This ppt contains literary terms

1. English Literary Terms
Grade 9- English 3

2. Poetic Diction
•A manner of speaking or expression
that is used mainly in poetry and not
in casual conversation.
•It refers to elevated language or
poetry language.
•“In the icy silence of the tomb…”

3. Poetic License
•The privilege of a writer to take
liberties with grammatical rules and
structure for desired poetic effect.
•Departing from rules, facts, and
structure.

4. Kenning
•Two words are combined in order
to form an expression that refers to
a person or a thing.
•Commonly found in Old English.
•Bookworm, couch potato, four-eyes

5. Pathos
•It is the manner in which a play or
story’s action causes the audience
to feel pity for a character.
•It is when you feel sympathy for a
character.
•In drama, it occurs mainly in
tragedy.

6. Melodrama
•A drama of any type that relies on
stereotyped characters whom the
audience recognizes.
•Damsel in Distress, Evil Witch,
Prince Charming
•Exaggeration of emotions,
behaviors, and events is often
evident in a melodrama.

7. Verbal Irony
•When a character says one thing
but actually means the opposite.
•Sarcasm often falls into this type
of irony.

8. Structural Irony
• This occurs when a naïve protagonist holds a
view or outlook that differs from the one the
author holds.
• The reader will usually feel intellectually
superior to the protagonist, and empathy for
the hero often suffers.
• The character relates tales and judgments of
people that the readers and the author clearly
do not agree with.

9. Dramatic Irony
•Also called Tragic Irony.
• This occurs when what a character
says or believes contradicts with what
the audience knows to be true.
•In these circumstances, a character’s
words and actions have one meaning
for the character and an entirely
different meaning for the audience.

10. Cosmic Irony
•A literary device that contrasts what
a character attempts to become
and what actually happens, due to
forces of the universe.
•For instance, a soldier expecting
victory but a second assault by the
enemies happens.

11. In Medias Res
•A Latin expression that means
that the story actually starts in
the middle of the action.
•The story begins in the middle or
at the heart of an action.

12. Epiphany
•In literature, a sudden revelation
that illuminates meaning or
understanding—an “aha”
moment.
•A moment of realization.

13. Stream of Consciousness
•A style of writing in which the
author uses interior monologue to
show how the mind works.
•The unbroken flow of a
character’s thoughts and
perceptions are revealed either
directly or indirectly through
discourse.

14. Caricature
•A representation of a character in
which, in literature, his or her
characteristics are exaggerated to
produce a comic effect.
•A picture, description, or imitation of a
person in which certain striking
characteristics are exaggerated in
order to create a comic or grotesque
effect.

15. Caricature
•A representation of a character in
which, in literature, his or her
characteristics are exaggerated to
produce a comic effect.
•A picture, description, or imitation of a
person in which certain striking
characteristics are exaggerated in
order to create a comic or grotesque
effect.

16. Invective
•Harsh or abusive language.
•You are a little vermin. When you
walk upon the earth, the earth
feels like a filthy worm is
crawling on it.

17. Gallows Humor
•Also called Black Humor.
•Grotesque or morbid humor which is
used to express the absurdity,
cruelty, and insensitivity of the
modern world.
•Ordinary characters or situations are
exaggerated far beyond the limits of
normal satire or irony.

18. Gallows Humor
•Also called Black Humor.
•Grotesque or morbid humor which
is used to express the absurdity,
cruelty, and insensitivity of the
modern world.
•Ordinary characters or situations
are exaggerated far beyond the
limits of normal satire or irony.

19. Colloquialism
•An expression that people may
use in casual conversations but
which is too informal or full of
slang for proper English.
•Lowkey

20. Archaism
•The use of an older or obsolete
word or phrase that is no longer
recognized or popular in the
culture.
•Example: “You bring me, tomorrow
early them vittles” (food). From
Great Expectations by Charles
Dickens.

21. Foil
•a character who provides a striking
contrast to another character.
•Two friends. One is a blue-eyed
prince who loves fighting, while the
other is a green-eyed slave who
loves peace and merry-making.

22. Cacophony
•Harsh, clashing, or unmusical
sounds, often produced by
combinations of words that
require a clipped, explosive
delivery, or words that contain a
number of consonants such as
b, d, g, k, p, and t.

23. Cacophony
•There’s a stake in your fat black
heart
And the villagers never liked you.
They are dancing and stamping on
you.
They always knew it was you.
Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m
through.

24. Euphony
•A succession of sweetly melodious
sounds; the opposite of
CACOPHONY.
•The term is applied to smoothly
flowing POETRY or PROSE.
•Silken sad uncertain, rustling of
each curtain (Edgar A. Poe)

25. Caesura
•A break or pause in a line of poetry,
dictated by the natural rhythm of
the language and/or enforced by
punctuation.
•A line may have more than one
caesura, or none at all.
•“How do I love thee? || Let me
count the ways”

26. Caesura
•A break or pause in a line of
poetry, dictated by the natural
rhythm of the language and/or
enforced by punctuation.
•A line may have more than one
caesura, or none at all.

27. Amplification
• It involves extending a sentence or phrase in
order to further explain, emphasize, or
exaggerate certain points of a definition,
description, or argument.
• The dog noticed a squirrel and pursued it.
• The dog perked its ears toward a taunting squirrel in the
tree, then sprang from its stoop, lunging and barking and
snapping but ultimately losing due to a lack of speed and
an abundance of gravity.

28. Apologia
• An apologia is a defense of one’s conduct or
opinions.
• It’s related to our concept of “apology,” but in many
cases it’s the precise opposite of an apology!
• When you apologize, you’re saying “I did the wrong
thing, and I regret it.” But in an apologia, you’re
defending yourself, either by saying that what you
did wasn’t wrong or denying that you were
responsible for what happened.

29. Deus ex Machina
•Deus ex machina is Latin for “a
god from the machine.”
• It’s when some new character,
force, or event suddenly shows up
to solve a seemingly hopeless
situation. The effect is usually
much too abrupt, and it’s often
disappointing for audiences.

30. Post Discussion Activity
• Choose from the following five (5) directions. Write your answers on
a whole sheet of paper.
 Try to remember books, novels, or short stories where Deus ex machina made
an appearance. Describe the situation. Write down the title of the piece of
literature.
 Give three instances of Apologia.
 Remember 3 pairs of characters in your favorite anime, movie, series (Korean,
American, Japanese, Local) which are examples of foil characters.
 Make a list of 10 colloquial words with their meaning.
 Make 5 sentences which are examples of invectives.
 Give 3 examples or situations that show Black Humor.
 Remember a favorite movie, book, or show that shows a moment of Epiphany.
Give 3 examples of such situations. Include the title of the pieces.
 Give one example for each of the four ironies. It can be a situation, event,
dialogue etc.