theme, so various readers can discover myriad themes from the same work.

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First Person Narration

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when a character tells the story in first person, characterized by the use of the first person pronouns: I, we…There can be multiple first person narrators, may be the main character… and may also be UNRELIABLE narrators

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Third Person Narration

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(Limited/Omniscient/Objective)

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Limited:

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here, the narrator is an outside entity, not a character in the story, nor the protagonist (main character), but is privy to the thoughts and feelings of the main character (protagonist). The Harry Potter stories are told from this point of view. It is almost like we are a camera on Harry’s shoulders as he goes about in the world. The problem is that we are not able to know what OTHER characters are thinking unless the main character is there to witness them.

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Omniscient:

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this type of narrator is privy to all the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and actions, not just the main character’s. This narrator may be the most reliable.

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Objective:

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this type of narration is most like reporting: just the facts and observations (what is seen and heard): no judgments, opinions, or interpretations!

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Circular Plot Structure:

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when the events at the beginning of the story are repeated at the end… remember Ray B and “A Sound of Thunder”!

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Imagery:

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language the writer uses that appeal to the senses: sight, sound, touch...

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Short Story:

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less complex than novels and are intended to be read in one sitting. Usually, a short story will focus on only one incident/conflict, have a fictional plot, a single setting, a limited number of characters, cover a short period of time, and is written in prose.

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Flashback

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a scene that interrupts the present action to depict some earlier event via dream, remembrance, reverie, etc. The term may refer to the scene itself or its presentation (use).

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Metaphor:

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a comparison of two unlike things implied by just stating them without using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to make the comparison: you are the sun, you are the rain…

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Onomatopoeia:

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the use of a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes: the snake hissed its warning; thunder rumbled across the valley…

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Rhyme:

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the repetition of the same or similar sounds/ letter combinations that appear near each other in a poem

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Rhythm:

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the pattern of beats made by the stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.

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Simile:

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a comparison of two unlike things using ‘like’ or ‘as’~ for example, life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get…

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Alliteration

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the repetition of consonant sounds in a series of words. The repetition can happen anywhere, but is usually found in the beginning or middle of the word.

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Stanza:

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a group of lines forming a unit in a poem, usually separated by a space.

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Symbol:

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a figure of speech in which something (object, person, situation, or action) means more than what it is: dove=peace; heart=love.

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Sonnet:

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a fourteen line poem with end rhyme in one of the following patterns:

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Petrarchan (Italian):

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Petrarchan (Italian) abba abba/ cdecde or cdcdcd
the first eight lines are the ‘octave’ and the final six are the ‘sestet’

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Shakespearean(ian) (English):

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the most popular form: abab cdcd efef gg
each of the three units of four lines is called a ‘quatrain’ ; the final two lines, the

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Spenserian (English):

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abab bcbc cdcd ee
Spenserian sonnets have ‘interlocking rhymed quatrains”

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End-stopped Line:

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when a phrase, clause, or sentence concludes at the line’s end.

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End-stopped Line:

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when a phrase, clause, or sentence concludes at the line’s end.

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Rhyme scheme:

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the pattern of end rhyme, marked with lower case letters. To identify the rhyme scheme, list the sequence of rhymes in order, using a new letter for each new rhyme.

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Synesthesia:

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The practice of associating two or more senses in the same image: red-hot flames.

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Hyperbole:

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a deliberate exaggeration to achieve a serious, comic, or ironic effect. Sometimes critics call it overstatement: I would walk 500 miles for...(Thanks to The Proclaimers!).

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Blank Verse:

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poetry having regular meter, but no rhyme. The most common form of blank verse is written in iambic pentameter (ten syllables: unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed… and so on until you have ten~ x=unstressed; /=stressed:

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Lyric Verse:

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highly emotional content: romance, pathos

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Dramatic Verse:

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acted out by the speaker/ drama (monologues)

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Ode:

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A song or lyric that celebrates a person, things or event*usually very formal in tone… then again, you could write an ode to your missing socks, or the end of Harry Potter.

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Haiku:

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traditional Japanese poetic form that celebrates everyday things in concrete language (active verbs, descriptive adjectives); three lines and seventeen syllables usually arranged in a five syllable, seven syllable, five syllable pattern.