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English Literary Terms
The Literary Terms For the Exam
64
English
9th Grade
05/24/2010

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Term
Magic Realism
Definition

 

When magic is conveyed into a real scenario

 

Term
Foil
Definition
The opposite of another character
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
Over-exaggerated statement
Term
Aphorism
Definition
Witty comment that has a deeper meaning
Term
Hubris
Definition
Great excessive pride
Term
Allegory
Definition
When the whole story is a symbol
Term
Symbol
Definition
Something that stands for something else
Term
Verbal Irony
Definition
Saying something and meaning something else
Term
Dramatic Irony
Definition
Audience knows something that the characters do not
Term
Situational Irony
Definition
When something happens it is the opposite of what you expected
Term
Pathos
Definition
Producing feelings of sorrow
Term
Peripeteia
Definition
Sudden reversal of fortune
Term
Eye Dialect
Definition
Local accent conveyed through text
Term
Frame Tale
Definition
A story within another story
Term
Prologue
Definition
An introduction to a story
Term
Allusion
Definition
A reference to an outside thing
Term
Free Indirect Discourse
Definition
When the author writes in third person (no he/she/it ... etc.)
Term
Protagonist
Definition
The main character that is trying to get somewhere
Term
Caricature
Definition
A hyperbole in the farm of a drawing
Term
Denotation
Definition
The dictionary definition of a word
Term
Connotation
Definition
The meaning of a word or phrase based on the context that surrounds it
Term
Understatement
Definition
Making a small deal about something that is big
Term
Vivid
Definition
Writing that appeals to the senses
Term
Malapropism
Definition
When a character misuses words but does not know he/she is doing so (e.g. Dogberry)
Term
Tragedy
Definition
High to low within 24 hours, and the hero has a tragic flaw
Term
Oxymoron
Definition
The use of two words, which mean the opposites of each other (e.g. civil war)
Term
Bildungsroman
Definition
Going through a transformation (manning up)
Term
Satire
Definition
A joke that has truth to it (dark criticizing humor)
Term
Pun
Definition
Play on words
Term
Invocation
Definition
A call to the gods
Term
In Media Res
Definition
Means "In the Middle Of Things"
Term
Alliteration
Definition
The repetition of a phrase over and over again 
Term
Assonance
Definition
The repetition of a vowel
Term
Metaphor
Definition
A comparison between two objects
Term
Scene
Definition
Can't change place or time
Term
Act
Definition
Biggest division in a play that can change time and place
Term
Anaphora
Definition
Repeating words at the end of a line
Term
Statement of Theme
Definition
A statement that broadly, yet specifically says what something will be about
Term
Aside
Definition
When a character speaks to the audience and the other characters can't hear the words spoken
Term
Blank Verse
Definition
A verse with no meter
Term
Simile
Definition
A comparison using "like" and "as"
Term
Epithet
Definition
An extension of a name with a hyphen (Gray-eyed Athena)
Term
Blazon
Definition
Head-to-toe analysis of a person
Term
Climax 
Definition
The highest point of a story
Term
Soliloquoy
Definition
A solo for a character where he/she speaks to the audience
Term
Comic Relief
Definition
After sadness, a joke is said to lighten the mood
Term
Caesura
Definition
A break between words in a metric foot
Term
Anagnorisis
Definition
When a character makes a significant self-discovery
Term
Comedy
Definition
A work intended for entertainment that usually ends with a happy ending
Term
Conflict
Definition
The struggle within the plot between opposing forces
Term
Farce
Definition
A form of humor based on exaggeration
Term
Catharsis
Definition
The release of emotions at the end of a tragedy
Term
Antagonist
Definition
The character that gives rise to the conflict and opposes the protagonist
Term
Chorus
Definition
A group of people who serve as commentators on what happens (Greek Tragedies)
Term
Hamartia
Definition
The flaw that brings a tragic hero to misfortune
Term
Stichomythia 
Definition
Rapid-fire dialog between two characters  
Term
Epic Simile
Definition
An extended, long simile with detail
Term
Epic Hero
Definition
A main character in an epic whose actions are important towards his/her nation
Term
Deus Ex Machina
Definition
"God In the Machine" - When god intervenes to save the day
Term
Beau Geste
Definition
A fine or gracious gesture
Term
Parallelism
Definition
A rhetorical device where parts of a composition are balanced for parts of equal importance
Term
Alliteration 
Definition
The repetition of the same consonant sounds in a series of words
Term
Enjambment
Definition
When a poem's line ends w/o a pause and continues to the next for meaning
Term
Personification
Definition
A form of a metaphor when human attributes are given to non-human things
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