Literary terms 1

  1. Simile
    figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, resembles, or than
  2. foreshadowing
    the use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot
  3. metaphor
    figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thingbecomes  another ting without the use of the words like, as, than, or resembles
  4. direct characterization
    the writer tells us directly what kind of person the character is
  5. situational irony
    occurs when there is a contrast between what would seem appropriate and what really happens, or when what we expect to happen is in fact quite contradictory to what really does take place
  6. irony
    contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality-between what is said and what is really meant, between what is expected to happen and what really does happen, or between what appears to be true and what is really true
  7. suspense
    the uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what is going to happen next in a story
  8. symbol
    a person, a place, a thing, or an event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well
  9. plot
    series of related events that make up a story or drama
  10. verbal irony
    a writer or speaker says one thing but really means something completely different
  11. theme
    the central idea of a work or literature
  12. internal conflict
    a struggle between opposing needs or desires or emotions within a single person
  13. character
    person in a story, poem, or play
  14. imagery
    language that appeals to the senses
  15. personification
    special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human
  16. external conflict
    a character struggles against an outside force
  17. indirect characterization
    we have to use our on judgment to decide what a character is like, based on the evidence the writer gives us
  18. dramatic irony
    occurs when the audience or the reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know
  19. unreliable narrator
    someone who is not always perceptive about what's going on in a story or someone whois deliberately not telling the whole truth
  20. setting
    the time and place of a story or play
  21. conflict
    struggle or clash between opposing characters or between opposing forces
  22. exposition
    type of writing that explains, gives information, defines, or clarifies an idea
  23. rising action
    presents the conflict or problem and suspense beings to build due to this action
  24. climax
    the high point of interest in a story and it usually results in a change in a character or characters
  25. falling action
    denouement in which the story winds down and the conflicts begin to be settled
  26. conclusion
    all conflicts and problems are resolved and all of the reader's questions are answered
  27. differences of conflict
    • man vs. man
    • man vs. nature
    • man vs. self
Author
ashley_fritz
ID
255148
Card Set
Literary terms 1
Description
literary terms associated with the short stories discussed in semester 1
Updated