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Literary Terms: Tier 1 Flashcards

These are terms that all high school students should master. It is not an exhaustive list, but it does include literary features that will always be relevant depending on the genre of study.

Terms : Hide Images
10575213alliterationa series of similar sounds
10575214allusiona reference to another work of literature, person, or event
10575215asidein drama, lines spoken by a character in an undertone or aloud directly to the audience (assumed not to be heard by other actors)
10575216blank verseunrhymed poetry that has a regular rhythm and line length, especially iambic pentameter
10575217characterizationachieved through description, thoughts, words, actions, and reactions of characters
10575219conflictopposition between or among characters or forces in a literary work that spurs or motivates the action of a plot (internal, external; person vs. person, self, nature, society)
10575220connotationthe additional (sometimes figurative) meanings that a word may carry (e.g., gold may connote greed)
10575221couplettwo lines of verse that form a unit alone or as part of a poem, especially two that rhyme and have the same meter
10575222denotationthe exact/literal meaning of a word, as found in the dictionary
10575223resolutionthe final unraveling or solution of the plot
10575224dialecta regional variety of a language, with differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation; also a form of a language spoken by members of a particular social class or profession
10575228dictionthe use and choice of words
10575229dynamic characterone whose character changes in the course of the play or story
10575233flashbacka scene or event from the past that appears in a narrative out of chronological order, to fill in information or explain something in the present
10575235foila character, object, or scene that sets off another by contrast (e.g., Ned Flanders for Homer Simpson)
10575236foreshadowingevents or information presented to prepare for later events
10575237free verseverse without a fixed metrical pattern, usually having unrhymed lines of varying length (a.k.a., vers libre)
10575241iambic pentameterthe most common rhythm in English poetry, consisting of five iambs in each line (iamb=unit of one short/unstressed syllable followed by one long/stressed syllable)
10575242imagerydescription that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)
10575244inversionan alteration of the normal order of words or phrases in a grammatical construction, usually for rhetorical effect
10575245ironywhen reality is different from appearance; the implied meaning of a statement is the opposite of its literal or obvious meaning
10575246situational ironyoccurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected
10575247verbal ironyoccurs when what is said contradicts what is meant or thought
10575248dramatic ironyoccurs when another character(s) and/or the audience know more than one or more characters on stage about what is happening
10575250metaphoran imaginative comparison used to enhance the meaning of what is being compared; may be direct (X is Y) or implied ("He wanted to win her heart" comparing love to a battle)
10575251meteran arranged pattern of rhythm in a line of verse
10575253narratortells the story in a prose piece
10575254speakertells the story in a poetic piece
10575255onomatopoeiathe use of words that by their sound suggest their meaning
10575256oxymorona figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms
10575259personificationwhen something nonhuman is given human characteristics (must be HUMAN, or it's a metaphor)
10575260plotthe pattern of events in a play, poem, or fictional work.
10575261point of viewthe perspective from which the writer tells the story (1st, 2nd, 3rd person; omniscient, limited omniscient)
10575263puna play on words involving the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings (collar, color), words with 2+ meanings (plain), or words with the same sound but different meanings (sun/son)
10575264repetitionrepeating a word or phrase, or rewording the same idea
10575265rhymesimilar or identical sounds near each other (usually in two or more lines of poetry)
10575266rhyme schemethe pattern of rhyme in a poem
10575267rhythma mood or effect in a text created from repeated elements (could be euphonous, cacophanous, staccato, etc.)
10575268settingthe time(s) and place(s) of a story
10575269similea similarity between two objects or ideas, using like or as (and sometimes than)
10575270soliloquyin drama, a character speaks alone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience
10575271sonneta short poem with fourteen lines, usually ten-syllable rhyming lines, divided into two, three, or four sections
10575272stanzaa group of lines in a poem or song that constitute a division (in prose: paragraph)
10575273static charactera character who does not change at all, or who remains almost entirely the same, throughout the course of a play or story
10575277symbolsomething that stands for itself at a literal level but which also suggests something (or several things) at the same time; frequently a concrete object or animal that represents a quality or abstract idea
10575279themecentral idea
10575281tonethe mood of a work (often several in one work)

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