Literary Terms

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1.alliteration

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repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants or consonant clusters, in a group of words

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2.allusion

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reference in 1 work of literature to a person, place, or event in another work of literature or in history,art, or music

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3.anachronism

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an event or detail existing out of its proper time in history

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4.analogy

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extended comparison showing the similarities between 2 things

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5.antagonist

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a rival of the protagonist

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6.apostrophe

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words addressed to a person or thing, whether absent or present, generally in an exclamatory digression in a speech or a literary work

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7.aside

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words spoken by a character in a play, usually in an undertone, not intended to be heard by other characters

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8.assonance

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repetition of similar vowel sounds, usually close together in a group of words

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9.atmosphere

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the prevailing mood or feeling of a literary work

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10.ballad

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a story told in verse & usually meant to be sung
--folk: earliest ballad; composed anonymously & transmitted orally
--popular
--literary: known writer imitates a folk ballad

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11.blank verse

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verse written in unrhymed iambic pentameter, where each line usually contains 10 syllables & every other syllable is stressed

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12.characterization

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personality a character displays; also the means by which an author reveals that personality

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~direct characterization

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the author comments on the character

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~indirect charaterization

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1) showing the character acting or speaking
2) giving a physical description of the character
3) revealing the character's thoughts
4) revealing what other characters think about the character

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13.climax

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that point of greatest emotion intensity, interest, or suspense in a story

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14.comedy

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literary work of play that is amusing & ends happily

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15.complications

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series of difficulties forming the central action in a narrative

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16.conflict

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struggle between 2 opposing forces or characters

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~internal conflict

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idea vs. idea (takes place within a person)

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~external conflict

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1) man vs. man
2) man vs. nature
3) man vs. society
4) man vs. supernatural or God

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17.connotation

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emotion or association that a word or phrase may arouse

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18.conventions

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unrealistic devices or procedures that the reader or audience agrees to accept(rhyme in poetry; aside or soliloquy in which we[audience] agree to pretend other characters don't hear)

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19.couplet

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2 successive lines of poetry, especially 2 of the same length that rhyme

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20.dactylic

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poetic rhythm in which each metric foot is a dactyl (/u)

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21.denotation

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literal or dictionary meaning of a word

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22.dialogue

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conversation between 2 or more characters

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23.diction

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writer's choice of words, particularly for clarity, effectiveness, and precision

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24.drama

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story acted out, usually on a stage, by actors & actresses who take the parts of specific characters

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25.dynamic character

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character-undergoes an important & basic change in personality or outlook during a story

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26.exposition

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background material that explains the situation & setting of the action in a story

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27.falling action

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part of a story form the turning point(climax) to the resolution

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28.fiction

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any story that is invented or imagined; not true

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29.figurative language

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language that's not intended to be interpreted in a literal sense,such as metaphors,similes,personfications

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30.foil

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character who sets off another character by contrast

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31.foreshadowing

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use of hints on clues in a story to suggest what action is to come

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32.hyperbole

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a figure of speech which uses exaggeration or overstatement for effect

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33.iambic pentameter

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most common verse line in English poetry; 5 verse feet--each foot being an iamb(unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable)

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34.imagery

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words & phrases that describe something in a way that creates pictures or images that appeal to the reader's senses

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35.inverted order

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a reversal of the usual order of words in order to achieve some kind of emphasis

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36.irony

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a contrast or an incongruity between what is stated & what is really meant or between what is expected to happen & what actually does happen

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~verbal irony

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a writer or a speaker says 1 thing but means something entirely different

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~dramatic irony

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the reader or audience perceives something that a character in the story or play does not know

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37.juxtaposition

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placing of parts of a story or play, usually characters, side by side for the purpose of comparison

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38.lyric poetry

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poetry-expresses speaker's personal thoughts of feelings

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39.metaphor

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a comparison between 2 unlike things with the intent of giving added meaning to 1 of them

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40.meter

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generally regular pattern of stressed & unstressed syllables in poetry

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41.monologue

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a long, uninterrupted speech in a narrative or a drama that is spoken in the presence of other characters

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42.motivation

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the reason, stated or implied, for a character's behavior

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43.narrative poem

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a poem that tells a story

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44.narrator

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one who tells a story

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45.nonfiction

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any narrative that tells about things as they actually happened or that presents factual information about something;true

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46.onomatopoeia

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the use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning

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47.paradox

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a contradiction

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48.parallelism

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use of phrases, clauses, or sentences that are similar or complimentary in structure or in meaning

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49.pentameter

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5 metrical feet in poetry

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50.personification

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a figure of speech in which an animal, object, natural force, or idea is given personality or is described as if it were human

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51.plot

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the arrangement of the incidents in a play,novel,narrative,poem,etc.

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52.point of view

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the vantage point from which a story is told

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~1st person p-o-v

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the story is told by 1 of the characters in his or her own words; the "I" point of view

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~3rd person p-o-v

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the narrator tells the story from the vantage point of "He" or "She"

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~3rd person limited

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everything is told from 1 character's point of view by a narrator

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~3rd person omniscient

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all-knowing; an observer who can describe all the characters & their actions, as well as what all hte characters think & feel

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53.protagonist

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the main character in a drama, novel, or story around whom the action centers; the reader is usually sympathetic toward the protagonist

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54.pun

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the humorous use of a word or phrase to suggest 2 or more meanings at the time

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55.refrain

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a word, phrase, line or group of lines repeated regularly in a poem, usually at the end of each stanza

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56.resolution

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that part of a play, novel, etc., in which the plot is explained or made clear; the end of a story

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57.rhyme

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th repetition of sound in 2 or more words or phrases that usually appear close to each other in a poem

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~end rhyme

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rhyme occurring at the end of the lines

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~internal rhyme

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rhyme occurring within a line

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58.rhythm

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arrangement of stressed & unstressed syllables into a pattern

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59.rising action

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those events in a story or play that lead to a turning point(climax) in the action

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60.sensory language

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language appealing to the senses

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61.setting

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the time & place of the action in a narrative

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62.simile

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a comparison made between 2 dissimilar things through the use of a specific word of comparison,--like,as,than, or resembles

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63.soliloquy

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a speech, usually lengthy, in which a character, alone on stage, expresses his or her thoughts aloud

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64.sonnet

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14-line poem--last 2 lines rhyme

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65.stanza

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a group of lines forming a unit in a poem

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66.static character

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character-remains the same throughout a story

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67.suspense

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that quality of a literary work that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events

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68.symbol

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any object,person,place, or action that has a meaning in itself & that also stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude,belief, or value

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69.tetrameter

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4 metrical feet in poetry

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70.theme

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the main idea or basic meaning of a literary work

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71.tone

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an attitude an author takes towards his or her, subject,characters, or readers

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72.tragedy

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a literary work in which the central character meets an unhappy or disastrous end

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73.tragic hero

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the main character of a tragedy who is brought to a final downfall, usually because of his own errors in judgment or because of a combination of unexplainable outside forces that overwhelm the hero

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74.trimeter

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3 metrical feet in poetry

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75.turning point

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that part of a story that determines how the action or conflict in the story will be resolved;climax