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11110505618AllegoryA narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one0
11110505619Alliterationuse of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse1
11110505620Allusiona reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize2
11110505621AmbiguityAn event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.3
11110505622Anachronismsomething located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred4
11110505623Analogydrawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect5
11110505624Anaphorarepetition of a word or phrase as the beginning of successive clauses6
11110505625Antithesisthe juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance7
11110505626Apostropheaddress to an absent or imaginary person8
11110505627ArchetypeA 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 response9
11110505628Assonancethe repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words10
11110505629AsyndetonWhen the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence11
11110505630Catharsisa release of emotional tension12
11110505631Characterizationthe process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character13
11110505632Comedy of MannersDeals with the relations and intrigues of gentlemen and ladies living in a polished and sophisticated society; it evokes laughter mainly at the violations of social conventions and decorum and relies on the wit and humor of the dialogue for its effect.14
11110505633Comic ReliefAn amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action.15
11110505634Connotationrefers to the implied or suggested meanings associated with a word beyond its dictionary definition16
11110505635Consonancerepetition of consonant sounds17
11110505636Dictiona writer's or speaker's choice of words18
11110505637Didactichaving the primary purpose of teaching or instructing19
11110505638Dramatic Irony(theater) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play20
11110505639Elegya mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead21
11110505640Epigrapha quotation at the beginning of some piece of writing22
11110505641Epitheta term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives ("swift-footed Achilles") that become an almost formulaic part of a name. Epithets can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of given epithets ("The Rocket").23
11110505642Euphemismthe substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt24
11110505643ExplicationThe art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. It usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.25
11110505644ExpositionThe introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story.26
11110505645Farce(n.) a play filled with ridiculous or absurd happenings; broad or far-fetched humor; a ridiculous sham27
11110505646Figurative LanguageWriting or speech that is used to create vivid impressions by setting up comparisons between dissimilar things, [examples are metaphor, simile, and personification.28
11110505647Flat Charactera character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story29
11110505648Foil Charactera 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 each30
11110505649Genrea kind of literary or artistic work31
11110505650Hubrisexcessive pride32
11110505651Hyperbolea figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor33
11110505652Imagerythe use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, thing, place, or experience34
11110505653Litotesunderstatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)35
11110505654Metaphora figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity36
11110505655Extended MetaphorA metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.37
11110505656MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it38
11110505657Moodthe overall emotion created by a work of literature39
11110505658Motifa recurring idea throughout the novel, often symbolic40
11110505659Onomatopoeiausing words that imitate the sound they denote41
11110505660Oxymoronconjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')42
11110505661Parablea short moral story (often with animal characters)43
11110505662Paradoxa statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.44
11110505663Parallelismphrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other45
11110505664Parodya work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner46
11110505665Periodic Sentencea complex sentence in which the main clause comes last and is preceded by the subordinate clause47
11110505666Peripetya sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work)48
11110505667Personificationrepresenting an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature49
11110505668Point of Viewthe perspective from which a story is told50
11110505669Polysyndetonusing several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (as in 'he ran and jumped and laughed for joy')51
11110505670Protagonistthe principal character in a work of fiction52
11110505671Puna humorous play on words53
11110505672Repetitionthe repeated use of the same word or word pattern as a rhetorical device54
11110505673Round Characterthis character is fully developed - the writer reveals good and bad traits as well as background55
11110505674Satireform of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly56
11110505675Sarcasmharsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule57
11110505676Settingthe state of the environment in which a situation exists58
11110505677SimileComparison using "like" or "as"59
11110505678Situational Ironyoccurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected60
11110505679Soliloquyin drama, a character speaks alone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience61
11110505680Monologuespeech you make to yourself62
11110505681Stock Charactera fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality manner of speech and other characteristics. Stock characters are instantly recognizable to members of a given culture.63
11110505682Stream of Consciousnessthe continuous flow of ideas and feelings that constitute an individual's conscious experience64
11110505683Stylea way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period65
11110505684Symbolsomething that stands for something else66
11110505685SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword).67
11110505686Syntaxthe rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language68
11110505687Themea unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work69
11110505688Tonethe quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author70
11110505689TragedyA work in which the protagonist, a person of high degree, is engaged in a significant struggle and which ends in ruin or destruction71
11110505690Hamartiathe error, frailty, mistaken judgment, or misstep through which the fortunes of the hero of a tragedy are reversed72
11110505691Understatementthe opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.73
11110505692Verbal IronyA figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant74
11110505693Zeugmause of a word to govern two or more words though appropriate to only one75
11110505694Static Charactera character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end76
11110505695Dynamic CharacterA character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action77
11110505696Catalysta person, thing, or agent that speeds up or stimulates a result, reaction, or change78

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