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| A story in which people, things and events are symbolic of something else and are used to teach a lesson. |
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| Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words; it is used to emphasize meaning or to improve flow through rhythm. |
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| A historical or literary reference to a person, place, thing or event that the reader is expected to recognize. |
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| A short saying with a moral. |
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| A figure of speech in which an abstract concept or an absent or imaginary person is directly addressed. |
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| A figure of speech in which two completely unlike things are compared; these comparisons are usually very intellectual in nature. |
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| A short but witty statement. |
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| A moment of insigtfulness when a character realized some truth (usually about himself/herself). |
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| A character who is used to contrast to another character in order to emphasize the differences between the two characters. |
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| A figure of speech in which something is grossly exaggerated for emphasis. |
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| A figure of speech in which one word is replaced by another word that has a similar meaning. |
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| A word that closely resembles the sound that the word is supposed to make (e.g. buzz, hiss); used most commonly in poetry, but can effectively emphasize meaning in prose writing as well. |
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| A figure of speech in which two opposing ideas are combined. |
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| A statement that seems to be contradictory but is actually true. |
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| Imitates another literary work using humor usually to make the author and/or the work appear ridiculous. |
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| The use of similar sentence structure to express similar or related ideas; words phrases, sentences, or paragraphs may be organized in a parallel structure. |
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| The voice an author takes on to tell the story in a particular work. |
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| A technique in which words, phrases, or sounds are repeated for emphasis. |
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| A technique designed to enact social change by using wit to ridicule ideas, customs or institutions; often uses exaggeration to emphasize certain details for the reader. |
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| A figure of speech in which a part of something represents its whole. |
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| A technique in which less is said than is actually true; the opposite of exaggeration or hyperbole. |
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| Refers to a writer's use of language, including the use of literary techniques, word choice, and sentence structure, that sets one writer apart from another. |
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| Plays are broken down into smaller units of action called acts. Sometimes acts are broken down into scenes. An act in a play is similar to a chapter in a book. |
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| The character or force with which the protagonist conflicts. |
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| Words spoken by one character in a play, either directly to the audience or to another character, that the other characters supposedly do not hear. |
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| The reason the author has reason a piece of literature. The writer may try to inform, persuade, entertain, or express an opinion. The writer's primary goal influences how the writer presents the information. |
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| A Greek term first used by Aristotle to describe the emotional cleansing or purification that results after watching a tragedy perform on stage. After experiencing a terrible ordeal, one may fell an overwhelming sense of relief. While reading about something horrifying or tragic, the reader experiences the characters' ordeal vicariously and feels the same sense of release. |
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| An individual in a story or play. |
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| The process by which the writer reveals a character's personality to the reader. |
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| A phrase or expression that has been repeated so often it has lost its significance. |
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| A humorous moment is a serious drama that temporarily relieves the mounting tension. |
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| A struggle or clash between opposing character, forces, or emotions. |
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| A character struggles against some outside force. |
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| A character struggles with himself/herself and his her opposing needs, desires, or emotions. |
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| The emotion or feeling a word creates. |
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| The literal meaning of the word. |
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| The way people speak in various parts of the country or around the world. |
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| A conversation between two or more characters in a literary work. Set off by quotation marks. |
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| A writer's choice of words and sentence structure; may be formal or informal, literal or figurative. |
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| A narrative generated by the writer's imagination. |
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| Creative, non-literal language that creates powerful images in the reader's mind. |
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| The action of the story is interrupted in order to return to an event or conversation which took place before the current action of the story. |
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| The traditional beliefs and customs of a group of people that have been passed down orally. |
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| The use of clues to hint at what is going to happen later in the plot. Used to arouse the reader's curiosity and to create suspense. |
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| Words and phrases that vividly recreate a sound, sight, smell, touch, or taste for the reader by appealing to the senses. |
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| The difference between what is expected and what actually happens. |
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| The difference between what the character or the reader expects and what actually happens. |
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| The difference between what a character says and what he means. |
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| The difference between what a character expects and what the reader knows will happen. |
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| A story passed down over generations that is believed to be based on real events and real people (even though magic and supernatural events are often incorporated into the story). |
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| A figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things. |
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| The feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. The emotional response created in the reader. |
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| A recurring pattern found in a work or works of literature; the pattern is usually representative of something else. |
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| A story passed down over the generations that was once believed to be true. These stories usually contain superhuman characters and actions and often explain the unexplainable. |
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| The person who tells the story. |
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| Any type of writing, either fiction or nonfiction, that is primarily concerned with relating an event or a series of events. |
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| Prose writing about real people, places, and events. |
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| Passing tradition (usually in the forms of songs or stories) by word of mouth from generation to generation. |
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| A short story that teaches a moral or a religious lesson. |
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| A figure of speech in which an inanimate object, animal or idea is given human qualities or characteristics. |
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| The series of events that make up a story or drama. |
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| The characters and setting are introduced and the plot begins to unfold. |
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| As the conflict or conflicts develop and the characters attempt to resolve those conflicts, suspense builds. |
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| The point when the action reaches a turning point and interest and intensity reach their peak. |
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| The point after the climax where the action begins to drop off and the events of the plot become clear or are explain in some way, leading toward the resolution. |
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| The loose ends of the plot are tied up. |
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| The vantage pint from which the writer tells the story. |
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| The main character in fiction or dram whose conflict starts the plot in motion. |
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| The time and place of as story or play. |
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| A figure of speech in which two things are compared using "like" or "as". |
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| A speech delivered while only one character is on stage; reveals a character's innermost thoughts and feelings. |
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| Specific characteristics are applied to an entire group of people and are used to "classify" those people as part of a "group". |
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| The organizational form of a literary work. |
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| Refers to how a piece of literature is written rather than to what is actually said. |
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| A tension created as the reader becomes involved in a story and when the author leaves the reader in doubt about what is coming next. |
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| A person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and also stands for something more than itself. |
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| The central idea or insight of a work of literature. |
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| The writer's attitude toward his/her subject. Reflects the feelings of the writer. |
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