Terms : Hide Images
| 4696151672 | Abstract language | Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places. | 0 | |
| 4696151673 | Absurdist drama | emerged around 1950 from playwrights who accepted the views of Sartre and Camus about the human conditio | 1 | |
| 4696151674 | Allegory | A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions | 2 | |
| 4696151675 | Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds | 3 | |
| 4696151676 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. | 4 | |
| 4696151677 | Anachronism | Something out of place in time | 5 | |
| 4696151678 | Analogy | A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way | 6 | |
| 4696151679 | Anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences. | 7 | |
| 4696151680 | Anecdote | A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event. | 8 | |
| 4696151681 | Antagonist | A character or force in conflict with the main character | 9 | |
| 4696151682 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. | 10 | |
| 4696151683 | Antihero | A protagonist (main character) who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities. | 11 | |
| 4696151684 | Antithesis | Direct opposite | 12 | |
| 4696151685 | Aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. | 13 | |
| 4696151686 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 14 | |
| 4696151687 | Appositive | A word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun. | 15 | |
| 4696151688 | Archetypes | In Jung's theory, the emotionally charged ideas and images that are rich in meaning and symbolism and exist within the collective unconscious. | 16 | |
| 4696151689 | Aside | A device in which a character in a drama makes a short speech which is heard by the audience but not by other characters in the play | 17 | |
| 4696151690 | Assonance | Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity | 18 | |
| 4696151691 | Asyndeton | A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions | 19 | |
| 4696151692 | Atmosphere | A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon. | 20 | |
| 4696151693 | Ballad | A narrative poem written in four-line stanzas, characterized by swift action and narrated in a direct style. | 21 | |
| 4696151694 | Bildungsroman | A coming of age story | 22 | |
| 4696151695 | Blank verse | Unrhymed iambic pentameter | 23 | |
| 4696151696 | Byronic hero | What element of Romantic literature does Mr. Rochester quickly fulfill? | 24 | |
| 4696151697 | caesura | A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line. | 25 | |
| 4696151698 | caricature | (n.) a representation (especially in drawing) in which the subject's characteristic features are deliberately exaggerated; (v.) to present someone or something in a deliberately distorted way | 26 | |
| 4696151699 | catharsis | Emotional release | 27 | |
| 4696151700 | characterization | A method an author uses to let readers know more about the characters and their personal traits. | 28 | |
| 4696151701 | chiasmus | A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed | 29 | |
| 4696151702 | cliché | A worn-out idea or overused expression | 30 | |
| 4696151703 | climax | Most exciting moment of the story; turning point | 31 | |
| 4696151704 | colloquial language | informal language; language that is "conversational" | 32 | |
| 4696151705 | comedy of manners | A comic drama consisting of five or three acts in which the attitudes and customs of a society are critiqued and satirized according to high standards of intellect and morality | 33 | |
| 4696151706 | conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. | 34 | |
| 4696151707 | concrete diction | Specific words that describe physical qualities or conditions | 35 | |
| 4696151708 | confidant | (n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my chief confidant.) | 36 | |
| 4696151709 | conflict | A struggle between opposing forces | 37 | |
| 4696151710 | connotation | All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests | 38 | |
| 4696151711 | consonance | Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity. | 39 | |
| 4696151712 | cosmic irony | Type of irony where it seems that God or fate is manipulating events so as to inspire false hopes, which are inevitably dashed. | 40 | |
| 4696151713 | couplet | A pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem. | 41 | |
| 4696151714 | denotation | The dictionary definition of a word | 42 | |
| 4696151715 | denouement | an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot | 43 | |
| 4696151716 | deus ex machina | In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem. | 44 | |
| 4696151717 | dialect | A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation. | 45 | |
| 4696151718 | dialogue | Conversation between characters | 46 | |
| 4696151719 | diction | A writer's or speaker's choice of words | 47 | |
| 4696151720 | didactic | Instructive | 48 | |
| 4696151721 | dramatic irony | Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. | 49 | |
| 4696151744 | dynamic character | A character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action | 50 | |
| 4696151745 | dystopia | imaginary place where living conditions are dreadful | 51 | |
| 4696151746 | epilogue | short speech at conclusion of dramatic work | 52 | |
| 4696151747 | epiphany | A moment of sudden revelation or insight | 53 | |
| 4696151748 | epistolary novel | A novel that tells its story through letters written from one character to another. | 54 | |
