Literary Terms H-IB World Literature

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

a group of unified sentences in prose writing

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

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

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

a single metrical line in a poetic composition

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

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

a contradiction between what is expected and what actually occurs

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

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

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

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

in narrative structure, when the conflict is directly addressed

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

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

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

the part in narrative structure where the conflict is reolved

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

the original model on which something in literature is patterned

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

when the narrator comments directly on the attributes of the character

the grammar and sentence structure of a text

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

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

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

occurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not

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

the obstacle or problem that is necessary to a narrative

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

part of the narrative when the conflict changes or intensifies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

a word or object that represents another word or object