English Regents Terms
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Analogy
- An analogy is a comparison to a directly parallel case. When a writer uses an analogy, he or she argues that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case.
- Archetype
- —"images" of character, plot pattern, symbols recur in literature and evoke profound emotional responses in the reader because they resonate with an image already existing in our unconscious mind, e.g. death, rebirth.
- Symbol
- A thing, event, or person that represents or stands for some idea or event.
- Situational Irony
- an incongruity between what is expected or intended and what actually occurs, including missed meetings, mix-ups, and comedic happenings
- Tragedy
- Representations of serious actions which turn out disastrously.
- Foil
- A character whose traits are the opposite of another and who thus points up the strengths and weaknesses of the other character.
- Plot
- System of actions represented in a dramatic or narrative work.
- Farce
- A type of comedy in which one-dimensional characters are put into ludicrous situations; ordinary standards of probability and motivation are freely violated in order to evoke laughter.
- Anecdote
- A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Anecdotes are often inserted into fictional or nonfiction texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.
- Dynamic Character
- Character who undergoes changes during the course of a literary work; he/she is not the same at the beginning and the end of a work.
- sociological novel
- emphasizes the influence of economic and social conditions on characters and events and often embodies an implicit thesis for social reform.
- Onomatopoeia
- The use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning. "Buzz," "hiss," "slam," and "pop" are commonly used examples.
- Characterization
- The method an author uses to develop characters in a work. In direct characterization, the author straightforwardly states the character's traits. With indirect characterization, those traits are implied through what the character says, does, how the character dresses, interacts with other characters, etc.
- Alliteration
- The repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Or, vowel sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat.
- Exposition
- Introduction to setting, characters, and conflict; often provides background
- Theme
- A central idea of a work of fiction or nonfiction, revealed and developed in the course of a story or explored through argument.
- Elegy
- A formal sustained poem lamenting the death of a particular person.
- Motif
- A frequently recurrent character, incident, or concept in literature.
- Inciting Incident
- Moment in the story that sets the conflict in motion; the "powder keg"
- Man versus Self
- Type of Internal conflict where an individual is torn about what to do in a given situation
- historical novel
- takes its setting and a number of its characters and events from history.
- Style
- The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. In combination they create a work's manner of expression.
- Anachronism
- Assignment of something to a time when it was not in existence, e.g. the watch Merlyn wore in The Once and Future King.
- Understatement
- Deliberately representing something as much less than it really is —e.g. "Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her appearance."
- Man versus Man
- Theme in literature where there is a disagreement between two individuals, two small groups, or two large groups over an issue of importance
- Oxymoron
- A rhetorical antithesis. Juxtaposing two contradictory terms, like "wise fool" or "deafening silence."
- Climax
- Moment of highest tension where a critical decision must be made
- Cosmic Irony
- Type of irony where it seems that God or fate is manipulating events so as to inspire false hopes, which are inevitably dashed.
- Personification
- Figurative Language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form—e.g. "When Duty whispers..."
- Allusion
- An indirect reference to something with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, Biblical, or mythological.
- Resolution
- Ultimate working out of problem; it often contains a death or a marriage
- Mood
- An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the details selected. Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.
- Convention
- Following certain conventions, or traditional techniques of writing.
- Repetition
- Word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity.
- Moral
- The lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story. A heavily didactic story.
- Allegory
- A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfiction, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts.
- regional novel
- emphasizes setting and mores of a particular locality as these affect character and action (local color); e.g. Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
- Soliloquy
- When a character in a play speaks his thoughts aloud —usually by him or herself.
- Man versus Technology
- Theme in literature where technology is a source of evil and trouble for humans
- Apostrophe
- An address to the dead as if living; to the inanimate as if animate; to the absent as if present; to the unborn as if alive. Examples: "O Julius Caesar thou are mighty yet; thy spirit walks abroad," or "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll."
- Anaphora
- Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.
- Static Character
- Character who remains the same throughout the story; he/she is no different at the end than he/she was at the beginning. He/she doesn't learn, grow, or change
- Diction
- Word choice, particularly as an element of style.
- epistolary novel
- tells narrative through letters (beginning of Frankenstein by Mary Shelly).
