Literary Terms
Set #1
allegory -story with both a literal & symbolic meaning
alliteration -repetition of consonant sounds
allusion- reference to a well-known person, place, etc. that the reader should recognize
almanac -reports weather forecasts and other useful information
anecdote- a brief story
antagonist -opposes the main character
apostrophe -speaking to something nonhuman or someone not present
assonance- repetition of vowel sounds
atmosphere - the feeling generated by a story
autobiography -story of the author’s own life
climax -the high point of interest or suspense
biography- Story of another person’s life
blank verse -unrhymed iambic pentameter
direct characterization -the character’s traits are stated plainly
external conflict -struggle with an outside force
indirect characterization- a character’s traits are revealed without being stated plainly
internal conflict- struggle within a character
Set #2
Hyperbole- exaggeration
Dialect- language of a particular region or group
folk literature- literature arising out of oral traditions
genre- type of literature
connotation- ideas associated with a word beyond its definition
gothic- mysterious, “spooky” literature
exposition- writing or speech that explains or informs
drama- story written to be performed on stage
dialogue- conversation between characters
essay- short nonfiction work about a particular subject
foil- character who provides a contrast
epiphany- a sudden revelation or insight
diction- word choice
foreshadowing- clues that suggest events to come
free verse- poetry with no fixed meter or rhyme scheme
denotation- dictionary definition of a word
fiction- contains imaginary characters and events
Harlem Renaissance- a time of African American artistic creativity
Set #3
Plot- sequence of events in a literary work
Nonfiction- prose writing about real events and people
Paradox- a statement that appears to be contradictory
Personification- something nonhuman is given human qualities
Onomatopoeia- a word’s sound imitates its meaning
verbal irony- what is said is the opposite of what is meant
idyll- idealizes country life
parody-humorous imitation of a literary work
metaphor- a comparison that does not use “like” or “as”
oxymoron- a short paradox
meter- rhythmical pattern of a poem
dramatic irony- the audience knows something that a character doesn’t
irony of situation- what happens is not what is expected
motivation- reason for a character’s behavior or thinking
narrative poem- a poem that tells a story
imagery- creates word pictures for the reader
iambic pentameter- a line of poetry with five feet that consist of one unstressed then one stressed syllable
Set #4
1st person point of view--the narrator is a character in the story
3rd limited point of view--we know the thoughts of one character, who is not the narrator
3rd omniscient point of view--we know the thoughts of several characters
protagonist--the main character
prose--writing that is not poetry, song, or drama
satire--writing that ridicules or criticizes
scansion--determining the meter of a poem
setting--time and place of the action
simile --comparison that uses “like” or “as”
speaker --the voice of a poem
sonnet--fourteen-line lyric poem
stanza--a group of lines in a poem
stream of consciousness--presents thoughts as if they were coming directly from the character’s mind
suspense--a feeling of uncertainty about the outcome
symbol--anything that represents something else
theme--central message of a literary work
tone--writer’s attitude toward subject, characters, audience, etc.