Literary Terms

Front 1

climax

Back 1

high point of tension or excitement in the story; turning point

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stanza

Back 2

a formal division of line in a poem, considered as a unit

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aside

Back 3

short speech in which a character "talks under his breath" to reveal his thoughts

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protagonist

Back 4

main character

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epic

Back 5

narrative poem about the deeds of gods and heroes

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couplet

Back 6

a pair of rhyming lines

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onomatopoeia

Back 7

use of words that imitate sounds

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metaphor

Back 8

comparison of 2 unlike things without using like or as (one thing is another thing)

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allusion

Back 9

reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

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simile

Back 10

comparison of 2 like things using like or as

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setting

Back 11

time and place of action

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monlogue

Back 12

long speech by one character in a play while others are present

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antagonist

Back 13

character who causes conflict for the protagonist

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tragedy

Back 14

a work of literature that results in catastrophe for the main character

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sonnet

Back 15

a 14 line lyric poem

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assonance

Back 16

repetition of vowel sounds

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soliloquy

Back 17

long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on the stage

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conflict

Back 18

a struggle between opposing forces

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foreshadowing

Back 19

clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

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hyperbole

Back 20

extreme exaggeration

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iambic pentameter

Back 21

line of poetry made up of five unstressed syllables, each flowed by a stressed syllable

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3rd person omniscient

Back 22

type of narration in which the person telling the story is outside the story and knows all

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dialogue

Back 23

conversation between characters

Front 24

static character

Back 24

character who stays the same

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1st person

Back 25

type of narration in which the person telling the story is a character in the story

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surprise ending

Back 26

conclusion that violates the expectations of the reader but in a way that is both logical and believable

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round

Back 27

character with multiple traits

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symbol

Back 28

Anything that stands for, or represents , something else. An object that serves as a symbol has its own meaning, but it also represents abstract ideas.

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flat character

Back 29

character with only one trait

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blank verse

Back 30

poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines

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suspense

Back 31

feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work

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3rd person limited

Back 32

type of narration in which the person telling the story is outside the story but only knows the the thoughts of one character

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consonance

Back 33

repetition of consonant sounds

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theme

Back 34

central lesson or insight about life

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tragic hero

Back 35

tragic flaw, or weakness, in the character causes catastrophe for themselves

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prose

Back 36

ordinary form of written language

Front 37

rhyme

Back 37

repetition of sounds at the ends of words

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alliteration

Back 38

repetition of initial consonant sounds

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meter

Back 39

rhythmical pattern of a poem, the pattern is determined by the number and types of stresses, or beats, in each line

Front 40

personification

Back 40

nonhuman subject is given human characteristics

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imagery

Back 41

descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for readers

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dynamic character

Back 42

one who changes significantly during the course of the story

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3rd person objective

Back 43

"fly on the wall", tells a story without detailing any characters' thoughts

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second person

Back 44

"you" replaces "I"