Terms : Hide Images
| 294570283 | Anticlimax | An effect that spoils the climax. | |
| 294570284 | Archetype | A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response | |
| 294570285 | Characterization | the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features of fictional characters. | |
| 294570286 | Confidant | Someone who the protaganist talks to enabling the audience or reader to become aware of the protagonist's motivation. | |
| 294570287 | Dystopia | imaginary place where living conditions are dreadful | |
| 294570288 | Explication de texte | a method involving the analysis of the meanings, relationships, and ambiguities that make up a literary work. | |
| 294570289 | Flat character | this character seems to possess only one or two personality traits. | |
| 294570290 | Incident | An event or work of fiction that moves the plot forward or reveals the character. | |
| 294570291 | Intrusive narrator | someone who frequently breaks into the plot with comments to address the reader. | |
| 294570292 | Motif | A recurring theme, subject or idea that appears in various works or through out the work. | |
| 294570293 | Motivation | The psychological and moral impulses and external circumstances that cause the character to act,think, or feel a certain way. | |
| 294570294 | Naive Narrator | narrator, such as a child, who does not understand the full story of the narrative | |
| 294570295 | Narrative voice | The voice in which a story is written, or tone of the voice in the story. | |
| 294570296 | Point of view | the perspective from which a story is told | |
| 294570297 | Realibility | the degree to which the narrator is trustworthy or is suitable to be depended upon | |
| 294570298 | 1st person point of view | The narrator is a character in the story. ( I, me, my, we, our ) | |
| 294570299 | 3rd. Person objective | narrator is not a character; narrator tells us what is being observed | |
| 294570300 | 3rd. Person ominisent | one character perspective | |
| 294570301 | 3rd. Person limited ominisent | Only 1 perspective of the story from one character how he frena or hears. | |
| 294570302 | Aestheticism | Reference 4 beauty; movement that held beautiful form is be valued more than instructive content. | |
| 294570303 | Ambiguity | A word, phrase or attitude that has double or even multiple meanings, resulting in multiple interpretations. | |
| 294570304 | Atmosphere | The pervasive *mood or *tone of a literary work - gloom,foreboding,joyful expectations, ect. | |
| 294570305 | Attitude | ...The author view point regarding his subject matter. Attitude can usually be detected in author' s tone. | |
| 294570307 | Baroque | ...a grand and exuberantly ornamental style | |
| 294570309 | Classicism | ...an adherence to the principals of Greek and Roman literature. | |
| 294570310 | Colloquialisms | ...words or phrases that are used in everyday conversation or informal writing which are usually considered inappropriate for a formal essay. | |
| 294570312 | Connotation | ...the range of further associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its straightforward dictionary meaning. | |
| 294570314 | Convection | ...a device of style or subject matter so often used that it becomes a recognized means of expression. For example, a conventional lover cannot eat or sleep. An author who mocks the convention might create an overweight lover who sleeps a lot. | |
| 294570316 | Denotation | ...the precise, literal meaning of a word, without emotional associations or overtones. | |
| 294570318 | Determinism | ...philosophy that suggests people's actions and all other events are determined by forces over which human beings have no control. | |
| 294570320 | Dialect | ...the version of a language spoken by people of a particular region or social group. | |
| 294570321 | Dialogue | ...The conversation of two or more people as represented in writing. | |
| 294570323 | Diatribe | ...violently bitter verbal attack. | |
| 294570325 | Diction | ...the choice of words used in a literary work. | |
| 294570327 | Digression | ...A portion of a written work that interrupts or pauses the development of the theme or plot. | |
| 294570328 | Epigraph | ...the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. | |
| 294570330 | Existentialism | a philosophical movement that focuses on the individual human being's experience of, recognition of, and triumph over the meaninglessness of existence. | |
| 294570332 | Expressionism | ...presents life not as it appears on the surface, but as it is passionately felt to be by an author or character. | |
