Literary Terms List - ENG1WW PDF

Literary Terms List ~ ENG1WW General Terms Fiction ​ a piece of imaginative writing, the source of which is the author’s mind Narrative ​ a literary text that tells a story ​ Beginn...

Literary Terms List ~ ENG1WW General Terms Fiction ​ a piece of imaginative writing, the source of which is the author’s mind Narrative ​ a literary text that tells a story ​ Beginning middle and end Genre ​ a group of literary works that are similar in form, style, content or purpose ​ for example: horror, fantasy, historical ​ Good place to start when analyzing a text Parts of a Narrative and Structural Elements Plot ​ the events of a narrative work Setting ​ the physical place, historical time and social circumstances in which the story takes place ​ Values, governing body ​ What its contributing to the text Character ​ a player in the story ​ also a term for the sum total of a person’s traits and qualities Characterization ​ the process by which the author reveals a character’s traits, background and motivation Character Development ​ the change in a character that takes place over the course of the text Protagonist ​ the main character upon whom the reader’s attention is focused Antagonist ​ the character who creates conflict for the main character ​ Doesn’t have to be a villain Foil ​ a character who, by sharp contrast, serves to stress and highlight distinctive and opposing traits  of another character ​ for example:Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy Conflict ​ the struggle of two opposing forces, either within a single character or between a character and an external force ​ without this, there is no plot ​ Types include: Character vs character, character vs self, character vs society ​ Character vs self is also known as internal conflict while all other forms are external conflict ​ For example: Internal Conflict: stress, anxiety, guilt, grief, insecurity, making a decision, dealing with a mental illness Atmosphere ​ the mood or emotional experience the author creates for the reader ​ For example: tense, lighthearted, serious, sentimental, gloomy, playful, joyful Introduction (Exposition) ​ establishes the setting, atmosphere, characters and central conflicts of a narrative ​ Also known as exposition Inciting Incident ​ the event that sets the plot in motion; usually occurs at the end of the introduction ​ For example: When Harry gets his letter and finds out he is a Wizard ​ Marks the end of the introduction and sets things in motion Rising Action ​ series of events, after the inciting incident, that lead to the climax Climax ​ the moment of highest action or interest for the reader ​ the protagonist confronts the central conflict and/or the antagonist ​ the big “moment” the plot has been “leading up to” ​ Dealing with the central conflict Falling Action ​ the central action of the climax shifts towards the resolution of the conflict ​ tension is relieved after the climax; the impact on the characters is revealed ​ may answer questions, tie up loose ends  ​ it isn’t always a steady wind-down; there may still be “action” in the events Resolution ​ final strands of the narrative are brought together (Denouement) and matters are explained or resolved ​ The resolution may not tie everything off ​ Can be a cliffhanger Flashback ​ scenes within a narrative which represent events that happened before the story began Narrator ​ the voice (or character) telling the story Point of View ​ the perspective from which the story is told ​ Works together with the narrator to create an effect First Person ​ point of view where the narrator speaks as “I” and is, to some degree, a participant in the plot (often the narrator is also the protagonist) ​ For example: Katniss tells her story in the Hunger Games Second Person ​ point of view where the narrator (or author, in non-fiction) addresses the reader as “you” ​ creates a connection between narrator and reader (or author and reader) ​ often used in personal or informal non-fiction writing (ie) a personal essay ​ For example : Choose your own adventure books Third Person ​ point of view where the characters are referred to as “he”, “she,” or “they” by the all-seeing and all-knowing “voice” who is aware of all the characters’ thoughts, feelings and motivations ​ also known as an omniscient narrator ​ A limited third person narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character Theme ​ a central idea that runs throughout a text ​ for example: survival, self-discovery, impulsive love, coming of age, man’s inhumanity to man ​ Not the same as “subject" or “topic”. ​ Theme implies what the author is saying about the subject  Stylistic Devices (Literary Techniques) Symbol ​ a person, place, object or idea in a literary work that represents something larger in meaning than itself ​ for example: in the Harry Potter series, snakes represent evil, hatred and intolerance Motif ​ an element that shows up again and again to emphasize a theme ​ could be: a symbol, an object, a colour, a line of dialogue, a type of imagery ​ For example: in the red balloons become a motif that supports the childhood trauma Allusion ​ a reference to a person, place or thing from another (well-known) source, outside of the text ​ for example: It rained so hard I thought we’d have to build an ark (refers to the Biblical story of Noah’s ark) Paradox ​ a statement or situation that seems to, or actually does, contradict itself ​ for example: fire station engulfed in flames (it seems like a contradiction) Irony ​ when the meaning intended is the opposite of that expressed or expected; the effect created by a paradox ​ Types include: verbal irony (such as sarcasm, where the tone alters the meaning of the literal words) and situational irony (the situation is the opposite of what you would expect like a tow truck getting towed. Dramatic Irony ​ the audience knows more than the characters ​ generally used to create suspense or humour ​ Used to create suspense (like in a horror movie, when we know the killer is in the basement but the naive babysitter doesn’t) or humour ​ the process of giving the reader hints about coming events ​ the audience’s feelings of uncertainty about coming events ​ an event that brings about a sudden outpouring or release of emotion in the reader and/or the characters after a considerable build-up ​ the emotion may be positive (such as relief) or negative (such as anger) ​ provides the audience with a moment of relief from a serious or tense scene ​ may be used to show the sharp contrast between two events ​ the author’s choice of words ​ for example: ​ the literal or primary meaning of a word ​ the emotion or idea a word suggests ​ for example: ​ two words, usually opposite in meaning, placed in juxtaposition to one another ​ for example: ​ a play on words that are either identical or similar in sound, but generally different in meaning ​ for example: ​ deliberate exaggeration to create a particular effect ​ for example: ​ an implied comparison between two seemingly unlike things ​ for example: ​ a comparison between two things, often using “like,” “as if” or “as…as” ​ for example: ​ assigning human traits or abilities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas ​ for example: ​ a form of personification that ascribes human  feelings to nonhuman objects or nature or natural phenomena (such as the weather) ​ for example: ​ words in which the sound is connected to the meaning ​ for example: ​ using vivid description, which evokes the five senses, to paint a picture with words