| 4696151749 | epithet | an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. | 55 | |
| 4696151750 | ethos | Credibility | 56 | |
| 4696151751 | eulogy | speech in praise of someone | 57 | |
| 4696151752 | euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant | 58 | |
| 4696151753 | euphony | pleasant, harmonious sound | 59 | |
| 4696151754 | existentialism | A philosophy based on the idea that people give meaning to their lives through their choices and actions | 60 | |
| 4696151755 | exposition | A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances. | 61 | |
| 4696151756 | extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 62 | |
| 4696151757 | elegy | a sorrowful poem or speech | 63 | |
| 4696151758 | ellipsis | in a sentence, the omission of a word or words replaced by three periods | 64 | |
| 4696151759 | epic | A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society | 65 | |
| 4696151760 | epigram | A brief witty poem, often satirical. | 66 | |
| 4696151761 | epigraph | a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme. | 67 | |
| 4696151762 | flashback | A method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events | 68 | |
| 4696151763 | flat characters | Characters who are simple and one dimensional. | 69 | |
| 4696151764 | foil character | A character who is used as a contrast to another character; the contrast emphasizes the differences between the two characters, bringing out the distinctive qualities in each. | 70 | |
| 4696151765 | foreshadowing | A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader. | 71 | |
| 4696151766 | formal diction | the choice and use of words for serious and/or academic means | 72 | |
| 4696151767 | free verse | Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme | 73 | |
| 4696151768 | genre | A category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content. | 74 | |
| 4696151769 | gothic | A style of architecture developed in northern France that spread throughout Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries | 75 | |
| 4696151770 | hamartia | tragic flaw | 76 | |
| 4696151771 | hubris | Excessive pride | 77 | |
| 4696151772 | hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor | 78 | |
| 4696151773 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 79 | |
| 4696151774 | informal diction | language that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech | 80 | |
| 4696151775 | in medias res | in the middle of things | 81 | |
| 4696151776 | inversion | Turning inward | 82 | |
| 4696151777 | invocation | prayer | 83 | |
| 4696151778 | irony | A contrast between expectation and reality | 84 | |
| 4696151779 | jargon | nonsensical talk; specialized language | 85 | |
| 4696151780 | juxtaposition | Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts | 86 | |
| 4696151781 | litotes | A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. | 87 | |
| 4696151782 | logos | Appeal to logic | 88 | |
| 4696151783 | magical realism | A genre of fiction in which elements of fantasy, myth, or the supernatural are included in a narrative that is otherwise objective and realistic. | 89 | |
| 4696151784 | malapropism | a word humorously misused | 90 | |
| 4696151785 | metaphor | A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared. | 91 | |
| 4696151786 | meter | Measure | 92 | |
| 4696151787 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it | 93 | |
| 4696151788 | monologue | A long speech made by one performer or by one person in a group. | 94 | |
| 4696151789 | mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader | 95 | |
| 4696151790 | motif | A recurring theme, subject or idea | 96 | |
| 4696151791 | myth | A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society. | 97 | |
| 4696151792 | narration | writing that tells a story | 98 | |
| 4696151793 | narrator | Person telling the story | 99 | |
| 4696151817 | naturalism | A nineteenth-century literary movement that was an extension of realism and that claimed to portray life exactly as it was. | 100 | |
| 4696151818 | nonfiction | writing that tells about real people, places, and events | 101 | |
| 4696151819 | octave | 8 line stanza | 102 | |
| 4696151820 | ode | A lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject. | 103 | |
| 4696151821 | omniscient p.o.v. | narrator reports on the thoughts and feelings of all main characters | 104 | |
| 4696151822 | onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. | 105 | |
| 4696151823 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. | 106 | |
| 4696151824 | parable | A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson | 107 | |
| 4696151825 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. | 108 | |
| 4696151826 | parallelism | Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other | 109 | |
| 4696151827 | parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. | 110 | |
| 4696151828 | pastoral | A work of literature dealing with rural life | 111 | |
| 4696151829 | pathetic fallacy | faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects | 112 | |
| 4696151830 | pathos | Appeal to emotion | 113 | |
| 4696151831 | persona | An individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. | 114 | |
| 4696151832 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 115 | |
| 4696151833 | plot | Sequence of events in a story | 116 | |
| 4696151834 | point of view | The perspective from which a story is told | 117 | |