- Parody
- An exaggerated imitation of a usually more serious work for humorous purposes. The writer of a parody uses the quirks of style of the imitated piece in extreme or ridiculous ways.
- Satire
- A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way.
- Didactic
- A term used to describe fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model or correct behavior or thinking.
- Litotes
- Opposite of hyperbole; litotes intensifies an idea understatement by stating through the opposite. E.g. saying "It wasn't my best day" instead of "It was my worst day."
- Man versus Society
- Theme in fiction in which a main character's, or group of main characters', main source of disagreement is social traditions, practices, or concepts.
- Rhetorical Question
- A question asked for rhetorical effect to emphasize a point; no answer is expected.
- Dramatic Irony
- The contrast between a character's limited understanding of his situation in some particular moment of the unfolding action and what the audience, at the same instant, understands the character's situation actually to be.
- Point of View
- The perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told. First-person, third-person, or third-person omniscient points of view are commonly used.
- Epiphany
- A major character's moment of realization or awareness.
- Genre
- a literary form or type; classification. e.g. tragedy, comedy, novel, essay, poetry.
- Flat Character
- A character constructed around a single idea or quality; a flat character is immediately recognizable.
- Parable
- A short story from which a lesson may be drawn.
- Setting
- Locale and period in which the action takes place.
- Tragic Flaw
- Tragic error in judgment; a mistaken act which changes the fortune of the tragic hero from happiness to misery; also known as hamartia.
- Assonance
- Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity. "Fake" and "lake" denote rhyme; "lake" and "fate" demonstrate assonance.
- Protagonist
- Chief character in a dramatic or narrative work, usually trying to accomplish some objective or working toward some goal.
- Simile
- A figurative comparison of two things, often dissimilar, using the connecting words: "like," "as," or "then."
- Antithesis
- A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses.
- Hubris
- Overwhelming pride or insolence that results in the misfortune of the protagonist of a tragedy. It is the particular form of tragic flaw that results from excessive pride, ambition, or overconfidence.
- Connotation
- Rather than the dictionary definition, the associations associated by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning or denotation.
- Hyperbole
- Conscious exaggeration used to heighten effect. Not intended literally,
- Pathos
- Qualities of a fictional or nonfictional work that evoke sorrow or pity. Over-emotionalism can be the result of an excess of pathos.
- Sarcasm
- A type of verbal irony in which, under the guise of praise, a caustic and bitter expression of strong and personal disapproval is given.
- Round Character
- A character drawn with sufficient complexity to be able to surprise the reader without losing credibility.
- Man versus Nature
- theme in literature that places a character against forces of nature, like flood and fire
- Syntax
- In grammar, the arrangement of words as elements in a sentence to show their relationship.
- Irony
- When a reader is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality (dramatic irony)/ The literal meaning of a writer's words may be verbal irony. Generally speaking, a discrepancy between expectation and reality.
- Image
- A word or group of words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the senses. An image is always a concrete representation.
- Falling Action
- Conflict starts to get worked out; story is working towards a conclusion
- Comic relief
- Humorous speeches and incidents in the course of the serious action of a tragedy; frequently comic relief widens and enriches the tragic significance of the work.
- Euphemism
- The use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but is also considered less distasteful or less offensive than another. E.g. "He is at rest" instead of "He is dead."
- Tone
- A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization of the sentence and global levels.
- Verbal Irony
- When the reader is aware of a discrepancy between the real meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the writer's words.
- Denouement
- Tying up of loose ends; what happens to characters after the story
- Man versus God
- Theme in literature where the individual questions the existence, justice, or mercy of God.
- Pun
- A play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meanings.
- Rising Action
- Characters and conflicts develop leading to the climax
- Imagery
- The use of images, especially in a pattern of related images, often figurative, to create a strong unified sensory impression.
- Metaphor
- A comparison of two things, often unrelated. A figurative verbal equation results where both "parts" illuminate one another.
- Chiasmus
- Arrangement of repeated thoughts in the pattern of X Y Y X. Chiasmus is often short and summarizes a main idea
- Aside
- A dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the audience but it is not supposed to be heard by the other actors on the stage.
- Paradox
- A seemingly contradictory statement or situation which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention.
- Antagonist
- The adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work; he/she often seeks out evil, greed, and injustice.
- Novel
- An extended piece of prose fiction.