Introduction to literature literary terms

Introduction to Literature Literary Terms English Mrs Cowan  I Literature is the author’s written form of expression that reflects his views or opinions on life and living II There are three main divisions of literature A Prose – any writing that is not poetry; written in sentences and paragraphs (essays, short stories, novels, newspaper articles, and letters) B Poetry – beautiful thought, image, or emotion, often expressed in rhythmical language and often written according to patterns of lines  C Drama (play) – written by a playwright; tells a group of actors what to or say on stage  III There are two kinds of writing in  literature  A Fiction – literature that is not true Short story – a form of prose fiction that can be read in a single sitting and produces a single effect; few characters; one setting  Novel – a long work of fiction that contains more characters, settings, complicated plots, and subplots B Non-fiction – literature that is true Biography – a story about a person written by someone else Autobiography – a story about a person written by the person Essay – a short prose composition about a particular subject Article – a prose composition News writing – prose writing about recent events  IV There is a key (or point of emphasis) to each major type of literature A Novel – unfolding plot B Short story – single character C Play – Struggle or conflict D Biography – personal growth E Poem – imagination, emotion, rhythm  V The following list of words are literary terms that we will be using when discussing or analyzing literature in this class A Plot – the events (action) of the story Exposition (opening situation; conflict or problem) – the beginning events; introduces us to the characters, setting, etc Rising action (complications) – the events in the central part of the story where various problems arise; leads to the climax  Climax – the event that changes the main character; the turning point  Falling action – the event(s) that follow the climax; the action or dialogue necessary to lead to the resolution; helps the reader solve the conflict  Resolution (Denouement) – the event that happens at the end to help us solve the conflict  Plotline – a visual that shows the main events (action) of the story Third person limited omniscient - narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of one character Third person objective (camera view) – we know what the characters are doing, not what they are thinking or feeling G Setting – time and place of events Time – when events take place a Day c Season b Year d Historical Time Place – where events take place H Theme – the central message about life or human nature; a universal truth I Symbol - an object that stands for an idea or belief J Irony – a statement, action, or situation that is the opposite of what it normally means or what is expected a verbal irony - say the opposite of what is meant  b situational irony - something happens that is the opposite of what is expected  c dramatic irony – the reader knows something a character doesn’t know K Mood – the feeling a reader gets from reading an author’s words (the overall feeling of a work) - frightening - joyful - gloomy - romantic - happy - suspenseful L Moral – the lesson taught by a story M Style – how the author writes; his choice and arrangement of words; his use of language N Dialect – a non-standard sub-group of a language that often reveals region, economic, or social class O Suspense – a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events P Realism – actual or possible experiences in a story Q Tone – the writer’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience (the way feelings are expressed) - serious - humorous - angry - ironic - formal R Diction – a writer’s choice of words S Syntax – the arrangement of words in a sentence; how the writer constructs a sentence T Imagery – descriptive words and phrases that appeal to the senses U Connotation – not the original (dictionary) definition of a word; a cultural meaning V Denotation – the dictionary definition of a word W Idiom – a word or expression peculiar to certain language; means something different that the literal meaning It’s raining cats and dogs X Blank verse – unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter Y Free verse – poetry that has no regular pattern of rhythm or rhyme; generally arranged in lines Z Affix – a prefix or suffix AA Prefix – an addition to the beginning of a word BB Suffix – an addition to the end of a word CC Root – the base of a word; the essential part DD Simile – a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as She is as pretty as a picture EE Hyperbole – an outrageous exaggeration That weighs a ton FF Alliteration – the repetition of consonant sounds Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers GG Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds at the beginning of a word Every elephant eats enormous eagles  HH Metaphor – comparison of two unlike things not using the words l like or as  II She is the picture of health Personification – when an animal or object is given human qualities The trees sighed as the wind blew through them JJ Onomatopoeia – words that mimic the sounds they describe The bee buzzed around my head KK Allusion – a reference from the arts, history, literature, mythology, politics, religion, sports, or science LL Inference – an educated guess  MM Analogy – a comparison using something that is familiar to explain something that is unfamiliar Mesa Verde National Park is an outdoor museum, not a playground [...]... the story; grows and develop 3 stereotype (consistent) – acts like you would expect him/her to act 4 protagonist – hero; main character; good guy 5 antagonist – person (force) against the protagonist; the villain; bad guy D Flashback – info about the past E Foreshadowing – clues (hints) of what is to come F Point-of-view – who is telling the story 1 First person – one of the characters in the story... the lesson taught by a story M Style – how the author writes; his choice and arrangement of words; his use of language N Dialect – a non-standard sub-group of a language that often reveals region, economic, or social class O Suspense – a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events P Realism – actual or possible experiences in a story Q Tone – the writer’s attitude toward a subject, character,... The trees sighed as the wind blew through them JJ Onomatopoeia – words that mimic the sounds they describe The bee buzzed around my head KK Allusion – a reference from the arts, history, literature, mythology, politics, religion, sports, or science LL Inference – an educated guess  MM Analogy – a comparison using something that is familiar to explain something that is unfamiliar Mesa Verde National... lines Z Affix – a prefix or suffix AA Prefix – an addition to the beginning of a word BB Suffix – an addition to the end of a word CC Root – the base of a word; the essential part DD Simile – a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as She is as pretty as a picture EE Hyperbole – an outrageous exaggeration That weighs a ton FF Alliteration – the repetition of consonant sounds Peter... of what is to come F Point-of-view – who is telling the story 1 First person – one of the characters in the story is telling the story 2 Third person omniscient – the narrator knows the feeling and thoughts of all the characters 3 Third person limited omniscient - narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of one character 4 Third person objective (camera view) – we know what the characters are doing,... the story 1 Internal conflict (man vs himself) – conflict within the character 2 External conflict – a struggle with an outside force or problem a Man vs Man – one against one b Man vs Society – one against a social issue or problem c Man vs nature – one against an element or animal  d Man vs Supernatural – one against ghosts, fantasies, etc C Characterization – the description of people in a story... in a sentence; how the writer constructs a sentence T Imagery – descriptive words and phrases that appeal to the senses U Connotation – not the original (dictionary) definition of a word; a cultural meaning V Denotation – the dictionary definition of a word W Idiom – a word or expression peculiar to certain language; means something different that the literal meaning It’s raining cats and dogs X Blank... person objective (camera view) – we know what the characters are doing, not what they are thinking or feeling G Setting – time and place of events 1 Time – when events take place a Day c Season b Year d Historical Time 2 Place – where events take place H Theme – the central message about life or human nature; a universal truth I Symbol - an object that stands for an idea or belief J Irony – a statement,