Literary Terms and Definitions (文学术语).docxVIP

Literary Terms and DefinitionsAllegory – a story illustrating an idea or a moral principle in which objects take on symbolic means.Alliteration – used for poetic effect, a repetition of the initial sounds of several words in a group.Allusion – a reference in one literary work to a character or theme found in another literary work.Ambiguities – a statement which can contain two or more meanings.Analogy – the comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship.Anecdote– a very short tale told by a character in a literary work.Antagonist – a person or force that opposes the protagonist in a literary work.Anthropomorphism– the describing of gods or goddesses in human forms and possessing human characteristics.Aside – a device in which a character in a drama makes a short speech which is heard by the audience but not by other characters in the play.Characterization – the method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work.Climax – the decisive moment in drama; the turning point of the play in which the rising action leads. Conflict – occurs when the protagonist is opposed by some person or force in the story.Connotation – unspoken, emotional or assuming definition.Denotation –dictionary definitionDialogue– conversation between characters.Diction – an author’s choice of words.Dramatic irony – the contrast between what the character thinks and what the reader knows.Exposition – the presentation of essential information regarding what has occurred prior to the beginning to the piece of literature. Falling action – the series of events which take place after the climax.Figurative language – the literature, a way of saying one thing and meaning something else.Flashback – a reference to an event which took place prior to the beginning of a story or a play.Foil – a character in a play who sets off the main character or other characters by comparison.Foreshadowing – a method used to build suspense by providing hints of what is to come.Genre – a