Literary Terms Flashcards

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mood

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Synonymous with atmosphere or tone; the attitude toward readers or subject matter.

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dramatic irony

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The audience knows more than the characters involved.

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situational irony

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When one thing is expected to happen, but the opposite occurs.

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motif

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A unifying element in an artistic work, such as a recurring image or theme.

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dynamic character

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A character who experiences a change or gains a new understanding during the work.

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Foil

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A character who, by contrast with the main character, serves to accentuate that character’s distinctive qualities or characteristics.

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Flat Character

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A character who is not developed; easily recognizable by their lack of complexity and usually created to emphasize a single important trait.

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Round Character

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A character who has a level of complexity and depth that we associate with real people and who has been fully developed by the author.

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Motivation

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The combination of situation and personality that compels a character to behave the way he or she does.

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Stock Character

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A type of character who regularly appears in certain literary forms; they are often stereotypical characters.