Unit 3: Part 3 Literary Terms

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. irony
    incongruity between what is expected and what occurs
    Irony is a contradiction between appearance and reality, between expectation and outcome, or between meaning and intention.
  2. dramatic irony
    when the audience understands something the characters don't
    Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience is aware of something that a character does not know.
  3. theme
    a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary work
    The use of irony may also develop a story's theme—its central message.
  4. Petrarchan sonnet
    a sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba, followed by a sestet with the rhyme pattern cdecde or cdcdcd
    A Petrarchan sonnet, such as Dunbar's poem "Douglass," has fourteen lines separated into one stanza of eight lines and one of six lines.
  5. sonnet
    a verse form of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
    A Petrarchan sonnet, such as Dunbar's poem "Douglass," has fourteen lines separated into one stanza of eight lines and one of six lines.
  6. narrative
    consisting of or characterized by the telling of a story
    Narrative poetry is poetry that tells a story and includes the same literary elements as narrative prose such as short stories and novels: plot, setting, character, speaker...
  7. plot
    the story that is told, as in a novel, play, movie, etc.
    • Plot: a related sequence of events, driven by a conflict or problem
  8. setting
    the context and environment in which something is situated
    • Setting: the time and place in which a story takes place
  9. character
    an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction
    • Characters: people who participate in the action
  10. speaker
    the narrative voice of a poem (as distinct from the poet)
    In some narrative poems, one character acts as the speaker, or voice that tells the story.
  11. characterization
    a vivid verbal description
    Characterization is the art of revealing characters' personalities.
  12. first person
    narration from the point of view of the speaker or narrator
    For example, this story uses first-person point of view—the narrator is part of the action and uses the pronouns I, me, and we.
  13. point of view
    the perspective from which a story is told
    For example, this story uses first-person point of view—the narrator is part of the action and uses the pronouns I, me, and we.
  14. editorial
    an article giving opinions or perspectives
    As the editor of a Nebraska newspaper, take a position and write an editorial defending your view.
  15. plagiarism
    taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own
    If you do not credit sources accurately, you commit the serious offense of plagiarism, presenting someone else's work as your own. Plagiarism is stealing someone else's ideas, so it is both illegal and dishonest.
  16. analogy
    drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
    Refer to the chart above to complete the analogies.
Created on Mon Oct 19 16:40:54 EDT 2020 (updated Mon Jun 21 16:04:35 EDT 2021)

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