Keystone Literary Terms Review

Atmosphere of a work derived from literary devices such as dialogue and literary elements such as setting.

A conclusion based on facts or circumstances; understanding gained by “reading between the lines.”

A topic of discussion or work; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.

The generally accepted importance of a work representing a given culture.

To inform or teach you about something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince their audience to do something.

A category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique or content (e.g., prose, poetry).

A literary plot that is characterized by diminishing tensions and the resolution of the plot’s conflicts.

A point of view that relates events as they are perceived by a single character.

An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place, or event.

A written account of another person's life.

A variety of a language distinct from the standard variety in pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary.

The fluency, rhythm, and liveliness in a text that make it unique to the author.

A literary approach that ridicules or examines human vice or weakness.

Traits that mark a work as imaginative or narrative discourse (e.g., plot, theme, symbol).

In its widest sense, this is simply a conversation between characters or speakers in a literary work.

The written text of a play. Includes the dialogue between characters, stage directions, and often other information.

The subtle presence of a positive or negative approach toward a topic.

Descriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions.

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

The portion of a story following the climax in which the conflict is resolved.

Mark a work as reportorial, analytical, informative, or argumentative (e.g., facts, data, charts, graphics, headings).

Place together characters, situations, or ideas to show common and/or differing features in literary selections.

Information aimed at positively or negatively influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people.

The part of a story where the plot becomes increasingly complicated. Leads up to the climax or turning point.

The author’s choices regarding language, sentence structure, voice, and tone in order to communicate with the reader.

The moment when the conflict is at its most intense.

A tool used by the author to enliven and provide a voice to the text (e.g., dialogue, alliteration).

Objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself.

Distinguish, tell apart, and recognize differences between two or more items.

A trend or pattern of shared beliefs or practices that mark an approach to literature (e.g., Realism, Naturalism).

A recurring subject, theme, or idea in a literary work.

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and personalities (e.g., direct, indirect).

A character that symbolically embodies well-known meanings and basic human experiences.

Includes literary elements and devices usually associated with fiction to report on actual persons, places, or events.

Author’s choice of words, phrases, structures, and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning and tone.

The generally accepted importance or value of a work to represent human experience regardless of culture or time period.

The repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words.

Written primarily to convey factual information. Comprise the majority of printed material adults read like books.

Groups of letters placed before a word to alter its meaning.

Attached to the beginning, end, or base of a word and serving to produce a derivative word or an inflectional form

The range of associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its dictionary meaning.

The process or result of identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one another.

Presents action that occurred before the current (present) time of the story.

Any visual cues on a page of text that offer additional information to guide the reader’s comprehension.

The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows an established design.

An extended speech spoken by one speaker, either to others or as if alone.

Groups of letters placed after a word to alter its meaning or change it into a different kind of word.

The position or claim the author establishes. These should be supported with valid evidence and reasoning.

An essential technique used in literature (e.g., characterization, setting, plot, theme).

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.

The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning.

An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.)

A conclusion drawn from specific information that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or person.

A word that is the opposite in meaning to another word.

A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used

The attitude of the author toward the audience, characters, subject, or the work itself (e.g., serious, humorous)

A dramatic speech, revealing inner thoughts and feelings, spoken aloud by one character while alone on the stage.

A narrative device that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.

The comparison of two unlike things in which "like" or "as" are not used (e.g., The speech gave me food for thought.)

An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I had to wait forever.)

An organizational device used in literature to create expectations or to set up an explanation of later developments.

This point of view presents the events of the story from outside of any single character’s perception.

Though unexpressed in the actual text, meaning that may be understood by the reader; implied.

The ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as phrases, clauses, and sentences.