Literary Terms to Know for Homer’s OdysseyGeller’s Fabulous FreshmenFall 2013

Epic Simile• A comparison using “like” or “as” that extends for several lines:

“The attackers struck like eagles, crook-clawed, hook-beaked, swooping down from a mountain ridge to harry smaller birds that skim across the flatland cringing under the clouds but the eagles plunge in fury, rip their lives out--hopeless, never a chance of flight or rescue--and people love the sport-- so the attackers routed suitors headlong down the hall, wheeling into the slaughter, slashing left and right and grisly screams broke from skulls cracked open-- the whole floor awash with blood."

Epic• A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero• Examples:

• Iliad• Odyssey• Aeneid

Character• The people in a work

of literature• Protagonist: Hero/main

character• Antagonist: Character or

force that opposes the protagonist

• Static character: Does not change

• Dynamic character: Undergoes a significant change

Irony• Irony exists when the reader’s expectation contrasts with

reality.• Verbal irony: Saying one thing but meaning another. Similar to

sarcasm; “oh, wonderful!” in response to a lengthy homework assignment

• Situational irony: Outcome is surprisingly different than expected. Ex. A tough traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid speeding tickets.

• Dramatic irony: The audience knows something the reader doesn’t. Ex. EVERY HORROR MOVIE EVER MADE. (We know the killer is upstairs, etc.)

Foreshadowing• A literary strategy that

provides a hint of what is going to happen:• Ex. A character in a

movie develops a cough; invariably, the character turns out to be dying.

• Dark clouds and a rumble of thunder suggest something ominous is afoot.

Repetition• A word or phrase is repeated for poetic effect or to reinforce a

theme; repetition is a common characteristic of oral poetry.• “Rosy-fingered dawn”• “The wine-dark sea”

Personification

• Giving human characteristics to something that is not human:• “The wind screamed through the trees”• “The sea swallowed the ship”• “The angry sound of metal meeting asphalt”

Imagery• Language that appeals to the senses:• The feel of wet sand between your toes• The blazing orange sun sinking on the horizon• The smell of burning leaves and pumpkin pie

Conflict

• The central problem in a story• Internal: Person vs. himself• External:• Person vs. person• Person vs. nature• Person vs. society

Tone• The author’s attitude toward the subject, characters, or

situation• Can be formal or conversational• Sarcastic, sympathetic, etc.

Metaphor• A comparison between two unlike things, NOT using “like” or

“as”• “Fated to escape the noose of pain”• “We wove a web of disaster”• “The monster’s rage boiled over”

Simile• A comparison using “like,” “as,” “than,” or “resembles”• “Her mind is as sharp as a razor”• “This class is like an insane asylum”• “His eyes resembled the sea on a cloudy day”• “His thoughts drifted higher than the treetops”

Climax• The high point or turning point in the action of a

story

Diction

•Word choice.•One of the most compelling

arguments to suggest that the Iliad and the Odyssey have different authors is that their diction is so different.

Rhythm/Meter

• The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

Allusion

• An implied or indirect reference in literature, usually to something familiar to the reader from history, literature, mythology, the Bible, etc.

Symbol

• An image or character used to represent something else:• Dove=peace• Setting sun=death• Rain=sadness

Hyperbole

• Exaggeration for dramatic effect:• “I am starving to death!”• “You are the most ridiculous person in the whole

world.”