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9 Accelerated Literary Terms

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Poetry * Highly charged form of writing, relying

heavily on figurative language and imagery

Prose

The ordinary form of spoken or written language; language not arranged in verses

+ Genre Kind, sort, or species

+ Fiction Prose writing with imaginary

characters, events, or settings

Non-Fiction *

Prose writing about real people, events and settings

Short Story A short work of narrative prose fiction

that is meant to be read in one sitting

+Narrative Any writing which contains a series of events

Point of View Refers to the author’s choice of

narrator for his story; the person through whose eyes the reader sees a story

NarratorThe person who tells the story

+Point of View Refers to the author’s choice of narrator

for his story; the person through whose eyes the reader sees a story

Diction An author’s choice of words; as such,

diction is part of a writer’s style

StyleThe distinctive use of language by an author Many elements contribute to style… diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail, sound effects, tone, etc.

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Plot

Plot Diagram

The pattern of events in a play, story, or poem

+Setting The place and time in which the events

of a narrative take place

Conflict Struggle between opposing forces; a

central element in most plots.

Rising Action Plot elements that develop the conflict

+Climax

Plot elements that develop the conflict

Falling Action

Resolution

Events that help bring the conflict to a conclusion

Final result of the conflict or the “solution”

+Chronological Order The relation or narration of events in

the order they occurred in time

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Foreshadowing Implication by the author of events to

come later in a narrative

Ex. I fear, too early: for my mind misgivesSome consequence yet hanging in the starsShall bitterly begin his fearful dateWith this night's revels and expire the termOf a despised life closed in my breastBy some vile forfeit of untimely death.But He, that hath the steerage of my course,Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen.(1.4. 104-111)

FlashbackA sudden shifting backward in time

+Character

A fictional personality created by an author.

+Characterization

The means by which an author shows what a character is like; the representation of a character or characters in writing, especially by imitating or describing actions, gestures, qualities, peculiarities, or speeches.

Character Trait A quality that a character possesses,

such as selfishness, understanding, etc.

+Motivation That which makes a character act (may be

a need, emotion, desire, etc.); to be believable, a character should have adequate motivation

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Character Sketch

A type of biography (usually short) which presents aspects of a person’s character and personality; may be real or fictional

(When you write a character sketch, you are trying to introduce the reader to someone. You want the reader to have a strong mental image of the person, to know how the person talks, to know the person's characteristic ways of doing things, to know something about the person's value system. Character sketches only give snap shots of people; therefore, you should not try to write a history of the person.) http://www.engl.niu.edu/wac/char_sk.html

+Empathy

Entering into the feelings and motives of the characters

Sympathy vs. Empathy

Sympathy:I am sorry for your loss. What can I do to help you during this difficult time?

Empathy: I feel and understand your pain; my grandmother passed away last year as well.

Sympathy: A doctor may feel sympathy and understands a patient's illness and try to alleviate the pain, but she may not feel his/her distress and pain.

Empathy: A cancer support group can empathize with the radiation therapy of a member and understand his/her fear because they have experienced the procedure as well.

+Figurative Language

Language and expressions which are not meant to be taken literally, but to some extent must be understood imaginatively

Literal Language

Language in which the words are meant to be taken at face value

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Imagery The imagery of a literary work is made

up of all the images contained in it; the array of images in a literary work

Image Any sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste the

author’s words suggest to the imagination; a sensory perception created through words

+Symbol

A person, place, event, or object which has a meaning in itself, but suggests other meanings as well; something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else.

For example, winter, darkness, and cold are real things,but in literature they are likely to be used as symbols of death.

SymbolismThe use of symbols in literature

+Allusion A brief and sometimes indirect

reference to a person, place, event, or work of art that is familiar to most educated people.

ex. “He was a mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow – a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness.”

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Irony – Verbal Irony

Verbal irony: expression in which the ordinary meaning of words is the opposite of the thought in the speaker’s mind

Ex. For example, in Julius Caesar, Mark Antony repeats the words "and Brutus is an honorable man“ in the famous “Friends, Romans, countrymen” speech. Mark Antony’s meaning, however, is that Brutus is completely dishonorable because Brutus, Caesar’s best friend, joined the other conspirators and plunged a knife into Caesar’s chest.

+Irony- Situational Irony Irony of Situation: an event contrary

to what would naturally be expected; Situational irony defies logical cause/effect relationships and justifiable expectations.

Ex. If a greedy millionaire were to buy a lottery ticket and win additional millions, the irony would be situational because such a circumstance cannot be explained logically. Such a circumstance seems “unfair.” This sense of being “unfair” or “unfortunate” is a trademark of situational irony. Because people cannot explain the unfairness, it causes them to question whether or not the world makes sense.

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ToneThe author’s attitude toward his material; tone in literature corresponds to the tone of voice a speaker uses. Tone is described by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly endless…loving, ironic, bitter, pitying, fanciful, solemn, etc.

When Robert Frost explained his theory of the sound of sense, he said tone is what comes through a closed door when people are speaking out of earshot. We cannot understand the exact words, but the tones of voice tell us what is going on. You can tell if the voice is pleading, demanding or doubtful.

Mood The state of mind which a literary work

arouses in the reader

+Theme The main idea of a literary work; a

subject which recurs in the same work

For example, in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck explores the ideas of The American Dream, Loneliness, and The Common Man.

Moral The lesson of the story; what the story teaches,

if anything

+Dialogue

Conversation between two or more characters

Monologue

A work presented entirely through the speech of one person

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OverstatementThe use of exaggeration

Poetic Justice

The proper distribution of rewards and punishments; when a character gets what the read thinks he deserves

+Satire

The use of sarcasm or irony to ridicule an idea, custom, habit, etc.; writing that seeks to arouse a reader’s disapproval of an object by ridicule

Pop Culture ExamplesSaturday Night Live’s Weekend UpdateThe Daily Show The Colbert ReportPolitical cartoonsThe Onion

Comment or criticism being made:Identification of human flaws and vices related to politics, entertainment, and current events.

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Critic

A judge of defects and merits in literature or in other arts; one who analyzes the various elements of a literary work