Drama and Poetry Vocabulary

Drama and Poetry Vocabulary

Audience

the intended target group for a message; regardless of the medium

Author's craft

intentional and deliberate use of organizational patterns, text and graphic features, syntax, devices, and diction to create an effective written work; authors craft may vary by genre

Characterization

the method in which an author constructs a character by explicitly stating aspects of his/her personality and appearance (direct characterization) or by revealing aspects of a character through their actions, thoughts, speech, other characters, etc (indirect characterization)

Context

the words, sentences, or passages that precede or follow a specific word, sentence, or passage

Dialogue

the lines spoken between characters in fiction or a play; dialogue in a play is the main way in which plot, character, and other elements are established

Drama

literary works written in a stage play format which includes dialogue and stage directions that is intended to be performed

Editing

a stage in the writing process when a written text is prepared for an audience by attending to and correcting mechanics

Figurative Language

language not intended to be taken literally but layered with meaning through the use imagery, metaphors, and other literary devices

Foreshadowing

a literary device used by an author to provide hints about future events and details that may occur later in the story

Graphic elements of poetry

capitletters, line length, and word position; also called the "shape" of a poem.

Meter

the basic rhythmic structure in verse, composed of stressed and unstressed syllabus

Mood

the atmosphere of feeling created by the writer in a literary work or passage; mood can be expressed through imagery, word choice, setting, voice, and theme.

Plot

the basic sequence of events in a story that includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution

Poetic Form

a distinctive poetic structure with distinguishable characteristics based on meter, lines, stanzas, and rhyme schemes such as sonnet, blank verse, ballad, haiku, epic, lyric, etc

Poetry

literary works focused on the expression of feelings and ideas through a distinctive style that is often rhythmical and may have elements such as meter, rhyme, and stanzas

Rhyme Scheme

the pattern of rhyming lines

Setting

the time and place in which a narrative occurs. Elements of setting may include the physical, psychological, cultural or historical background against which the story takes place

Stage Directions

descriptions or instructions in a play that provide information about characters, dialogue, setting, and actions

Suspense

the sustained interest created by the build up of events and delayed resolution of the plot's conflict

Theme

the central or universal idea of a literary work that often relates to morals and/or values and speaks to the human experience/condition

Tone

the author's particular attitude, either stated or implied in the writing

Voice

an author's unique articulation or expression of language created by stylistic elements such as syntax, diction, and figurative language