Literary Terms Review Quiz Key

1. Mark your paper honorably: where you missed the answer, mark it wrong.

2. Take out a piece of paper, and label it

Literary TermsLiterary Terms. Write the name and definition of any literary terms you don’t know. I will expect you to refer to this list when a term is brought up you don’t know. Eventually, I’ll expect you to have the terms memorized.

#1: Alliteration

The repetition of sounds and the beginning or ending of words.

This is a sound device. You have seen these in their

extreme form in tongue twisters like: She sells seashells by the

seashore.

Additional Sound Devices

Consonance: A repetition of consonant sounds in the middle of words

The silly salamander slid away.

Assonance: A repetition of vowel sounds in the middle of words

I’ll choose to do a moon walk.

Onomatopoeia: The sound of the word is its definition: Boom, Clomp, Cock-a-doodle-doo…

Additional Sound Devices: “Cacophony”

Sound device wherein an author uses harsh, clashing sounds to evoke a particular mood in his/her audience

Often used in works dealing with violence, or aggression

Example from the war poem, “Dulce et Decorum Est”: “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge”

Additional Sound Devices:“Euphony”

Sound device wherein an author uses soft, smooth, liquid sounds to create a mood

Often used to describe things the author sees as beautiful, gentle, loving, etc.

Example from Robert Herrick’s “Upon Julia’s Voice”: “So smooth, so sweet, so silv’ry is thy voice,”

#2: Personification

Giving human characteristics to a non-human object or animal.This is another form of figurative language. Ex. The willows whispered in the wind.

#2: PersonificationPlease add the following to your notes:

Anthropomorphism is a specialized type of personification wherein we attribute human emotions to animals: the puppy cried all night.

Pathetic Fallacy is a type of personification that gives human characteristics to nature. Ex. The cruel wind tossed the ship to and fro.

Apostrophe is a type of personification where you address something as if it were alive, present and could respond back. Ex. “Geez Shakespeare! Why do you have to make the words so hard to understand” Shakespeare can’t get back to you because he’s dead. Or “Sweet daisies, you cheer my every mood.”

#3: Flat CharacterA character that is one-dimensional. A stereotype. We have no clue about the

hopes, dreams, etc., of these characters, nor do we care to.

Examples: the dumb jock, ditzy blond, absent-minded professor, pencil-necked

geek, macho cop, kooky artist, etc.In your literary notes leave room for the following characterization techniques if you don’t know them:

Round, Static, Dynamic

#4: Theme

The message about life or the universe that the author wants you to see. U.M. = Universal meaning. The theme is always expressed in a complete sentence. For instance, “love” is not a theme. “A life without love can lead to bitterness” is a theme.

#5 Setting

Time and place of a story. This can be city, state, nation, continent, classroom, daytime, nighttime, 1900, the future, etc.

#6: Protagonist

Main character in a story. Usually we like the protagonist and he/she is a good person: animals like him/her, etc. In films where the characters are stereotypes or archetypes, the protagonist wears white.

#7: Round Character

A three-dimensional character who is well fleshed-out for us. We

understand who they are, what they love, dream, hate, etc. These are the memorable characters that we think of almost as real people we

know.

#8: Hyperbole

Extreme Exaggeration: Another form of figurative

language that you use frequently in your world.Ex. I told you one million times to learn

hyperbole! That guy called one thousand times last night.

#9: SimileAn indirect comparison between two

unlike things that share some quality or attribute using like, as,

seems, or than. This is figurative, not literal,

language.You use it all the time in common

speech. Ex. That man acts like a dog; she is

meaner than a witch.

#10: Tone

The author/speaker's attitude toward the subject. Some

tone descriptors: angry,

sarcastic, amused, serious, curious, etc.

#11: Imagery

Words and images intended to help you imagine with your senses.

Visual—helps you imagine what something looks like.

Aural—helps you imagine how something sounds.

Tactile— feels like

Gustatory-- tastes like

#11: Imagery

Olfactory-- smells like

Kinetic/Kinesthetic—movement or tension in the muscles or joints

Thermal-- how warm/cold something is

Organic -- an internal sensation such as thirst, fatigue, hunger, etc.

#12: ExpositionBackground information: you learn about setting, characters, and history to the story. Ex. A long, long time ago in a fairy forest, there lived a kindly old woman and her grandson who loved bunnies.P.S. Sometimes a story begins in the middle of the action instead of with Exposition—that's called “In Medias Res.”

#13: External Conflict

A character has a conflict/problem with another force outside of himself/herself. ex. Character v. Nature, Character v. Another Character, or Character v. Society.

#14: Third Person Omniscient Point of View

Narrative style wherein the speaker knows the thoughts and feelings of ALL characters. The God-like narrative technique.

Please leave room for: Third Person Limited, First Person, and Second Person

#15: Symbol

Words and images that represent something deeper and more important than themselves. Ex. A flag is never just a piece of material—it means something to the people who fly it. That's why people get testy if you rip theirs down and stomp on it. :)

#16: Internal Conflict

One of two types of conflict. This one takes place within the mind of one of the characters.

Should he stay or should he go? Should she jog the mile or take a nap?

#17: Static Characters

These characters do not change as a result of the action or conflict. They stay the same from the beginning to the end. These static characters are most often

also the flat characters.

Additional Term: A Dynamic Character is the opposite of a static character in that

he/she changes throughout the story.

#18: Antagonist

The character that is in conflict with the protagonist. Sometimes the antagonist is a person/character, but it can be nature, or society, etc. Stereotypically the antagonist wears black in film.

#19: First Person Point of View

Narrative told from the point of view of the

speaker/narrator/author. First clue you are reading first

person: “I” and “me” and “we,” etc.

#20: Onomatopoeia

Sound DeviceWhen words sound like what they are. This is also a sound

device like... Examples: boom, tinkle, thud, jingle,

gulp, creak, slap, etc.

#21: Third Person LimitedPoint of View

Narration wherein the speaker knows the thoughts and

feelings of ONLY ONE character. Speaker uses

pronouns, “he,” “she,” and “they.”

#22: Metaphor

Direct comparison between two unlike things that share some

commonality or characteristic. This is also figurative language, and you also use this technique in everyday

speech. Ex. My dad is the rock in the

family. The linebacker is a house.

Additional Point of View…Second Person Point of View

Narrator speaks directly to the audience using the personal pronoun “You.”

Should be avoided in your own writing.

A technique that is used sparingly to create a particular tone/mood.

Additional Poetic Descriptors…“Structured Verse” Poetry

Poetry written in regular rhythmical pattern or meter

Usually has a structured rhyme scheme Examples are: Haiku, Sonnets, Acrostics,

Additional Poetic Descriptors… “Free Verse” Poetry

Poetry NOT written in a regular rhyme scheme or meter

It seeks to capture the rhythms of speech

It is the dominant form of contemporary poetry

Additional Devices to add:

Synecdoche - when a part represents a whole: “lend me your ears…” or “he’s behind bars”

Metonymy - When a closely related word replaces an actual word/ concept: “WSU won the football game” or “Washington passed the bill, now we’ll see if the president vetoes it.”

The MenuFigurative Language: Simile Metaphor - Personification

Pathetic FallacyAnthropomorphism

ApostropheSynecdocheMetonymyHyperbole

Sound Device:Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance,

Onomatopoeia Characterization: Round, Static, Flat, Dynamic