1. Literary Terms to Know for Homer’s Odyssey
Geller’s Fabulous Freshmen
Fall 2013

2. Epic Simile
A comparison using “like” or “as” that extends for several lines:
“The attackers struck like eagles, crook-clawed, hook-beaked, swooping down from a mountain ridge to harry smaller birds that skim across the flatland cringing under the clouds but the eagles plunge in fury, rip their lives out--hopeless, never a chance of flight or rescue--and people love the sport-- so the attackers routed suitors headlong down the hall, wheeling into the slaughter, slashing left and right and grisly screams broke from skulls cracked open-- the whole floor awash with blood."

3. Epic A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero Examples:
Iliad
Odyssey
Aeneid

4. Character The people in a work of literature
Protagonist: Hero/main character
Antagonist: Character or force that opposes the protagonist
Static character: Does not change
Dynamic character: Undergoes a significant change

5. Irony
Irony exists when the reader’s expectation contrasts with reality.
Verbal irony: Saying one thing but meaning another. Similar to sarcasm; “oh, wonderful!” in response to a lengthy homework assignment
Situational irony: Outcome is surprisingly different than expected. Ex. A tough traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid speeding tickets.
Dramatic irony: The audience knows something the reader doesn’t. Ex. EVERY HORROR MOVIE EVER MADE. (We know the killer is upstairs, etc.)

6. Foreshadowing
A literary strategy that provides a hint of what is going to happen:
Ex. A character in a movie develops a cough; invariably, the character turns out to be dying.
Dark clouds and a rumble of thunder suggest something ominous is afoot.

7. Repetition
A word or phrase is repeated for poetic effect or to reinforce a theme; repetition is a common characteristic of oral poetry.
“Rosy-fingered dawn”
“The wine-dark sea”

8. Personification
Giving human characteristics to something that is not human:
“The wind screamed through the trees”
“The sea swallowed the ship”
“The angry sound of metal meeting asphalt”

9. Imagery The feel of wet sand between your toes
Language that appeals to the senses:
The feel of wet sand between your toes
The blazing orange sun sinking on the horizon
The smell of burning leaves and pumpkin pie

10. Conflict The central problem in a story Internal: Person vs. himself
External:
Person vs. person
Person vs. nature
Person vs. society

11. Tone
The author’s attitude toward the subject, characters, or situation
Can be formal or conversational
Sarcastic, sympathetic, etc.

12. Metaphor
A comparison between two unlike things, NOT using “like” or “as”
“Fated to escape the noose of pain”
“We wove a web of disaster”
“The monster’s rage boiled over”

13. Simile A comparison using “like,” “as,” “than,” or “resembles”
“Her mind is as sharp as a razor”
“This class is like an insane asylum”
“His eyes resembled the sea on a cloudy day”
“His thoughts drifted higher than the treetops”

14. Climax
The high point or turning point in the action of a story

15. Diction
Word choice.
One of the most compelling arguments to suggest that the Iliad and the Odyssey have different authors is that their diction is so different.

16. Rhythm/Meter
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

17. Allusion
An implied or indirect reference in literature, usually to something familiar to the reader from history, literature, mythology, the Bible, etc.

18. Symbol An image or character used to represent something else:
Dove=peace
Setting sun=death
Rain=sadness

19. Hyperbole Exaggeration for dramatic effect: “I am starving to death!”
“You are the most ridiculous person in the whole world.”