Literary Terms

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Literary Terms

• English 11 AP

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The Foil

• A foil is a minor character who prevents the main
  character from carrying out plans and/or
  succeeding.
• A foil may also be used to contrast the traits of
  a character.
• In this way, Tybalt can be seen as a foil, as he
  is in direct contrast with Romeo and ruins his
  hopes for happiness.

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Anachronism

• An anachronism is an event that does not belong
  in the time period in which it is presented. This
  image, for example, is anachronistic.

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Static and Dynamic Characters

• A static character is a character who does not
  undergo an important internal change. (This is
  not a bad thing, necessarily. Thomas More, in A
  Man for All Seasons, was a static character.)
• A dynamic character undergoes an important
  internal change throughout the course of the text.

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Maxim, Aphorism, Proverb

• A maxim is a basic rule of conduct. (Actions
  speak louder than words.)
• A proverb is a wise, true, often metaphorical
  statement. (Look before you leap.)
• An aphorism is a brief sentence expressing a
  general thought. (We must become the change we
  wish to see.)

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Satire

• A literary work in which human vice or folly is
  attacked through irony, derision, or wit.
• A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift, is the
  classic example of satire in the English language.

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Pathetic Fallacy

• Pathetic Fallacy is a type of personification,
  where inanimate objects are specifically given
  human feelings and emotions.
• A Cruel Wind would be a good example of this.

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Aristotles Unities

• Unity of place (stories should take place in one
  specific area)
• Unity of time (stories should take place within a
  single day)
• Unity of action (elements of the story should
  only contribute directly to the action of the
  plot.)
• Example Ferris Buellers Day Off

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Metonymy

• Metonymy - A figure of speech in which one word
  or phrase is substituted for another with which
  it is closely associated, as in the use of
  Washington for the United States government or of
  the sword for military power.
• (www.dictionary.com)

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Cliché

• Any word, phrase, or plot device that has become
  trite or commonplace through overuse.
• When Hell freezes over!
• Everyone and his dog knows a cliché!
• More clichés than you can shake a stick at!

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Synecdoche

• A figure of speech where a part of something
  stands for the whole.
• Catch some rays
• Pumped him full of lead
• 200 head of cattle
• Ask for her hand

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Archetypes

• An original model or type after which other
  similar things are patterned a prototype
  Frankenstein . . . Dracula . . . Dr. Jekyll
  and Mr. Hyde . . . the archetypes that have
  influenced all subsequent horror stories (New
  York Times)
• The Tragic Hero
• The Damsel in Distress
• The Hooker with a heart of gold
• The Mean Girl

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Assonance, Consonance and Dissonance

• Assonance repeated vowel sounds
• Consonance repeated consonant sounds
• Dissonance harsh sounds, cacophony, unpleasant
  sounds in a work of literature.

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Pastoral

• Charmingly simple and serene a literary or other
  artistic work that portrays or evokes rural life,
  usually in an idealized way.
• Think of Blakes The Lamb and even Coleridges
  Frost at Midnight.

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Symbol

• Something that represents something else by
  association, resemblance, or convention,
  especially a material object used to represent
  something invisible. (www.answers.com)
• The Great Rooted Bed will symbolize the
  permanence of Odysseus marriage to Penelope.

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Rhetoric

• The art of speaking or writing persuasively and
  effectively. There are a number of rhetorical
  techniques that allow a writer to develop his or
  her style, including metaphor, simile,
  alliteration, assonance, consonance, dissonance,
  irony, hyberbole, and dozens more.

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Now that you know

• Now that you know these literary terms, be
  prepared to define them (your own words are
  acceptable!) and offer an example.
• Try to remember the presentations made by the
  groups when thinking of examples.