All definitions are from the lit terms pdf (which I actually still have on my computer from the summer before English 3).
| 01) | exposition | def: | beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation. |
| ex: | "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived in a castle." <--the exposition of like every fairy tale ever | ||
| 02) | expressionism | def: | movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feeling(s). |
| ex: | Starry Night! | ||
| 03) | fable | def: | a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth |
| ex: | "The Tortoise and the Hare" | ||
| 04) | fallacy | def: | from Latin word "to deceive", a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound |
| ex: | ad hominem fallacy: <politician's name> used to do drugs, there's no way his argument is true! | ||
| 05) | falling action | def: | part of the narrative or drama after the climax |
| ex: | "...and then they got married and lived happily ever after" <--the falling action of aforementioned generic fairy tale | ||
| 06) | farce | def: | a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue |
| ex: | I saw a play once called "Blithe Spirit" which was described in the program as "an improbable farce" | ||
| 07) | figurative language | def: | apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile) |
| ex: | "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." JSYK, Juliet isn't *actually* the sun...it's a metaphor! Your mind is blown, right?? | ||
| 08) | flashback | def: | a narrative device that flashes back to prior events |
| ex: | Ladder 49 is a movie that's almost ENTIRELY flashback (if I remember this correctly, the main character is a dying firefighter who's remniscing on his life while trapped in a burning building. Dude I don't even remember if he dies or not O.O) | ||
| 09) | foil | def: | a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent |
| ex: | Benvolio and Mercutio are sort of foils... Benvolio's all nice and summarizes things for other characters/people in the audience who weren't paying attention, but Mercutio is short-tempered, picks fights, and is pretty much responsible for Tybalt's death/Romeo's banishment/actually I guess by extension the entire plot/nevermind this isn't going anywhere | ||
| 10) | folk tale | def: | story passed on by word of mouth |
| ex: | One of my friends told me a folk tale of like, a girl who stole a peach or something (?) and then she was punished with hiccups. Wow, I must have stolen a car or something when no one looking | ||
| 11) | foreshadowing | def: | in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; "planning" to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away |
| ex: | Is it just me, or is there a strange noise coming from the closet...? Well, whatever, I'll just look at it later... | ||
| 12) | free verse | def: | verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme. |
| ex: | "This Is Just To Say" by William Carlos Williams I have eaten protip: if a teacher ever asks you to pick a poem to memorize, PICK THIS ONEthe plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold | ||
| 13) | genre | def: | a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content |
| ex: | pop, hip hop, country, electronic... | ||
| 14) | gothic tale | def: | a style in literature characterized by gloomy settings, violent or grotesque action, and a mood of decay, degeneration, and decadence |
| ex: | three words: Edgar. Allan. Poe. | ||
| 15) | hyperbole | def: | an exaggerated statement often used as a figure of speech or to prove a point |
| ex: | I was so scared I jumped like five feet in the air | ||
| 16) | imagery | def: | figures of speech or vivid description, conveying images through any of the senses |
| ex: | see above example for "free verse" (two for the price of one! I wasn't even planning this, this is great) | ||
| 17) | implication | def: | a meaning or understanding that is to be arrived at by the reader but that is not fully and explicitly stated by the author |
| ex: | The only examples of implication I can think of are inappropriate (which is why they were implied in the first place) so hopefully I can just IMPLY that I understand what implication means (see what I did there??) | ||
| 18) | incongruity | def: | the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other |
| ex: | "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -" --Emily Dickinson | ||
| 19) | inference | def: | a judgment or conclusion based on evidence presented; the forming of an opinion which possesses some degree of probability according to facts already available |
| ex: | basically a synonym for implication (see above) | ||
| 20) | irony | def: | a contrast or incongruity between what is said and what is meant, or what is expected to happen and what actually happens, or what is thought to be happening and what is actually happening |
| ex: | it's ironic that by saying the Supreme Court did not have the power to issue writs of mandamus, John Marshall actually strenghthened the Court's power (look at me! I just made a connection between AP English and AP Government! :D ) |
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