1_Terms You Need To Know - created from Mind Map

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Idiomatic expression: an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native speakers, for example, to "bite off more than you can chew"

Hyperbole: a fancy way of saying "exaggeration"

Protagonist: main character of the story e.g. Mario

Plot: the actions in the story and the sequence of events

Antagonist: the opponent of the protagonist e.g. Bowser

Antihero: a protagonist with villainous qualities e.g. Batman

Tragic hero: this is the protagonist of a tragedy. Traditionally, it's a person of noble birth who experiences a downfall due to a flaw in their character e.g. Sir Thomas More, "A Man For All Seasons"

Foil: a character whose whole function is to emphasise the personality traits of some other character, e.g. Richard Rich

Setting: time and place in which the literary work occurs

Exposition: the introduction of a literary work which provides basic details

Rising action: also known as the story's complication, this elements develops conflict. There are a few main types of rising action: human versus environment (e.g. Joe lost his job because of the recession), human versus human ( Joe punched his boss), and human versus self (Joe felt guilt-ridden for punching his boss)

Climax: the story's high point, the point of no return where something occurs to permanently change the story's progression (e.g. Joe died from the guilt of punching his boss).

Falling action: also known as the reversal, falling action speeds the story to its end. Falling action is a descent from the climax (Joe's colleagues gathered at his gave to remember him fondly)

Denouement: the story's conclusion (The office workers erected a statue in honour of Joe)

Apostrophe: when the speaker addresses either A. a nonhuman entity (e.g. "Embarrassment! Why do you come to me today?") or B. a non-present person (e.g. Oscar opened his bag, and found yet another mint jelly and anchovy sandwich. "Mum, you did it again!", he cried. {Since his mother is not with Oscar, he is apostrophizing her})

Tone: the literary work's tone display's the attitude of the author. The way in which something may suggest their distaste for it, or their affection towards a character.

Personification: gives human qualities to something which isn't alive

Allusion: a reference to something outside the written work (e.g. "Larry nearly collapsed from how drunk he was. He looked and smelled like Bacchus on a binge." Bacchus is the Roman god of wine)

Irony: falls into 3 main types. In each case there is some unexpected twist to the story.

Fable: a fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized

Narrative distance: refers to the narrators proximity to others.

Metonymy: when a larger whole is represented by one of its parts (e.g. "The White House is concerned about terrorism.” The White House here represents the people who work in it. "The Parliament keeps the country in order." The building itself doesn't keep the country in order, but rather the authority of the people working there and the work going on in the building.

Synecdoche: when a part represents a more specific, tangible whole, rather than an abstract. ("Who's ready for lunch?" asked Ms. Jones. Hands flew in the air). Hands don't literally fly in the air, but instead this represents the students using their hands to show their enthusiasm for lunch.

The difference between synecdoche and metonymy is that in metonymy the word you employ is linked to the concept you are really talking about, but isn’t actually a part of it. Metonymy is more for concepts, while synecdoche is more for individual things.

Symbolism: when something in the literary work stands for a concept or idea. (e.g. "Outside the house, the garden was wilted and brown. Inside, Sarah lay weak and listless in her bed." Here, the wilting, dead garden can be symbolic of Sarah being sick and dying).

Paradox: a contradiction with a greater truth (e.g. "Life is much too important to be taken seriously", or "I can resist anything but temptation" - both said by Oscar Wilde)

Diction: the choice of words used. Think of the effect the diction has when creating imagery

Meter: set rhythm of a poem

Elegy: honours someone who is dead

Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds within words

Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds within words

Verisimilitude: he sense that what one reads is "real," or at least realistic and believable

Syntax: the way in which words and sentences are put together

Neologism: a newly coined world or expression

Anaphora: the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect

Juxtaposition: an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast

Verbal example: Harry had just walked into the house from the pouring rain outside. His clothes were drenched, his jeans muddy and his hair matted to his head. "You look wonderful!" his wife exclaimed. (This is an example of irony because obviusly, Harry looks awful, so his wife is being verbally ironic by stating the opposite

Situational example: In Guy de Maupassant's story "The Necklace", a woman loses a necklace lent to her by an acquaintance, and instead of telling the owner, she instead buys an expensive replacement. Many years later, after paying off the debt the new necklace caused, she confesses to her acquaintance that she'd lost her necklace, only to find out the necklace she borrowed was a cheap fake. (The twist is unexpected and we get a different outcome than what we anticipate as the story unfolds; instead of things going smoothly, the woman finds out she could have saved herself years of trouble by telling her friend the truth)

Dramatic example: Brian sat in front of the television, oblivious to the world and to what was about to happen. Adelaide held the coconut cream pie above her unsuspecting brother's head quietly and carefully, thinking to herself "This time, you will pay dearly." (Brian doesn't know he's about to get a coconut cream pie on his head, but the audience does. When the audience knows something the characters don't, it's called dramatic irony

Pathetic empathy: the author attributes human emotions and traits to nature (e.g. smiling skies and angry storms)

Allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral, spiritual or political one.

Physically close: "I could hear something crawling around in Harry's pocket, so I inched away from him"

Physically distant: "A long time ago, in a land miles away..."

Psychologically distant: Eleanor walked out the door and got into her car. She reached into the glove compartment. Underneath the maps and batteries, she found what she needed. The divorce papers were a little crumpled, but ready to sign"

Psychologically close: Eleanor knew her friend so well that she could tell exactly what was running through her mind