50 Common Literary Terms AMERICAN LITERATURE Fiction A work that is not based on reality Drama A play Poetry The writings of a poet.
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Transcript 50 Common Literary Terms AMERICAN LITERATURE Fiction A work that is not based on reality Drama A play Poetry The writings of a poet.
50 Common Literary Terms
AMERICAN LITERATURE
Fiction
A work that is not based on reality
Drama
A play
Poetry
The writings of a poet that are considered beautiful
and graceful; usually written in a specific format
Non-fiction
A story or writing that is based on truth and reality
Characterization
How the character is described in terms of its
personality, physical appearance and character.
dialogue
Conversation between two or more characters
monologue
A speech, usually very long, that is give by one
character only in the presence of other people
Direct characterization
When the author describes the character for the
audience through vivid detail and description
Indirect characterization
When the reader determines what the character is
like through inferences made in the reading
Setting
When and where the story takes place
Chronological order
When a written work is ordered from the oldest to
the most recent; ordered by date
Epistolary Form
When a work is written in the form of letters
Frame Narrative
A story that is written within another story; similar
to a dream within a dream
Point of View
The perspective from which the story is told
Tone
The overall voice that the author portrays in a work
Diction
The word choice a person/ author makes when
writing
Rhetoric
The art of writing and argumentation
Syntax
The order in which words appear in a sentence
Mood
The overall feeling or atmosphere the work gives to
the reader
Theme
The overall meaning or message a work sends to its
audience
End Rhyme
Rhyme that comes at the end of a line in a poem
Internal Rhyme
rhyme between a word within a line and another
either at the end of the same line or within another
line
Slant Rhyme
Words that do not quite rhyme but are still paired
within a poem. Ex. Gain and again
Assonance
the use of words that have the same or very similar
vowel sounds near one another. Ex. as in “summer
fun” and “rise high in the bright sky”
Alliteration
Repeated consonant sounds
Ex. Suzy sells seashells
Blank Verse
un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter. It
has 10 syllables per line
narrative
A written work that comes in the form of a “story”
Sonnet
a poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter,
with rhymes arranged according to one of certain
definite schemes
Stream of Consciousness
a literary style in which a character's thoughts,
feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous
flow uninterrupted by objective description or
conventional dialogue
Irony
the expression of one's meaning by using language
that normally signifies the opposite, typically for
humorous or emphatic effect
Sarcasm
the use of irony to mock or convey contempt
Situational Irony
irony involving a situation in which actions have an
effect that is opposite from what was intended, so
that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.
Dramatic Irony
Irony in a play in which the audience knows
something that the characters do not.
Verbal Irony
When a person says or writes one thing and means
another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is
the opposite of the literal meaning.
Satire
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to
expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices,
particularly in the context of contemporary politics
and other topical issues
Ex. Family Guy
Figurative Language
Similes, metaphors, imagery, ways to describes
things in vivid detail and with comparisons
Simile
A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’
Metaphor
A comparison that does not use ‘like’ or ‘as’
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration
Idiom
an expression whose meaning is not predictable from
the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as
kick the bucket
Connotation
The implied meaning of a word
Denotation
The given definition of a word
Farce
a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and
horseplay and typically including crude
characterization and ludicrously improbable
situations
Juxtapose
place or deal with close together for contrasting
effect
Bildungsroman
A novel dealing with one person's formative years or
spiritual education. (aka- a coming of age story)
Archetype
a very typical example of a certain person or thing
Motif
a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic
or literary composition
Epic
a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
Soliloquy
speech you make to yourself
Imagery
Descriptive detail that is meant to create an image in
the reader’s mind