Literary Terms

1. Plot- the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work,

devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.
; what happens, concretely, as though it were placed on a history
time line.
2. Setting-the place and time at which a play, novel, or film is
represented as happening
3. Point of view-the narrator's position in relation to the story being
told :
4. Characterization-describe the distinctive nature or features of ;
be typical or characteristic of
5. Theme-the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's
thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic
6. Alliteration-the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the
beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
7. Allusion-an expression designed to call something to mind
without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference
8. Analogy-a comparison between two things, typically on the basis
of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or
clarification
9. Antagonist- a character in a story or poem who deceives,
frustrates, or works again the main character, or protagonist, in
some way. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be an
person. It could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge
that prevents the main character from living “happily ever after."
10.Aside-a remark or passage by a character in a play that is
intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other
characters in the play.
11.Blank Verse- verse without rhyme, esp. that which uses iambic
pentameter.
12.Climax-the most intense, exciting, or important point of
something; a culmination or apex
13.Comic Relief-comic episodes in a dramatic or literary work that
offset more serious sections.
14. Conflict-External Conflict - a fight, argument, disagreement or
simply opposition in which 2 sides are present. Characters,
themes, ideas, forces can all be in conflict and Internal Conflict -
an argument or decision-making process within one character's
mind. An internal conflict is stated this way
15.Couplet- two lines of poetry which are a self-contained unit, often
rhyming and often one sentence (but not always).
16.Diction-he choice and use of words and phrases in speech or
writing; the style of enunciation in speaking or singing
17.Dramatic Irony- when the viewer or the reader is aware of a
situation of which the character(s) are not aware, it can be a
source of tragedy, of comedy, or of tension.
18.Dramatic Structure- is the structure of a dramatic work such as a
play or film
19.Epithet-an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality
characteristic of the person or thing mentioned
20.Figurative Language- In general, this is a way of using words to
make imaginative connections in the reader's "inner eye." These
connections can be called images. As you learn to recognize
and appreciate figurative language, your appreciation and ability
to actively read good writing will increase. These are the types of
figurative language on which we will concentrate this y
21.Foreshadowing- is when, in a piece of literature, clues are put in
to alert the reader of what might happen in the plot next and It's
clues in a story hinting to what will happen in the end.
22.Foil- is when two characters are very different and their
differences help characterize them. To stop or prevent from
succeeding.
23.Imagery-visually descriptive or figurative language, esp. in a
literary work. Explaining in great detail so that you create an
image in your head.
24.Irony-the expression of one's meaning by using language that
normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or
emphatic effect.
25.Meter- involves exact arrangements of syllables into repeated
patterns called feet within a line. Meters are regularized rhythms.
an arrangement of language in which the accents occur at
apparently equal intervals in time. Each repeated unit of meter is
called a foot.
26.Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied
to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable ; a
thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else,
esp. something abstract
27.Monologue- the form or style of such speeches ; one character
alone talking to the reader/audience/to himself. A monologue in
a play is called a soliloquy and finds the character alone on the
stage, often speaking about a decision, plan, or other internal
conflict. ; a character thinking to himself.
28.Oxymoron-a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory
terms appear in conjunction ; a phrase which contains opposite
elements or words with opposite meanings, yet which expresses
one idea when taken as a whole
29.Personification- the description of an inanimate object as if it
were a human being or an animal
30.Protagonist- the leading character or one of the major characters
in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.
31.Pun- a word which has several meanings, all of which apply;
puns are often based on sound, so homophones and homonyms
have to be though of as well
32.Rhyme Scheme- the pattern of rhyme used in a poem, generally
indicated by matching lowercase letters to show which lines
rhyme. The letter "a" notes the first line, and all other lines
rhyming with the first line. The first line that does not rhyme with
the first, or "a" line, and all others that rhyme with this line, is
noted by the letter "b", and so on. The rhyme scheme may follow
a fixed pattern (as in a sonnet) or may be arranged freely
according to the poet's requirements
33.Simile- a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing
with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description
more emphatic or vivid ; a comparison of two unlike things using
like or as -
34.Situational Irony-when the reverse of the expected happens or
when the person you least expect to do something, does it
35.Soliloquy- an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by
oneself or regardless of any hearers, esp. by a character in a
play.
36.Sonnet- a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of
formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables
per line.
37.Symbol- a thing that represents or stands for something else,
esp. a material object representing something abstract
38.Tragedy- a play dealing with tragic events and having an
unhappy ending, esp. one concerning the downfall of the main
character ; the dramatic genre represented by such plays
39.Verbal Irony- the speaker says something different from what he
or she really believes; does be so crude: more subtle kinds of
verbal irony, including understatement and hyperbole, abound