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| The turning point in a story, at which the end result becomes inevitable, usually where something suddenly goes terribly wrong; the “dramatic high point” of a story. |
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| A struggle between opposing forces which is the driving force of a story. The outcome of any story provides a resolution of the conflict(s); this is what keeps the reader reading. |
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| An indirect relationship where one thing/idea is described as being similar to another. (they usually contain “like”/“as,” but not always.) |
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| The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas. In other words, a symbol must be something you can hold in your hand or draw a picture of, while the idea it symbolizes must be something you can’t hold in your hand or draw a picture of. |
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| Where a story ends with a negative/unfortunate outcome which was essentially avoidable, usually caused by a central character’s flaw. |
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| Tragic hero/tragic figure |
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| A protagonist who comes to a bad end as a result of his own behavior, usually cased by a specific personality disorder or character flaw. (Willy Loman is one of the best-known tragic figures in American lit., oblivious to/unable to face the reality of his life.) |
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| Where the meaning of a specific expression is, or is intended to be, the exact opposite of what the words literally mean. (Sarcasm is a tone of voice that often accompanies verbal irony, but they are not the same thing.) |
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| Where every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger abstract concept or important historical/geopolitical event. |
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| The repetition of consonant sounds, usually in consecutive words within the same sentence/line. |
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| Counterpart to the main character/source of a story’s main conflict. The person may not be “bad”/“evil,” but he/she opposes the protagonist in a significant way. |
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| Where animals/inanimate objects are portrayed in a story as people, such as by walking, talking, or being given arms, legs, facial features, or human locomotion. (This technique is often incorrectly called personification.) |
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| Non-rhyming poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter. |
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| The people who inhabit and take part in a story. When discussing character, look to the essential function of the character(s). |
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| The author’s means of conveying to the reader a character’s personality, life history, values, physical attributes, etc. Also refers directly to a description thereof. |
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| Conditions, including facts, social/historical background, time and place, etc., surrounding a given situation. |
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| Exaggeration or alteration of objective facts or reality, for the purpose of enhancing meaning in a fictional context. |
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| Where characters speak to one another; may often be used to substitute for exposition. |
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| Where the audience or reader is aware of something important, of which the characters in the story are not aware. |
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| Where an author interrupts a story in order to explain something, usually to provide important background information. |
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| Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal meaning of the words themselves. There are many techniques which can rightly be called figurative language, including metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, verbal irony, and oxymoron. |
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| A character who is meant to represent characteristics, values, ideas, etc. which are directly and diametrically opposed to those of another character, usually the protagonist. |
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| Where future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested by the author before they happen. Foreshadowing can take many forms and be accomplished in many ways, with varying degrees of subtlety. However, if the outcome is deliberately/explicitly revealed early in a story (i.e. by the narrator/flashback structure), such information does not constitute foreshadowing. |
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| A description which exaggerates, usually employing extremes and/or superlatives to convey a positive or negative attribute; “hype.” |
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| A poetic meter wherein each line contains ten syllables, as five repetitions of a two-syllable pattern in which the pronunciation emphasis is on the second syllable. |
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| Language which describes something in detail, using words to substitute for and create sensory stimulation, including visual imagery and sound imagery. Also refers to specific and recurring types of images, such as food imagery and nature imagery. |
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| Irony (a.k.a. Situational irony) |
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| Where an event occurs which is unexpected, in the sense that it is somehow in absurd or mocking opposition to what would be expected or appropriate. Mere coincidence is generally not ironic; neither is mere surprise, nor are any random or arbitrary occurrences. (Note |
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| A direct relationship where one thing or idea substitutes for another. |
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| The atMosphere or emotional condition created by the piece, within the setting. Mood refers to the general sense or feeling which the reader is supposed to get from the text; it does not, as a literary element, refer to the author’s or characters’ state of mind. |
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| A recurring important idea or image. A motif differs from a theme in that it can be expressed as a single word or fragmentary phrase, while a theme usually must be expressed as a complete sentence. |
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| Where sounds are spelled out as words; or, when words describing sounds actually sound like the sounds they describe. |
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| A contradiction in terms. |
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| Where a situation is created which cannot possibly exist, because different elements of it cancel each other out. |
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| Use of similar or identical language, structures, events or ideas in different parts of a text. |
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| (I) Where inanimate objects or abstract concepts are seemingly endowed with human self-awareness; where human thoughts, actions, perceptions and emotions are directly attributed to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. (Not to be confused with anthropomorphism.) |
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| (II) Where an abstract concept, such as a particular human behavior or a force of nature, is represented as a person. |
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| Sequence of events in a story. Most literary essay tasks will instruct writers “avoid plot summary;” the term is therefore rarely useful for response/critical analysis. When discussing plot, it is generally more useful to analyze its structure, rather than simply “what happens.” |
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| The identity of the narrative voice; the person or entity through whom the reader experiences the story. May be third-person (no narrator; abstract narrative voice, omniscient or limited) or first-person (narrated by a character in the story or a direct observer). Point-of-view is a commonly misused term; it does not refer to the author’s or characters’ feelings, opinions, perspectives, biases, etc. |
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| The main character in a story, the one with whom the reader is meant to identify. The person is not necessarily “good” by any conventional moral standard, but he/she is the person in whose plight the reader is most invested. |
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| Where a specific word, phrase, or structure is repeated several times, usually in close proximity, to emphasize a particular idea. (The repetition of the words “What if…” at the beginning of each line reinforces the speaker’s confusion and fear.) |
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| The time and place where a story occurs. The setting can be specific (e.g., New York City in 1930) or ambiguous (e.g., a large urban city during economic hard times). When discussing or analyzing setting, it is generally insufficient to merely identify the time and place; an analysis of setting should include a discussion of its overall impact on the story and characters. |
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| The “voice” of a poem; not to be confused with the poet him/herself. Analogous to the narrator in prose fiction. |
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| The manner in which the various elements of a story are assembled. |
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| The main idea or message conveyed by the piece. A theme should generally be expressed as a complete sentence; an idea expressed by a single word or fragmentary phrase is usually a motif. |
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| The apparent emotional state, or “aTTiTude,” of the speaker/narrator/narrative voice, as conveyed through the language of the piece. Tone refers only to the narrative voice; not to the author/characters. (The poem’s bitter/sardonic tone reveals the speaker’s anger/resentment.) |
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| The single characteristic (usually negative) or personality disorder which causes the downfall of the protagonist. |
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