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Literary Terms
all 62 of 'em
62
Literature
Not Applicable
03/09/2005

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Cards

Term
made up story
Definition
fiction
Term
true story
Definition
non-fiction
Term
true story about a person written by that same person
Definition
autobiography
Term
true story about a famous person but not written by that person
Definition
biography
Term
conversation between two characters or people
Definition
dialogue
Term
words in italics telling the actor what to do
Definition
stage directions
Term
listing of characters in a play
Definition
dramatis personae
Term
division within an act
Definition
scene
Term
a major division within a play
Definition
act
Term
a story in which the protagonist is defeated
Definition
tragedy
Term
the character who opposes the main character
Definition
antagonist
Term
the main character who wants to achieve something
Definition
protagonist
Term
a serious play
Definition
drama
Term
type of literature (fictio, non-fiction...)
Definition
genre
Term
5 types of conflict
Definition
man, nature, self, society, technology
Term
similar sounding words at the end of lines of poetry
Definition
rhyme
Term
pattern of beats or stresses in a poem
Definition
rhythm
Term
in literature, the difference between what appears to be true and what really is true
Definition
irony
Term
when the audience knows more about what's happening than the character
Definition
dramatic irony
Term
when a character says the opposite of what he actually means
Definition
verbal irony
Term
when a situation turns out differently than what the reader/viewer expects
Definition
situational irony
Term
giving life-like qualities to an inanimate object
Definition
personification
Term
comparing 2 unlike things without using "like" or "as"
Definition
metaphor
Term
comparing 2 unlike things using "like" or "as"
Definition
simile
Term
repitition of first consonant sounds (Peter Piper picked...)
Definition
alliteration
Term
gross exaggeration for dramatic effect
Definition
hyperbole
Term
repeated line(s) in a poem or song
Definition
refrain
Term
unit of poetry; similar to a paragraph in prose
Definition
stanza
Term
writing arranged into sentences and paragraphs
Definition
prose
Term
poetry that tells a story and makes a hero out of its protagonist
Definition
narrative poetry
Term
something that stands for or represents something else
Definition
symbol
Term
an expression or saying that is not meant to be taken literally
Definition
figure of speech; figurative language
Term
a reocurring symbol throughout a literary work
Definition
motif
Term
English taught in grammar books and used in essays
Definition
Standard English
Term
English used in sophisticated writing
Definition
Formal English
Term
English used when two friends are having a casual conversation
Definition
Informal English
Term
English that uses words and phrases that have not made it into the dicitonary
Definition
slang
Term
technical language used by people in the same profession
Definition
jargon
Term
highest point of dramatic tension in a work of fiction
Definition
climax
Term
end in a work of fiction
Definition
resolution
Term
in a work of fiction, the events leading up to the high point
Definition
rising action
Term
in a work of fiction, the events leading down from the high point
Definition
falling action
Term
a long work of prose fiction
Definition
novel
Term
a short work of prose fiction
Definition
short story
Term
in an essay, the part that outlines what the writer intends to do
Definition
thesis sentence
Term
the writing strategy that produces clear, well-written answers
Definition
ABCD strategy
Term
the overall or underlying meaning of a literary work
Definition
theme
Term
in literature, a fictional person
Definition
character
Term
in grammar, 3 periods indicating a truncated quote
Definition
ellipses
Term
a word or phrase that moves the reader smoothly from one line to the next
Definition
transition
Term
the time and place in which a story takes place
Definition
setting
Term
a type of language in which the speaker or writer's words mean exactly what they say
Definition
literal language
Term
the dictionary definition of a word
Definition
denotation
Term
the feeling or emotion that a word suggests to people
Definition
connotation
Term
the events of a story; no deeper meaning
Definition
plot
Term
a genre of literature using vivid imagery, powerful language and figurative language; may use rhythm and rhyme as well
Definition
poetry
Term
a story having fictional elements within a historically accurate setting
Definition
historical fiction
Term
the pattern of rhyme that a poet chooses for a particular poem
Definition
rhyme scheme
Term
the skillful use of words to create a picture in the reader's mind
Definition
imagery
Term
when an actor speaks alone on the stage
Definition
monologue
Term
written representation of natural sounds (animals, wind, etc.)
Definition
onomatopoeia
Term
parentheses containing a page or line # used after a quote
Definition
parenthetical reference
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