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Literary TermsLiterary TermsLiterary TermsLiterary TermsMrs. BonifayMrs. BonifayOCS English IOCS English I
Freytag’s Pyramid
A plot chart or plot mountain used to analyze the plot of
works of literature
PLOTThe sequence of events
in a story
SettingThe environment in which a story takes place which
includes time period, location, and surroundings
ExpositionIntroduces characters,
setting, and basic situation
Rising ActionWhere the action and characters of the story
are developed
ClimaxThe highest point of
suspense in the conflict
Falling ActionThe events which happen after the climax and lead
to the resolution
Resolution
The conclusion of the plot
NarratorThe person telling the
story
First Person Point-of-View
A story character tells the story, using “I” to refer
to himself or herself
CharacterA person in a story
ThemeThe main idea of a story,
novel, play, or poem
BiographyThe story of a person’s life
written by another person.
External Conflicta struggle that a person has with another person
or with society
AntonymsA word that has an
opposite meaning from a given word
SequenceThe order in which events take place
Symbolismthe practice of representing things
by symbols
Character TraitsThings which define your
personality, your values and your beliefs
Tonethe writer's attitude toward the
material and/or readers
Point-of-Viewthe perspective from which the
story is told
Protagonistthe main character
Antagonistthe opponent; the antagonist may
be society, nature, a person
Novelan narrative that is usually long and
complex and deals with human experience through a sequence of
events
Contextthe set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event,
situation,
HeroThe main character in a
story
PredictingUsing what you know and
what you have read to tell what might happen
next
Epic Poema long narrative poem telling of a
hero's deeds
Poetryliterary work in rhythmic form;
verse.
Imageryshows experiences of the
5 senses (sight, hearing, smell,
taste, touch)
SimileWhen two unlike things are
compared using like or as
Example: Randy’s voice is like melted chocolate. (meaning his voice is smooth, rich, and
warm)
MetaphorA comparison of 2 unlike things;
uses is, (NOT like or as)
Example: Karen is a ray of sunshine. (meaning Karen is happy and
cheerful)
PersonificationDescribing non-human objects
using human characteristics
Example: The moon smiled down on her.
JuxtapositionContrasting two things
Example: He has a soft spot for playing hard
ball
OnomatopoeiaWords that sound like what
they describe.
Example: whack, clang, plop, thud, gurgle
Ironythe use of words to mean the
opposite
Example:That was as clear as mud.
Alliterationrepetition of a particular
sound
Example:Betty Botter bought some butter, but, she said,
the butter’s bitter; if I put it in my batter it will make my batter bitter, but a bit of better
butter will make my batter better.
HyperboleExaggeration
Example:He was as strong as an ox. There was enough food to
feed an army.
AssonanceUsing the same vowel sound
Example:The loon flew through the smooth
dunes in June.
Punplay on words
Example:I bet the butcher the other day that he couldn’t reach the meat that was on the
top shelf. He refused to take the bet, saying that the steaks were too high.
Allusionmakes reference to
something or someone else
Example:He told so many lies, I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio’s.
DRAMAA literary genre that has conflict and crisis; acted by players on a stage or
in a film
TRAGEDYA drama that involves the
ruin of the main characters
ASIDELines whispered to the audience or to another character on the stage
CATASTROPHEThe final event in a drama
COMIC RELIEFA bit of humor injected
into a serious play to relieve the tension of
tragic events
CRISISThe turning point in the
plot
DRAMATICIRONY
When the audience knows something that the
character on stage does not
FORESHADOWLines that give a hint or
clue to future events
SOLILOQUYA single character on stage thinking out loud
TRAGIC FLAWA character trait that
leads one to his/her own downfall or destruction
NEMESISThe character who
punishes or gets revenge on the hero
OXYMORONexpression with contradictory words
Examples: wise fool
legal murder
PROLOGUEan introductory scene in which a
narrator summarizes the main action of the work
STAGE DIRECTION
an instruction written as part of the script of a play
SONNETA 14-line verse form usually having one of several conventional rhyme
schemes