Literary Terms!!!

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allegory

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a tale in prose or verse in which characters, actions or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.

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alliteration

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repetition of similar sounds, usualy consonants, in a group of words.

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allusion

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a reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects a reader to recognize.

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analogy

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comparison made between two things-similar.

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anecdote

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very short story that is told to make a point.

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antagonist

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person or force opposing the protagonist.

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aphorism

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a terse, pointed statement bout' some wise or clever observation about life.

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aside

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in a drama, a short speech directed towards audience.

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autobiography

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persons account of his or her own life.

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ballad

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a story told inverse and usually meant to be sung.

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biography

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detailed account of a person's life written by another person.

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character

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A person-or an animal, a thing or natural force presented as a person-appearing in a literary work.

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characterization

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The means by which a writer reveals a character's personality.

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chorus

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In drama. one or more characters who comment on the action.

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climax

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decisive point; point of greatest intensity or interest.

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conflict

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Struggle between two opposing forves or characters in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem.

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denoument

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Outcome of a plot.

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description

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Type of writing that deals with appearence of person, object, or place.

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dialect

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characteristic speech of a particular region or social region.

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diction

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

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dramatic irony

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

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epigram

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A short witty statement in prose or verse.

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epigraph

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Quoation or motto at the beginning of a chapter, book etc. that makes a point about the work.

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epitaph

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Inscription on a gravestone or a short poem in memory of someone who has died.

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epithet

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Descriptive name or phrase use to characterize someone or something.

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essay

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Prose work, short, deals with subject in a imited way and expresses a particular point of view.

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exposition

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Kind of writing that is intended primarily to present information.

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fable

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Brief story that is told to present a moral, or practical lesson.

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farce

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Type of comedy based on a farfetched humorous situation, often with ridiculous or stereotyped characters.

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figurative language

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Language not intented to be interpreted in a literal sense.

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figure of speech

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Word or expression that is not meant to be interpreted as a literal sense.

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flashback

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Scene in a short story, novel,narrative poem or play that interrupts the action to show an event that occured earlier.

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foil

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Character who sets off another character by contrast.

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folklore

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Traditional songs, myths etc. composed ananymously and written down or passed on orally from generation to generation.

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foreshadowing

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Use of hints or clues in a narratie to suggest what action is to come.

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form

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Structure and organization of a literary work, as distinct from its content, which is what the work is about.

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forms of discourse

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A classification of writing into types, accrding to the writer's main purpose.

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gothic

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Term that describes use in fiction of grotesque, gloomy settings and supernatural/mysterious/violent occurense to create suspense and awe. (Edgar Allen Poe)

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humor

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Deals with foibles and incongruities of human nature sympathetically.

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hyperbole

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Exaggeration.

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imagery

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Words or phrases taht create pics and images in the readers' mind.

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local color

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Use of specific details describing dialect,dress,customs, and scenery assoc. with the setting.

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incongruity

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Joining of opposites to create an unexpected situation.

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inversion

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Reversal of usual word order.

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irony

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Contrast of what is being said. Fat man named tiny.(verbal,dramatic,of situation)

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Melodrama

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Drama that has stereotyped character, exaggerated emotions, and conflict that pits an all-good her or heroine against an all-evil villain.

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metaphor

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Figure of speech that makes a comparison of 2 diff.things without like or as.

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metonymy

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Figure of speech in which something very closely assoc.with a thing is used to stand for or suggest the thing itself.

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monolauge

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Extended speech by a character in a play, short story, novel or narrative poem.

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motif

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Reuccring feature in a work of literature.

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myth

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Story, often about immortal and sometimes connected with religious rituals that attempts to give meaning to the mysteries of the world.

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narration

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Kind of writing or speaking that tells a story.

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narrator

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One who narrates, or tells, a story.

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onomatopoeia

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Use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its' meaning.

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oral literature

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Literature not written down but passed from generation to generation (orally.)

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oratory

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formal public speaking and literature that grows out of public speeches.

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ornate style

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Style of writing.elaborate. 17th and 18th century.england and us.

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oxymoron

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Figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. "hot ice."

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paradox

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Statement reveals truth.(at first its' contradictory)

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parallelism

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Use of phrases, causes, or sentences that are similar or complementary in structure or in meaning.

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parody

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Humorous imitation of a work of literature, art, or music.

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pathos

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Arouses pity in the reader.

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personification

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Something nonhuman is given human qualities.

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persuasion

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Type of speaking or writing that is intended to make its' audience adopt a certain opinion, perform an action, or do both.

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plot

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Sequence of events or actions in a work of literature.

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Point of view

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vantage point from which a narrative is told.

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Protagonist

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Central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem.

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pun

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use of a word or phrase to suggest two or more meanings at the same time, or the use of two different words or phrases that sound alike.

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requiem

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prayer,poemmmor song for the repose of the dead.

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revelation

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Focal point of many narratives.

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rhetoric

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art of using language for persuasion.

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sarcasm

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verbal irony

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satire

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kind of writing that holds up to ridicicule or contempt weakness or wrongdoings.

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simile

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Figure of speech comparing two diff. things using like or as.

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soliloquy

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extended speech delivered by a character alone onstage.

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spiritual

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folk song, usually on a religuous theme.

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staging

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all the devices except dialogue uses to communicate to an audience. (tech)

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stream of consciousness

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style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character's throughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images, as the character experiences them.

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style

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writer's characteristic way or writing

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suspense

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quality of a short story, novel, play or nattative poem that makes the reader uncertain about outcome of events.

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symbol

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object,person,place or action that has meaning in itself.sounds for something larger than itself.

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synecdoche

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Figure of speech in which part of a thing is used to stand for or suggest the whole.

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tall tale

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Humorous story that is outlandlishly exaggerated.

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theme

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General idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to convey in a literary work.

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tone

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Attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject,and readers.

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tradegy

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a literary work in which the protagonist meets an unhappy or disastrous end.

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understatement

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a restrained statement in which less is said than is meant.

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vernacular

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everyday spoken language of a people in a particular locality and writing that imitaties or suggests with language.

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wit

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recognition of similatities in seemingly dissimalar things, such as word play, comparison etc.