Lit. Terms 82-103

Lit Terms:82-103

• Omniscient Point of View- knowing all things, usually the third person
• Onomatopoeia- whose of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning
• Oxymoron- a figure of speech in which two contradicting words or phrases are combined to produce a rhetorical effect by means of a concise paradox
• Pacing- rate of movement; tempo
• Parable- a story designed to convey some religious principle, moral lesson, or general truth
• Paradox- a statement apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really containing a possible truth; an opinion contrary to generally accepted ideas
• Parallelism- the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form
• Parody- an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist
• Pathos- the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness
• Pedantry- a display of learning for its own sake
• Personification- a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas
• Plot- a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose
• Poignant- eliciting sorrow or sentiment
• Point of View- the attitude unifying any oral or written argument; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing
• Postmodernism- literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary
• Prose- the ordinary form of spoken and written language; language that doesn't have a regular rhyme pattern
• Protagonist- the central character in a work of fiction; opposes antagonist
• Pun- play on words; the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications
• Purpose- the intended result wished by an author
• Realism- writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightforward manner to reflect life as it actually is
• Refrain- a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus
• Requiem- any chant, dirge, hymn or musical service for the dead
• Resolution- point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is worked out
• Restatement- idea repeated for emphasis
• Rhetoric-  use of language, both written and verbal in order to persuade
• Rhetorical Question- question suggesting its own answer or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion
• Rising Action- plot build up, caused by conflict and complication, advancement towards climax