| 294570334 | Feminism | the view that women are inherently equal to men and deserve equal rights and opportunities. | |
| 294570336 | Flashback | a way of presenting scenes or incidents that took place before the opening scene. | |
| 294570338 | Hedonism | the pursuit of pleasure above all else. | |
| 294570340 | Interference | a conclusion the reader can draw based upon details presented by the author. | |
| 294570342 | Invective | direct denunciation or name-calling. | |
| 294570344 | Irony | in its broadest sense, the incongruity, or difference, between reality (what is) and appearance (what seems to be). | |
| 294570345 | Dramatic Irony | a situation in which the audience knows more about a character's situation than the character does, forseeing an outcome contrary to the character's expectations. | |
| 294570347 | situational irony | the contrast between what is intended or expected and what actually occurs. | |
| 294570349 | Verbal irony | a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant. | |
| 294570351 | Jargon | the special language of a profession or group. | |
| 294570353 | Juxtaposition | the "side by side" comparison of two or more objects or ideals for the purpose of highlighting similarities or differences. | |
| 294570355 | Local color | the use of the physical setting, dialect, customs and attitudes that typify a particular region. | |
| 294570357 | Malapropism | ...the comic substitution of one word for another similar in sound, but different in meaning. Functions to make characters look ignorant or amusingly uneducated. "I would have her instructed in geometry that she might know of contagious countries." - The Rivals by Sheridan | |
| 294570358 | Narrative Pace | the speed at which an author tells a story; the movement from one point or section to another. | |
| 294570360 | Naturalism | style of writing that rejects idealized portrayals of life and attempts complete accuracy, disinterested objectivity, and frankness in depicting life as a brutal struggle for survival. | |
| 294570362 | Mood | the prevailing emotional attitude in a literary work, for example, regret, hopefulness, bitterness, etc. | |
| 294570364 | Pantheism | The identification of God with the universe. | |
| 294570366 | Primitivism | the belief that nature provides a truer and more healthful model than culture; the noble savage. | |
| 294570368 | Pseudonym | pen name, nom de plume, alias; a fictitious name assumed by a writer who wished to remain anonymous or who chooses not to use her/his real name professionally. | |
| 294570370 | Realism | an author's use of accuracy in the portrayal of life or reality. | |
| 294570372 | Regionalism | the tendency in literature to focus on a specific geographical region or locality, re-creating as accurately as possible its unique setting, speech, customs, manners, beliefs and history. | |
| 294570373 | Romanticism | literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form. Characteristics include: individuality, subjectivity, spontaneity, freedom from rules, solitary life vs. life in society, the belief that imagination is superior to reason, devotion to beauty, worship of nature, fascination with the past, etc. | |
| 294570374 | Sarcasm | harsh, cutting, personal remarks to or about someone, not necessarily ironic. | |
| 294570375 | Satire | any form of literature that blends ironic humor and wit with criticism directed at a particular folly, vice or stupidity. Satire seeks to correct, improve, or reform through ridicule. | |
| 294570376 | Stream-of-consciousness | a technique that allows the reader to see the continuous, chaotic flow of half-formed and discontinuous thoughts, memories, sense impressions, random associations, images, feelings and reflections that constitute a character's consciousness. | |
| 294570377 | Surrealism | employs illogical, dreamlike images and events to suggest the unconscious. | |
| 294570378 | Tone | the reflection in a work of the author's attitude toward his or her subject. Tone in writing is comparable to tone of voice in speech, and may be described as brusque, friendly, imperious, insinuating, teasing, etc. | |
| 294570379 | Transcendentalism | the American version of romanticism; held that there was something in human beings that transcended human nature - a spark of divinity. This philosophy stood in opposition to the pessimism of Puritanism | |
| 294570380 | Unity | the quality of oneness in a literary work, in which all parts are related by some principle or organization so that they form an organic whole, complete and independent in itself. | |
| 294570381 | Voice | the sense a written work conveys to a reader of the writer's attitude, personality and character. | |
