Literary Terms

7th Grade HonorsPart A

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AlliterationTherepetition of initialconsonantsounds

A reference to a

well-known person, event, place,

literary work, or work of art

AnALogyMakes a comparisonbetween two of morethings that aresimilar in some ways but otherwiseunalike

AnecdoteA brief story or short tale about an interesting,amusing, or strange event

AntagonistAn antagonistis a characteror a force inconflict with amain character,

or protagonist

AtmosphereAtmosphereOften called Mood. It is the feelingcreated in the reader by a literary workor passage

Author’s Influences

These influences

include his or her heritage,

culture, and personal beliefs

Author’s StyleAuthor’s typical way of writing

AutobiographyThe story ofthe writer’s own life, told

by the writer

BiographyA form of nonfiction

in which a writer tells

the life story of a

another person

CharacterA person or ananimal that

takespart in the

actionof a literary

work

CharacterizatioCharacterizationnThe act ofThe act of

creating creating andanddeveloping developing aacharacter.character.

Character traits

The qualities, attitudes, and values that a character has or displays---such asdependability, intelligence, selfishness, or stubbornness.

ClimaxAlso calledthe turningpoint. It isthe high point

in the actionof the plot

ComedyA literarywork,especially aplay, which islight, oftenhumorous or satirical, and ends happily.

Concrete Poem

Is one with

a shape

that suggests

its subject

Conflict

A

struggle

between

opposing

forces

ConnotationsConnotationsThe set of ideasThe set of ideas

associated associated

with it in with it in

addition addition

to its explicitto its explicit

meaningmeaning

Denotation

Its dictionary

meaning,

independent

of other associations

that the word

may have

DescriptionA portrait, in words, of aperson,place, orobject

DialectThe form of a

language spoken by people in a particular region or group

Dialogue

A conversation

between characters

DictionA writer’s or speaker’s word choice

DramaA storywritten to beperformedby actors.

EssayA short nonfiction work about a particularsubject