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Fables –
a short tale used for teaching a lesson which uses animals, objects, or nature
Facts –
the truth; information based on evidence
Fairy tales –
stories that include supernatural creatures such as fairies or magicians
Falling action –
the action following the climax ending in resolution (denouement)
Falling meter –
movement from stressed to unstressed meter
Fantasy –
a fiction which includes some aspect or situation that does not fall into the understood rules of physics, scientific possibility, or reality
Farce –
a form of literature which uses a situation more than characters to create humor; usually involve slapstick – an exaggerated action such as falling over a chair or a long-played effort at what should be simple such as placing a carton on a shelf; silly, light-hearted, not cynical or satiric.
Fiction –
a created series of characters and events that has not actually happened
Fictionalize –
to create a fiction from an actual event
Figurative language –
language that is used to mean some other or something more than it says; language that is used in a non-literal way
Figurative level –
the non-literal level; the place where the story behind the story is told
Figures of speech –
various ways speech is used figuratively
First-person narrator (first-person point of view) –
a story told from the viewpoint of the author of the story as a character in the story using the word I to tell the story; may be omniscient (all knowing) or limited (knows only information from that character’s perspective).
Flash fiction –
a type of short story less than 1000 words
Flashbacks –
a technique used to show events that previous occurred by interrupting the present action and going back to previous events; generally used when a story starts in medias res (in the middle of things) such as where a scene opens during a trial and then some of the previous action leading up to the trial is told.
Flat character –
a character described with only one or two personality traits; a superficial character
Foil –
a character created as a contrast to another character as a way of focusing attention on the traits of that other character such as a character taking an unethical approach in order to focus attention on another character taking the ethical approach.
Folk tales –
stories or legends that are about or from a culture or group of people (folk)
Foreshadowing –
a literary device that gives a hint about what is going to occur
Form (poetic form) –
poetry has two forms: narrative which tells a story and lyric which expression an emotion or idea
Formal diction –
the use of words following rules of grammar and Standard English
General words –
non-specific words
Genre –
categories of literature: fiction, poetry and drama
Geographical setting –
the town, state, country, or other geographical place
Globe Playhouse –
an elaborate theater built in 1599 which includes various sections: hell, heaven, rear stage, music gallery, and huts
Groundlings –
the commoners who stood and watched the plays in the courtyard presentations
Gustatory imagery –
the creation of an image of taste
