Definitions - Form
Word order; the grammatical logic that sequences words to make meaning.
What is syntax?
A narrator's or speaker's word choice
What is diction?
Flat characters are rarely labeled with this term for character development.
What are dynamic characters?
A coming-of-age novel (must be pronounced correctly!)
What is a bildungsroman?
A comparison of two unlike things which uses the words "like" or "as" to achieve a figurative effect.
What is a simile?
A device or genre used to critique society with humor and/or hyperbole.
What is satire?
Subtle or coded hinting at upcoming plot events or characters for the purpose of creating suspense or narrative twists.
What is foreshadowing?
A character who has an uncertain or complex identity, whose motivations are comprehensible (if not relatable), and/or who has some depth is labeled with this term.
What is a round character?
A sudden, unlikely, and/or supernatural plot event that resolves a conflict.
What is deus ex machina?
Diction that is euphonic uses soft letters and vowels to create "good sounds." Also called dissonance, this device uses hard letters or discomforting sound combinations.
What is cacophony?
The "running on" of a grammatical unit or idea between lines of poetry, as contrasted with "end-stopping."
What is enjambment?
The thoughts and feelings of a character, as revealed through narration.
What is interiority?
A character used in juxtaposition with another character to achieve indirect characterization.
What is a foil?
A fatal flaw, e.g. hubris, that leads to a character's downfall.
What is hamartia?
Often confused with a similar device, this device refers to something using an associated object, e.g. "The Hill is confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson."
What is metonymy?
Typically didactic, this genre of literary work uses a story as an explicit analogy to explain a phenomenon or belief.
What is an allegory?
A speaker or narrator addressing someone/something in the second-person, even though that is an unlikely or impossible audience.
What is apostrophe?
A "stock character" - a mold with recognizable features in a cultural context, e.g., "the Wise Black Woman" or "the Chosen One"
What is an archetype?
The Italian term for a poetic "turn" - a notable shift in language, sentiment, or structure of a poem. (Must be pronounced correctly!)
What is a volta?
A tension created when the audience or reader knows something that one or more characters doesn't.
What is dramatic irony?
A narrative structure in which a narrator begins a story "in the midst of" the action, rather than introducing characters, setting, and conflict before rising action.
What is in medias res?
An adopted character used for first-person narration who is distinct from the author.
What is a persona?
Also known as vernacular, this term refers to the use of "common speech" in narration or dialogue, sometimes transliterated to imitate sound patterns.
What is dialect?
The resolution of action and conflict at the end of a narrative - "home again, but different." (Must be pronounced correctly!)
What is denouement?
A deliberately disappointing or underwhelming resolution at the moment in a narrative of highest stakes, tension, or conflict.
What is an anti-climax?