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Literary Terms
Final Review
31
English
11th Grade
05/27/2008

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Cards

Term
ALLUSION
Definition
a reference to a well known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
Term
SYMBOL
Definition

a concrete object in a work which has more than its literal significance (also represents something abstract)

Term
ANTAGONIST
Definition
the character or force whose opposition to the protagonist is the main source of conflict
Term

FORESHADOWING

Definition
an indication of the events to come
Term
PLOT
Definition
a series of intervening events, showing cause and effect, making up the total action of a work
Term
THEME
Definition
the central message of a literary work; it is a generalization about human beings or about life
Term
TONE
Definition
the attitude of the author toward the reader and the subject
Term
CLIMAX
Definition
the turning point of the action; the moment when the action reaches its highest point of conlflict or tension
Term
PROTAGONIST
Definition
the main character in the work
Term
CONFLICT
Definition
the meeting of two opposing forces; may be interior, exterior, or between a character and some other force like nature, or God
Term
SETTING
Definition
the time, place, and other circumstances which form the physical background of a work
Term

STRUCTURE

Definition

the formal pattern of work

Term
FLAT CHARACTER
Definition
is relatively simple and usually has only one trait; static
Term
ROUND CHARACTER
Definition

embodies several traits that cohere to find a complex personality

Term
EXPOSITION
Definition
the opening portion that sets the scene, introduces the main characters, tells us what happened before teh story opened, provides background information that we need in order to understand and care about the events to follow
Term
POINT OF VIEW
Definition
how the author narrates the story
Term
EPIPHANY
Definition
some moment of insight, discovery or revelation by which a character's life, or view of life, is greatly altered
Term
COMING OF AGE/INITIATION STORY
Definition
a story which tells of a character initiated into experience or maturity
Term
AMBIGUITY
Definition
the state of having more than one possible meaning
Term
DIALECT
Definition
the speech pattern of a region or class
Term
GENRE
Definition
a category of literary work (fiction, poetry, drama)
Term
IMAGERY
Definition
the production of sense appeal through the use of figurative language
Term
IRONY
Definition
a literary device which presents a conflict between appearance and reality; may be intentional or unintentional on the part of a character
Term
DRAMATIC IRONY
Definition
a discrepancy between the real and the expected
Term
VERBAL IRONY
Definition
a statement which has the opposite of the intended meaning
Term
SATIRE
Definition
the ridiculing of customs or mores, usually comic in tone
Term
OMNISCIENT NARRATOR
Definition
can enter the mind of any character
Term
FLASHBACK
Definition
the depiction of an incident which occurred before the opening of a work
Term
VIGNETTE
Definition
a brief literary sketch
Term

SIMILE

Definition
a figure of speech in which two things are compared with the use of "like" or "as"
Term
METAPHOR
Definition
a figure of speech in which two things are compared without the use of "like" or "as"
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