| 294570382 | Wit | ingenuity in connecting amusingly incongruous ideas; intellect, humor. | |
| 294570383 | Allusion | an indirect or passing reference to an event, person, place or artistic work that the author assumes the reader will understand. "Grading papers is the albatross around Mrs. Aupperlee‟s neck," which alludes to Coleridge‟s "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." | |
| 294570384 | Anachronism | an event, object, custom, person or thing that is out of its natural order of time. A clock strikes in Julius Caesar. | |
| 294570385 | Analogy | a comparison of similar things, often to explain something unfamiliar with something familiar. (the branching of a river system is often explained using a tree and its branches.) | |
| 294570386 | Aphorism | A terse statement of a principal or truth; a maxim. A proverb with particularly good phrasing. ("Life is long, reasoning difficult.") | |
| 294570387 | Apostrophe | a rhetorical device in which the speaker addresses a dead or absent person, or an inanimate object or abstraction. The poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn," whose audience is the urn. | |
| 294570388 | Cliché | Any expression that has been used so often it has lost its freshness. (Sharp as a tack, the last straw, etc.) | |
| 294570389 | Epigram | any terse, witty, pointed saying that has a punch-line or satirical twist. For example, "She knows the cost of everything, but the value of nothing." Samuel Johnson, a famous English dictionary writer, said "What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole; its body brevity, and wit its soul." | |
| 294570390 | Euphemism | the substitution of a mild term for one more offensive or hurtful. Example: "passed away" instead of "died" | |
| 294570391 | Figurative language | language that contains figures of speech, such as metaphor, simile, personification, etc. | |
| 294570392 | Hyperbole (hy PER ba lee) | exaggeration for the sake of emphasis in a figure of speech not meant literally. "I‟ve been waiting here for ages." | |
| 294570393 | Kenning | a metaphoric compound word or phrase used as a synonym for a common noun. "Ring-bestower" for king; "whale-road" for sea; "candle of heaven" for the sun; "war-brand" for a sword. | |
| 294570394 | Litotes (LIE toe tees) | a figure of speech by which an affirmation is made indirectly by saying its opposite, usually with an effect of understatement. "I‟d not be averse to a drink." | |
| 294570395 | Malapropism | the comic substitution of one word for another similar in sound, but quite different in meaning. "I would have her instructed in geometry (geography) that she might know of contagious (contiguous) countries." | |
| 294570396 | Metaphor | the most important and widespread figure of speech in which one thing, idea, or action is referred to by a word or expression normally denoting another thing, idea or action, so as to suggest some common quality (qualities) shared by the two. "He is a pig." | |
| 294570397 | Extended metaphor | an idea sustained throughout the work | |
| 294570398 | Dead metaphor | one that has been used so much it has lost its figurative meaning and is taken literally (eye of a needle, head of the class) | |
| 294570399 | Mixed metaphor | a combination of two or more inconsistent metaphors in a single expression (He‟ll have to take the bull by the horns to keep the business afloat.) | |
| 294570400 | Metonymy (met ON a me) | figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea. The pen [written word] is mightier than the sword [war]." Another example: the „scepter‟ or „crown‟ may be metonymy for „king.‟ | |
| 294570401 | Onomatopoeia | the use of words that seem to imitate the sounds they refer to (whack, fizz, crackle, etc.). | |
| 294570402 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech in which two contradictory words or phrases are combined in a single expression. (wise fool, living death, etc.) | |
| 294570403 | Personification | the technique by which animals, abstract ideas, or inanimate objects are referred to as if they were human. "The wind howled through the trees." | |
| 294570404 | Proverb | a short saying that expresses some commonplace truth or bit of folk wisdom. "A stitch in time saves nine." "Forgive and forget." "Once bitten, twice shy." "When the cat is away, the mice will play." | |
| 294570405 | Pun | a form of wit, not necessarily funny, involving a play on a word with two or more meanings. Example: A fight broke out in the kitchen. Egged on by the waiters, two cooks peppered each other with punches." | |
| 294570406 | Simile | a less direct metaphor, using like or as. "He is like a pig." | |
