English Literary Terms Review

The arrangement of events in a literary work

to suggest/hint at something without stating it clearly

one of the qualities that makes up a character's personality

a figure of speech in which non-human subjects are given human characteristics 

a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows to be true

the feeling created in a READER by a literary work/passage

the story's end

an author's use of hints/clues to suggest events that will occur later

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

the general name given to literary techniques that involve interesting contradictions

a figure of speech that is an exaggeration for effect

a figure of speech that makes an indirect comparison between two unlike subjects (no like/as)

the main character in a literary work

the time/place of the story

events that occur between the climax and conclusion

an informal, often short-lived kind of language used in place of standard words

a fixed, generalized idea about a character, place, or situation

a problem or struggle within a character

the relationship between the narrator and the story he/she tells, perspective of story

the author's intent either to inform/teacher, to entertain, or to persuade/convince audience

the standard language of written communication, formal speeches...not using slang

The two major types of conflict

a person/animal who takes part in the action of a literary work

prose writing that tells about imaginary characters/events

words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning

introduces the central conflict

the message, central concern, or insight into life revealed in a literary work

this character changes as a result of the action in the story

a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem/song

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

the ordinary form of writing; most writing that is not poetry, drama, or song

a character or force in conflict with the main character

the quality of the story that makes the reader curious and excited about what will happen next

the speaker or character who tells the story

anything that stands for or represents something else (possibly an item)

a reason that explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions

the attitude toward the subject/audience conveyed by the language/rhythm of the speaker

this character is fully developed- writer reveals good and bad traits as well as the background

struggle between opposing forces; any problem that must be solved

a division of poetry similar to a paragraph in prose

literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice/weakness

the point of highest interest, the conflict must be resolved one way or another

an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the character/reader/audience

The series of related actions or events in a literary work

conversation between characters

any events leading up to the climax

this character stays the same throughout the story

a division or type of literature - generally prose, poetry, or drama

a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike subjects using like/as

the fluency, rhythm and liveliness in writing that makes it unique to the writer

the language of everyday speech, may use contractions and slang

judgement based on reasoning rather than direct statement

an expression having a special meaning different from the usual meanings of the words

establishes the setting, identifies the characters, introduces the basis situation

types of figurative language

a problem or struggle between a character and someone or something outside of the character

this character seems to possess only one or two personality traits

the use of words that imitate sounds (buzz, hiss, crack)

writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally

a word/group of words which appeal to one or more of the senses