GLOSSARY OF WORDS

Act (drama) - An act is a way to divide an opera, play, or

other drama. Each act is a group of scenes that form an important
part of the story. A story will be from one to five acts. Many
modern stories are three acts, which match with the beginning,
middle, and end of the story

Alliteration

the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word gr

oupeither with the same consonant sound or sound group (conso
nantalalliteration) as in from stem to stern, or with a vowel sou
nd that maydiffer from syllable to syllable (vocalic alliteration)
as in each to all.

Allusion a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something

,either directly or by implication:
The novel's title is an allusion to Shakespeare.
2.
the act of alluding; the making of a casual or indirect reference to
something:
The Bible is a fertile source of allusion in art.

Analogy-a similarity between like features of two things, on wh

ich a comparisonmay be based:
the analogy between the heart and a pump.

Antagonistthe adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other litera

rywork:

Iago is the antagonist of Othello.

AssonanceAlso called vowel rhyme. Prosody. rhyme in which the same vow
elsounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllabl
es ofthe rhyming words, as in penitent and reticence.

Atmosphere (prose)The emotional feelings inspired by a work. The term is

borrowed from meteorology to describe the dominant mood of
a selection as it is created by diction, dialogue, setting, and
description. Often the opening scene in a play or novel
establishes an atmosphere appropriate to the theme of the
entire work. The opening of Shakespeare's Hamlet creates a
brooding atmosphere of unease. Poe's The Fall of the House of
Usher establishes an atmosphere of gloom and emotional
decay.

Attuide(poetry)In literature, a feeling, emotional state, or disposition of

mind--especially the predominating atmosphere or tone of a
literary work. Most pieces of literature have a prevailing
mood, but shifts in this prevailing mood may function as a
counterpoint, provide comic relief, or echo the changing
events in the plot

Ballada simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas

andadapted for singing.

Blank verse-

also called unrhymed iambic pentameter):

Unrhymed lines of ten syllables each with the even-numbered
syllables bearing the accents. Blank verse has been called the
most "natural" verse form for dramatic works, since it supposedly
is the verse form most close to natural rhythms of English speech,
and it has been the primary verse form of English drama and
narrative poetry since the mid-Sixteenth Century
(.

C
Caesura- a pause separating lines of poetry, an important part
of poetic rhythem.

Character(prose)-

Any representation of an individual

being presented in a dramatic or narrative work through extended
dramatic or verbal representation. The reader can interpret
characters as endowed with moral and dispositional qualities
expressed in what they say (dialogue) and what they do
(action).

Characterization-

An author or poet's use of

description, dialogue, dialect, and action to create in the
reader an emotional or intellectual reaction to a character or
to make the character more vivid and realistic. Careful readers
note each character's attitude and thoughts, actions and
reaction, as well as any language that reveals geographic,
social, or cultural background
.

Clich-

A hackneyed or trite phrase that has become

overused. Clichs are considered bad writing and bad
literature
.

Climax-

(From Greek word for "ladder"): The moment

in a play, novel, short story, or narrative poem at which

the crisis reaches its point of greatest intensity and is
thereafter resolved. It is also the peak of emotional
response from a reader or spectator and usually the
turning point in the action.

Concrete poem-

poetry that draws much of its power from

the way the text appears situated on the page. The actual shape
of the lines of text may create a swans neck, an alter a
geometric pattern, or a set of wings, which in some direct way
connects to the meaning of the words. Also called shaped
poetry and visual poetry.

Conflict (prose)-

The opposition between two characters

(such as a protagonist and an antagonist), between two large
groups of people, or between the protagonist and a larger
problem such as forces of nature, ideas, public mores, and so on.

D
Denouement-A French word meaning "unknotting" or
"unwinding," denouement refers to the outcome or result of a
complex situation or sequence of events, an aftermath or
resolution that usually occurs near the final stages of the plot.
It is the unraveling of the main dramatic complications in a
play, novel or other work of literature
.

Dialect- The language of a particular district, class, or

group of persons. The term dialect encompasses the sounds,
spelling, grammar, and diction employed by a specific people
as distinguished from other persons either geographically or

socially.

Dialogue- The lines spoken by a character or

characters in a play, essay, story, or novel, especially a
conversation between two characters, or a literary work
that takes the form of such a discussion