Literary Terms and Devices - Second Set

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Personification

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A figurative device in which human attributes or feelings are given to an inanimate object or thing as if it were human.

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Plot

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The sequence of events in which each event affects the next one through the principle of cause-and-effect.

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Exposition

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The act of expounding, setting forth, or explaining.

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Rising action

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The section of the plot leading up to the climax, in which the tension stemming from the story's central conflict grows through successive plot developments.

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Climax

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The most intense, exciting, or important point of something.

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Falling action

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The period of time in a story that follows the climax and begins to clarify the narrative, release tension, and wrap things up for the characters.

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Resolution

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The act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc.

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Irony

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The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

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Verbal irony

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Using words to convey a meaning that is opposite to or markedly different from their literal interpretation, often to emphasize a point, express humor, or level a sharp criticism.

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Dramatic irony

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A form of irony that is expressed through a work's structure.