Literary Terms H-IB World Literature

part of the narrative structure that occurs when the conflict is introduced

a word or object that represents another word or object

when the narrator comments directly on the attributes of the character

when a character’s credibility is compromised & the reader has to judge what to believe

the part of literary analysis that focuses on an author's vocabulary and word choices

part of the script of a play that tells the actors how they are to move or to speak their lines

figure of speech that compares 2 seemingly unalike things without using a connective word

humor that is viewed as dark, morbid, graphic, & offensive to some, but still funny

in narrative structure, when the conflict is directly addressed

occurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not

hereditary stories of a particular cultural that try to explain why the world is as it is

a division in a poem that includes a certain number of lines (usually 4)

system of society/government in which men hold the power & women are largely excluded from it

the part in narrative structure where the conflict is reolved

a sequence of continuous action in a play, movie, opera

when the narrator places the character in situations to display his attributes

underlying &often distinct theme that while not directly said, is implied by the social context

when the writer places 2 things next to each other so the reader will compare and contrast them

a minor character who contrasts with the protagonist to highlight traits of the protagonist

a type of character that does not change during the course of a narrative

a single metrical line in a poetic composition

a reference to something in history, literature, art, etc, etc, etc

a myth-like story where the protagonist is human and there is nothing supernatural

part of the narrative when the conflict changes or intensifies

text at the beginning to either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional context

a character who changes throughout the course of a narrative

the principle that requires every element of a narrative to be necessary and irreplaceable

comparison of 2 unlike things using connective words, such as “like,” “as,” “than,” or “seems”

sub-sections within a scene or a play marked by ends of conversations, entrances, and exits

a literary device in which virtue is ultimately rewarded or vice is ultimately punished

in narrative structure, when the loose ends are tied up in the aftermath of the conflict

classical Greek idea of possessing free will within the limits of predestination by the gods

a contradiction between what is expected and what actually occurs

the original model on which something in literature is patterned

method of narration that uses the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters

when the author interrupts the storyline to insert past events to give background or context

the range of emotions that are connected to a word in addition to its dictionary definition

what a text has to teach about life or the way the world works; a statement, not a subject

the emotional atmosphere of a work as a whole or in a particular part

a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work

in a narrative, a warning or predictor of a future event

the name for an inorganic resolution; the problem is solved with a random intervention

when the reader or a character reacts to the narrative by releasing strong emotion

a group of unified sentences in prose writing

in verse, rapid dialogue delivered by two actors in alternating lines; usually when arguing

the obstacle or problem that is necessary to a narrative

written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure

the grammar and sentence structure of a text

a type of character who is complex; tends develop throughout a narrative

makes language concrete instead of abstract by appealing to the senses (creating pictures)

when you take someone else’s writing and put the main idea into your own words

in prose writing, a complete unit typically consisting of a subject and verb