| 4696151835 | polysyndeton | Deliberate use of many conjunctions | 118 | |
| 4696151836 | prose | Any writing that is not poetry | 119 | |
| 4696151837 | prosody | study of versification | 120 | |
| 4696151838 | protagonist | Main character | 121 | |
| 4696151839 | pun | A play on words | 122 | |
| 4696151840 | quatrain | A four line stanza | 123 | |
| 4696151841 | realism | A 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be | 124 | |
| 4696151842 | refrain | A line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem. | 125 | |
| 4696151843 | repetition | Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis | 126 | |
| 4696151844 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer | 127 | |
| 4696151845 | rhyme | Repetition of sounds at the end of words | 128 | |
| 4696151846 | rhyme scheme | A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem | 129 | |
| 4696151847 | rhythm | A regularly recurring sequence of events or actions. | 130 | |
| 4696151848 | rite of passage | A ritual marking the symbolic transition from one social position to another | 131 | |
| 4696151849 | romanticism | 19th century artistic movement that appealed to emotion rather than reason | 132 | |
| 4696151850 | round characters | Characters who have some or many different traits that form a complex personality. | 133 | |
| 4696151851 | sarcasm | the use of irony to mock or convey contempt | 134 | |
| 4696151852 | satire | A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. | 135 | |
| 4696151853 | scansion | Analysis of verse into metrical patterns | 136 | |
| 4696151854 | scapegoat | a person or thing carrying the blame for others | 137 | |
| 4696151855 | sestet | 6 line stanza | 138 | |
| 4696151856 | setting | The context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs. | 139 | |
| 4696151857 | shift | change position or place; exchange (one thing) for another; change in direction or position; Ex. shift the stolen goods; N. group of workers which takes turns with other groups; working period of such a group | 140 | |
| 4696151858 | simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" | 141 | |
| 4696151859 | slant rhyme | rhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words "stress" and "kiss"); sometimes called half-rhyme, near rhyme, or partial rhyme | 142 | |
| 4696151860 | soliloquy | A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage | 143 | |
| 4696151861 | sonnet | 14 line poem | 144 | |
| 4696151862 | stanza | A group of lines in a poem | 145 | |
| 4696151863 | static character | A character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end | 146 | |
| 4696151864 | stream of consciousness | a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind. | 147 | |
| 4696151865 | structure | Described in terms of stanza, form, and meter. | 148 | |
| 4696151866 | style | A basic and distinctive mode of expression. | 149 | |
| 4696151898 | syllepsis | a construction in which one word is used in two different senses ("After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.") | 150 | |
| 4696151899 | symbolism | A device in literature where an object represents an idea. | 151 | |
| 4696151900 | synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa | 152 | |
| 4696151901 | synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound") | 153 | |
| 4696151902 | syntax | Sentence structure | 154 | |
| 4696151903 | theme | Central idea of a work of literature | 155 | |
| 4696151904 | third person limited p.o.v | narrator tells the story from only one character's pov | 156 | |
| 4696151905 | third person omniscient p.o.v. | Point of view in which an all-knowing narrator who is privy to the thoughts and actions of any or all characters. | 157 | |
| 4696151906 | third person p.o.v. | The narrator tells the story using the pronouns, "He," "She," and "It" when referring to a person, place, thing, or idea. | 158 | |
| 4696151907 | tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. | 159 | |
| 4696151908 | tragedy | A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character | 160 | |
| 4696151909 | tragic hero | A literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy | 161 | |
| 4696151910 | trite | (adj.) commonplace; overused, stale | 162 | |
| 4696151911 | understatement | the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. | 163 | |
| 4696151912 | universality | The ability to be applied to everyone in every situation | 164 | |
| 4696151913 | verisimilitude | the appearance of being true or real | 165 | |
| 4696151914 | vernacular | Everyday language of ordinary people | 166 | |
| 4696151915 | villanelle | A 19 line form using only two rhymes and repeating two of the lines according to a set pattern | 167 | |
| 4696151916 | voice | In grammar, a term for the relationship between a verb and a noun (active or passive voice). In rhetoric, a distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing. | 168 | |
| 4696151917 | volta | The potential difference measured in volts. The amount of work to be done to move a charge from one point to another along an electric circuit. | 169 | |
| 4696151918 | zeugma | A minor device in which two or more elements in a sentence are tied together by the same verb or noun. Zeugmas are especially acute if the noun or verb does not have the exact same meaning in both parts of the sentence. She dashed His hopes and out of his life when she waked through the door. | 170 |
