English 11 Literary Terms

Front 1

Allusion (classical)

Back 1

A brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or ficticious, or to a work of art. An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion.

Front 2

Analogy

Back 2

The comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship. The key is to ascertain the relationship between the first so you can choose the correct second pair.

Front 3

Anecdotal Evidence

Back 3

A short narrative account of an amusing, unusual, revealing, or interesting event. A good anecdote has a single, definite point, and the setting, dialogue, and characters are usually subordinate to the point of the story.

Front 4

Antagonist

Back 4

The character against whom the protagonist struggles or contends.

Front 5

Apostrophe

Back 5

When an absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed.

Front 6

Aside

Back 6

In a drama, a few words or a short passage spoken by one character to the audience while the actors on stage pretend their characters cannot hear the speaker's words.

Front 7

Assonance

Back 7

The repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds as in consonance.

Front 8

Blank Verse

Back 8

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Front 9

Chorus

Back 9

A group of singers who stand alongside or off stage from the principal performers in a dramatic or musical performance to say or sing their lines.

Front 10

Comic Relief

Back 10

A humorous scene, incident, character, or a bit of dialogue occurring after some serious or tragic moment.

Front 11

Couplet (Rhyming, Heroic)

Back 11

Two lines of the same metrical length that end in a rhyme to form a complete unit.

Front 12

Diction

Back 12

Choice and use of words in speech of writing.

Front 13

Dynamic Character

Back 13

A character that will change in some way from the beginning of the story to the end.

Front 14

Editorial

Back 14

An article in a publication expressing the opinion of its editors or publishers.

Front 15

Extended Metaphor

Back 15

A comparison of two unlike objects, without using like or as, developed over several lines.

Front 16

External Conflict

Back 16

Protagonist vs antagonist, society, God or nature.

Front 17

Falling Action

Back 17

The final unraveling of a plot or complicated situation.

Front 18

Farce

Back 18

A form of low comedy designed to provoke laughter through highly exaggerated caricatures of people in improbable or silly situations.

Front 19

Figurative Language

Back 19

Figures of speech, typically hyperbole, metaphor, simile, or personification to say something beyond the power of literal language to convey.

Front 20

First Person Narrative

Back 20

The story told from the main character's point of view. The thoughts of the other characters are not revealed to the reader.

Front 21

Flashback

Back 21

An opportunity for the writer to tell the reader about an event that takes place at an earlier time.

Front 22

Flat Character

Back 22

A character that is without complexity. The character never surprises, and can be summed up in a sentence.

Front 23

Foil

Back 23

A person or a thing that makes another better by contrast.

Front 24

Foreshadowing

Back 24

Something that is said or implied, (or a hint) that gives the reader a clue of what is to come.

Front 25

Form

Back 25

The fixed metrical arrangement that is used in writing or poetry.

Front 26

Free Verse

Back 26

It lacks regular meter and line length, relies on natural speech rhythms of language.

Front 27

Genre

Back 27

A literary type or class, much like a Shakespearian tragedy or comedy.

Front 28

Hubris

Back 28

A negative term implying both arrogant, excessive self-pride or self-confidence, and also a lack of some important perception or insight due to pride in one's abilities.

Front 29

Humor/Humorous

Back 29

A style of writing that causes laughter.

Front 30

Hyperbole

Back 30

Language that is used to create a gross exaggeration.

Front 31

Image

Back 31

A visual image of the setting or situation.

Front 32

Imagery

Back 32

Language that is used to create a visual picture of the setting or situation. It can also be a description of things, actions, or even abstract ideas.

Front 33

Indirect Presentation

Back 33

A character's traits are revealed by action and speech rather than the narrator's descriptions.

Front 34

Informal Language

Back 34

Casual language that is used in literary works.

Front 35

Internal Conflict

Back 35

A conflict with the Protagonist.

Front 36

Irony

Back 36

When something happens that is the opposite to the expected event or situation. The writer creates words that say one thing but mean another.

Front 37

Dramatic Irony

Back 37

The audience knows more than the characters in the play, so that words and action have additional meaning for the audience.

Front 38

Situational Irony

Back 38

Expectations aroused by a situation are reversed.

Front 39

Verbal Irony

Back 39

The discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.

Front 40

Jargon

Back 40

A language that is used by a group of people.

Front 41

Limited Omniscient Point of View

Back 41

Third person narration where the narrator is outside the story but tells the story from the vantage point of only one character and reveals the character's thoughts.