Literary Terms 1
A distinctive category of literature.
What is genre?
Accidental or intentional intellectual theft in which a writer, poet, artist, scholar, or student steals an original idea, phrase, or section of writing from someone else.
What is plagiarism?
The ordinary use of language used in writing and speaking.
What is prose?
A character or group of characters who stand in opposition to the “hero.” It comes from the Greek work meaning “opponent,” “competitor,” or “rival.”
What is antagonist?
A 14-line poem consisting of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a concluding couplet (two rhyming lines). The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.
What is sonnet?
A writer develops a character in one or more of the following ways: 1. showing the character acting and speaking 2. giving a physical description 3. revealing the character’s thoughts 4. reveal what other characters think about the character and 5. commenting directly on the character.
What is characterization?
A deep and layered character in a story. They are interesting because they feel like real people.
What is a round character?
A character who goes through significant internal changes. This character learns a lesson or changes as a person (for better or worse).
What is a dynamic character?
An author’s unique way of constructing their sentences. This may include long, wordy sentences; very short sentences; parallel structure; or repetitive words, phrases, or sentences.
What is syntax?
A person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. They are used to perform actions, speak dialogue, and move the story along a plot line.
What is character?
The other characters in the story. They are not as important as the major character, but they still play an important role in driving the story forward.
What is a minor character?
A writer’s choice of words, particularly for clarity, effectiveness, and precision.
What is diction?
A central character or leading figure. He/she is often a “hero” to the readers.
What is the protagonist?
A narrative that conveys a complex, abstract, or difficult message to the reader. The story makes sense on a literal level but also conveys another more important meaning.
What is allegory?
Poetry that has no fixed meter or pattern and that depends on natural speech rhythm. It may or may not rhyme. The lines may be of different lengths.
What is free verse?
The details beyond the piece of writing that provide meaning. This could include information about the author, setting, politics, religion, philosophy, or events of the time period.
What is the context?
Simply the bare events in a story. This is different from the plot in that the plot includes the meaning and purpose behind the events.
What is action?
A genre of literature that is written in verse and emphasizes the rhythmic use of words to create imagery
What is poetry?
An important figure at the center of the story’s action or theme.
What is a major character?
A character who stays mostly the same throughout the story.
What is a static character?
This refers to the unique style, personality, or perspective of a piece of writing. It is created through their diction, syntax, punctuation, characterization, and dialogue.
What is voice?
The author clearly states the character’s traits and qualities.
What is direct characterization?
A character that lacks depth or real personality.
What is a flat character?
The character traits and qualities are not clearly stated. The readers must draw conclusions based on the character’s behavior, speech, appearance, and the opinion of other characters.
What is indirect characterization?
A stylistic “interruption” where the author temporarily departs from the story to provide background information or focus on a seemingly unrelated topic. The author then returns to the narrative.
What is a digression?