Character types
Flat Character
Two-dimensional character that experiences no change throughout the narrative.
Author of Beloved.
Toni Morrison
Allusion
A reference to another literary work or famous individual.
Enjambment
The use of successive lines with no punctuation or pause between them.
Stage Directions
an instruction(s) in the text of a play, especially one indicating the movement, position, or tone of an actor
Stock Character
A type of flat character in a literary work that is instantly recognizable character by the readers. Examples being the "dumb jock" and "ruthless businessman"
Main protagonist of 1984.
Winston Smith
Onomatopoeia
A word that actually looks like the sound it makes. Ex. "boom!"
Lyric Poem
Personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject.
What is a pun?
a play on words
Dynamic Character
A character that experiences a change of attitude and/or personality in a novel.
The author of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Tennessee Williams
Hyperbole
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Caesura
A pause somewhere in the middle of a verse.
What is foreshadowing?
An author’s use of “hints” which prepare the reader for future events or the outcome
Tragic Hero
A character who makes a judgement that ultimately leads to their own undoing.
This is the author of Hamlet, and Romeo & Juliet
William Shakespeare
Euphemism
A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term. An example being "pass away" instead of "die."
Irony
A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is being stated. The reverse of what is to be expected.
This is the way that Plays are measured
Acts & Scenes
*Which are comparable to parts & chapters
Foil Character
A character that juxtaposes another, usually the protagonist.
who said "You got two feet Sethe, not four"
Paul D.
Imagery
When the writer describes something so that it appeals to the senses.
Meter
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry.
What is a tragedy? (as a literary device)
A drama in which a disastrous series of events happens to the hero