16 Lit Terms Flash Cards Oedipus Unit

Front

Tragedy

Back

A play in which the main character suffers a downfall as a result of outside forces or a flaw.

Front

Tragic Flaw

Back

A personality trait that leads to the downfall of the tragic hero.

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En media res

Back

(Latin for “in the middle of things”) When the story starts in the middle of events, flashes back, then picks back up in real time.

Front

Hubris

Back

Excessive pride

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Pathos

Back

The events in a literary work that evoke feelings of sympathy and pity in a reader.

Front

Foreshadowing

Back

Clues that hint at what will happen later.

Front

Dramatic Irony

Back

When the reader or audience knows something that a character does not know.

Front

Verbal Irony

Back

A person says one thing and means another.

Front

Situational Irony

Back

An occasion in which the outcome is different from what was expected.

Front

Indirect Characterization

Back

The writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions.