Created by mrdonkodonson
about 10 years ago
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Question | Answer |
Abstract | Existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence |
Acronym | An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word |
Act | One of the main divisions of a play |
Allegory | A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. |
Alliteration | The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. |
Allusion | Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. |
Ambiguity | Vagueness |
Anachronism | Something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time |
Analysis | A detailed examination of something |
Analogy | A comparison of two things based on their being alike in some way |
Anecdote | A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person |
Antagonist | A person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent; adversary. |
Antecedent action | The part of the characters' experience which comes before the events of the story. |
Anticlimax | A disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events |
Antithesis | A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect |
Antonym | A word opposite in meaning to another |
Apathy | Absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement. |
Aphorism | A statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner |
Archetype | A character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. |
Artistic Unity | The condition of a successful literary work whereby all of its elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose. |
Aside | An aside is a part in a play when a character's dialogue is spoken but not heard by the other actors on the stage |
Assonance | When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds |
Atmosphere | Mood/Emotional Situation |
Attitude | Tone. The manner in which a writer approaches a theme and subject. |
Ballad | A form of verse, often a narrative set to music |
Blank Verse | Unrhymed iambic pentameter/verse |
Cacophony | The use of words and phrases that imply strong, harsh sounds within the phrase |
Cadence | Cadence refers to the rhythmic or musical elements of a poem |
Catastrophe | Denouement. Conclusion after the climax. |
Catharsis | Cleansing through emotional discharge |
Character | A person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story |
Characterization | Characterization is a literary device that is used to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story. |
Chronology | The order in which events happen |
Cliffhanger | A cliffhanger is a device in which the ending is abrupt with no resolution in order to create suspense. |
Cliche | An expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses originality |
Climax | Point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point |
Coherence | Writing that is logically layed out and connected. |
Colloquialism | Colloquialism is the use of informal words in a piece of writing |
coincidence | A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned |
Comic relief | Including a humorous character, scene, or dialogue in order to relieve tension |
Conflict | A literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces |
Connotation | A meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly |
Caesura | A grammatical pause or break in a line in writing |
Concrete | Existing in physical form, not abstract |
Consonance | Repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase |
Convention | A practice or device which is accepted as a necessary feature of a genre |
Couplet | 2 lines of verse ususally in the same meter and joined by rhyme |
Crisis | The turning point of tension resulting from earlier conflict in a plot. |
Criticism | The practice of judging the qualities and character of literary works. |
Denotation | The minimal, strict definition of a word, disregarding any historical or emotional connotation. |
denouement | The final part of a play with the resolution of the conflict in plot |
deus ex machina | A plot device where a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an intervention of a new character, event, object. |
dialect | The language used by the people of a specific area |
dialogue | The lines spoken by a character or characters in a play |
Diction | The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing |
dicdactic | refers to literature that is instructional or informative |
dilemma | A problem which has no desirable solution |
dirge | A lyric poem or song commemorating a death and expressing grief |
discrepancy | A conflict or variation, as between facts, figures, or claims |
dissonance | The use of discordant sounds to create an unpleasant effect |
dramatic irony | Irony where the reader knows more than the characters do |
dramatic monologue | A literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her thoughts and feelings through a poem or a speech |
dynamic character | A character who undergoes a fundamental personality change as a result of the conflicts he or she has endured |
elegy | A type of literature, song or poem, that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died |
empathy | Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. |
epiphany | The moment in the story where a character achieves realization or awareness. |
Epic | A long narrative poem, often written about heroes |
epigram | A short poem or verse that seeks to mock a thought or event |
epilogue | a chapter at the end of a work of literature which concludes the work |
epitaph | The final statement spoken by a character before his death |
esoteric | taught to or understood by members of a special group |
exoteric | suitable to be imparted to the public |
episodic | Occurring in a long string of short, individual scenes, rather than focusing on the sustained development of a single plot |
essay | A short literary composition on a particular theme or subject |
eulogy | A speech or piece of writing in which you praise someone or something |
euphemism | polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite |
euphony | words and phrases that have a melody or loveliness in the sounds they create |
excerpt | A passage or segment taken from a longer piece of writing |
exposition | A literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters to the audience or readers |
fable | a concise and brief story intended to provide a moral lesson at the end |
falling action | Parts of a story after the climax and before the very end of the story |
fantasy | Any literature that is removed from reality |
fallacy | faulty reasoning dependent an unsound argument |
fiction | literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people |
figurative | Departing from a literal use of words, metaphorical |
first person narration | when the story is from the point-of-view of a character |
flashback | Flashbacks are interruptions to include past events in order to provide background to the current events of a story |
flat character | a flat character is a simplified character who does not change his or her personality over the course of a story |
foil character | A character that serves by contrast to highlight opposing traits in another character |
foreshadowing | a literary device in which a writer gives a hint of what is to come later in the story |
free verse | poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme |
genre | A category of literary composition |
hamartia | the tragic flaw of the protagonist that brings his/her downfall |
hubris | extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings about his/her downfall |
Iambic pentameter | A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet where each foot consists of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable |
imagery | use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas so it appeals to physical senses. |
imitative harmony | A group of words whose sound imitates that which they are describing |
implication | something implied as naturally to be understood |
Inference | deriving logical conclusions from premises known or assumed to be true |
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