| 294570407 | Syllogism | A form of logical reasoning, consisting of two premises and a conclusion. Example: "All humans die. Mrs. Aupperlee is human. Therefore, Mrs. Aupperlee will die." | |
| 294570408 | Synaesthesia (SIN as THEEZ zha) | The description of one kind of sensation in terms of another. "He is wearing a loud shirt." | |
| 294570409 | Synecdoche (sin EK da kee) | figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. (e.g. „hands‟ for manual laborers; „the law‟ for a police officer; we have four „mouths‟ to feed for children). | |
| 294570410 | Tautology | repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase or sentence. "With malice toward none, with charity for all." Abraham Lincoln. | |
| 294570411 | Understatement | a type of verbal irony in which something is purposely represented as being far less important than it actually is. | |
| 294570412 | Drama | Note: 1. Terms denoted with an asterisk (*) indicate terms that are applicable to both plays and fiction. 2. An asterisk (*) next to a term in a definition indicates that the term is defined elsewhere. | |
| 294570413 | Act | a major division in the action of the play, comprising one or more *scenes. A break between acts often coincides with a point at which the plot jumps ahead in time. | |
| 294570414 | *Antagonist | the most prominent of the characters who oppose the *protagonist or hero(ine) in a dramatic or narrative work. The antagonist is often a villain seeking to frustrate a heroine or hero; but in those works in which the protagonist is represented as evil, the antagonist will often be a virtuous or sympathetic character, as Macduff is in Macbeth. | |
| 294570415 | Aside | a short speech or remark spoken by a character in a drama, directed either to the audience or to another character, which by *convention is supposed to be inaudible to the other characters on stage. See also soliloquy. | |
| 294570416 | *Catastrophe | the final resolution or *denouement of the plot in a *tragedy, usually involving the death of the *protagonist. | |
| 294570417 | *Catharsis | the effect of purgation or purification achieved by tragic drama, metaphor of emotional cleansing as a solution to the puzzle of audiences‟ pleasure or relief in witnessing the disturbing events enacted in tragedies,the *protagonist‟s guilt that is purged, rather than the audience‟s feeling of terror. | |
| 294570418 | Character | any of the persons involved in a story (sense 1). (2) The distinguishing moral qualities and personal traits of a character (sense 2). | |
| 294570419 | Flat character | a character (1) whose character (2) is summed up in one or two traits. | |
| 294570420 | Round character | a character (1) whose character (2) is complex and many-sided. | |
| 294570421 | Stock character | A stereotyped character: one whose nature is familiar to us from prototypes in previous fiction. | |
| 294570422 | Dynamic character | a character that is changed by the actions in which he or she is involved. | |
| 294570423 | Static character | a character that remains unchanged or little changed throughout the course of the story. | |
| 294570424 | Climax | the turning point or high point in a plot‟s action. | |
| 294570425 | Comic Relief | the interruption of a serious work, especially a *tragedy, by a short humorous episode that relieves emotional tension. | |
| 294570426 | *Conflict | A clash of actions, desires, ideas, or goals in the plot of a story. Conflict may exist between the main character and some other person or persons (man vs. man), between the main character and some external force - physical nature, society, or "fate" (man vs. nature), or between the main character and some destructive element in his own nature (man vs. himself). | |
| 294570427 | *Crisis | a decisive point in the plot of a play or story, upon which the outcome of the remaining action depends, and which ultimately precipitates the *catastrophe or *denouement. | |
| 294570428 | *Denouement | the portion of a plot that reveals the final outcome of its conflicts or the solution of its mysteries. | |
| 294570429 | *Deus ex machina | ("god from the machine"). The resolution of a plot by use of a highly improbable chance, coincidence or artificial device that solves some difficult problem or crisis. | |
| 294570430 | *Epilogue | a concluding section of any written work during which the characters‟ subsequent fates are briefly outlined. | |
| 294570431 | *Exposition | the setting forth of a systematic explanation of or argument about any subject; or the opening part of a play or story, in which we are introduced to the characters and their situation, often by reference to preceding events. Adjective: expository. Verb: expound. *Falling Action - The segment of the plot that comes between the climax and the | |
