Sophomore Literary Terms Glossary

Not included in the Literary Terms Quiz

Allegory

• the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence

General Terms:

·         Alliteration

o   The repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of the word

·         Allusion

o   A reference to a work or event outside of the text

·         Persona

o   The character or implied author thought whom the story is told, generally in fiction

·         Prose

o   Written work that includes everything except poetry

·         Speaker

o   The character or implied author through whom the story is told, generally in poetry

·         Suspense

o   The tension in the story

Character Terms:

·         Characterization

o   Creating a character so that they seem lifelike

·         Direct Characterization

o   An author TELLS about a character using description

·         Indirect Characterization

o   The author SHOWS what the character is like, requiring the reader to infer from the text

·         Flat Character

o   A two dimensional character

·         Round Character

o   A three dimensional character

·         Dynamic Character

o   A character that undergoes a change throught he course of the work

·         Static Character

o   A character who stay the same throughout the course of the work

Poetry Terms:

·         Caesura

o   A line of poetry with a definite break inside the line

·         End Stopped

o   A line of poetry with a pause or stop at the end of the line

·         Enjambment

o   A line of poetry that flows to the next without a pause

·         Rhyme

o   Corresponding sounds usually at the end of the lines

·         Rhyme Scheme

o   A patter of corresponding sounds

·         Stanza

o   The divisions between lines of poetry

Point of View Terms:

·         First Person

o   The story is told from the narrators perspective

·         Third Person

o   The narrator is not a character of the story

·         Third Person Limited

o   The narrator is not a character of the story, but has some insight on one or more of the character’s thoughts and feelings

·         Third Person Omniscient

o   The narrator is not a character of the story, but has insight to all of the character’s thoughts and feelings

Plot Elements:

·         Rising Action

o   The events and details leading up to the climax

·         Climax

o   The exciting even of a story where the main conflict is resolved

·         Exposition

o   The background of information given at the beginning of the story