| 294570432 | *Falling Action | The segment of the plot that comes between the climax and the conclusion. | |
| 294570433 | *Foil | a character whose qualities or actions serve to emphasize those of the *protagonist (or of some other character) by providing a strong contrast with them. | |
| 294570434 | *Hamartia | the Greek word for error or failure, used by Aristotle in his Poetics (4th century BC) to designate the false step that leads the *protagonist in a *tragedy to his or her downfall. The term should not be confused with „tragic flaw‟ which is a defect in character. Hamartia is the action that the character takes. | |
| 294570435 | *Hero or Heroine | the main character in a narrative or dramatic work. The term protagonist is preferable since the leading character may not be morally or otherwise superior. When our expectations of heroic qualities are strikingly disappointed, the central character may be known as an anti-hero or anti-heroine. | |
| 294570436 | *Hubris | the Greek word for „insolence‟ or „affront‟, applied to the arrogance or pride of the *protagonist in a *tragedy in which he or she defies moral laws or the prohibitions of the gods. The protagonist‟s transgression or *hamartia leads eventually to his or her downfall, which may be understood as divine retribution. In proverbial terms, hubris is thus the pride that comes before a fall. Adjective: hubristic. | |
| 294570437 | In medias res. | "in the middle of things"; the technique of beginning a story in the middle of the action. | |
| 294570438 | Monologue | an extended speech uttered by one speaker, either to others or as if alone. See also soliloquy. | |
| 294570439 | *Narrator | the teller of a story. See also point of view. | |
| 294570440 | Reliable narrator | trustworthy | |
| 294570441 | Unreliable narrator | untrustworthy | |
| 294570442 | Naïve narrator | is uncomprehending (child, simple-minded adult) who narrates the story without realizing its true implications. | |
| 294570443 | Intrusive narrator | keeps interrupting the narrative to address the reader | |
| 294570444 | *Plot | The careful arrangement by an author of incidents in a narrative to achieve a desired effect. | |
| 294570445 | Prologue | an introductory section of a literary work or an introductory speech in a play. | |
| 294570446 | *Protagonist | The central character in a story. | |
| 294570447 | *Rising Action | The part of a plot that leads through a series of events of increasing interest and power to the climax or turning point. The rising action begins with an inciting moment, an action or event that sets a conflict of opposing forces into motion, and moves through complication(s), an entangling of the affairs of the characters in a conflict, toward the climax, the major crisis that brings about a change in the fortunes of the protagonist. | |
| 294570448 | Scene | a subdivision of an act or of a play not divided into acts. A scene normally represents actions happening in one place at one time, and is marked off from the next scene by a curtain, a black-out, or a brief emptying of the stage. | |
| 294570449 | *Setting | the general locale, time in history, or social milieu in which the action of a literary work takes place. | |
| 294570450 | Soliloquy | a dramatic speech uttered by one character speaking aloud while alone on stage, or while under the impression of being alone. The soliloquist thus reveals his or her inner thoughts and feelings to the audience, either in supposed self-communion or in a consciously direct address. | |
| 294570451 | Stage directions | the information provided in addition to the dialogue to help a reader visualize the setting, characters, and action. Usually in italics, are intended for the director, actors, etc. | |
| 294570452 | *Tragedy | a type of drama in which the protagonist, a person of unusual moral or intellectual stature or outstanding abilities, suffers a fall in fortune due to some error of judgment or flaw in his or her nature. | |
| 294570453 | *Tragic Flaw | the defect of character that brings about the protagonist‟s downfall in a *tragedy. | |
| 294570454 | Turning Point | the point in the plot where the protagonist‟s situation changes for the better or the worse; after this the action begins its movement toward a final resolution. | |
| 294570455 | *Villain | the principal evil character in a play or story. The villain is usually the antagonist opposed to the protagonist, but in some cases may be the protagonist himself/herself. |
