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sarcasm –
a form of expression which says something opposite from what is meant in a way to criticize or insult or express anger such as describing a bad day by saying, “What a great day I had!”
satire –
a form of literature which uses exaggerated, flat characters to represent some aspect of a person or society for the purpose of making a critical comment through ridicule.
scansion –
a way of marking the metrical pattern in a poem
scene –
a part of the play where specific action occurs; from the Ancient Greek skene, a building behind the platform stage which served as the dressing room for the actors
scenery –
items used to create the scene including furnishings and props; lighting, music, costumes, and sound effects are also used in plays
science fiction –
a type of fantasy that includes unreal scientific technology or events
second-person narrator (second-person point of view) –
a story told in second person (you); may be from the perspective of a character in the story who knows everything (omniscient narrator) or who has limited knowledge (limited narrator); not generally used in fiction
sestet –
a poem or stanza of six lines in a poem
sestina –
a thirty-nine line poem consisting of six six-line stanzas with a three-line stanza (tercet) at the end
setting –
the environment in which the action occurs
Shakespearean sonnet –
a sonnet that has three four-line stanzas (quatrains) and a two-line stanza (couplet)
short story –
a fictional story that is shorter than a novel; usually begins near climax; setting is generally limited, and characters are few and less developed than novel; often includes an epiphany (where a character has a flash of insight)
short-short story –
a short story from a paragraph to a page or so in length; less than 1500 words; includes flash fiction and micro fiction; also called sudden fiction
sidekick –
a character subordinate to another character; often used for comic relief
simile –
a comparison using the word like or as
situational irony –
an irony created when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to have occurred and what has actually occurred in the situation
slam poetry –
a movement characterized by the competitive art of performance poetry
slam poetry –
a movement characterized by the competitive art of performance poetry
slang –
non-standard use of language
slant rhyme –
close but not exact rhyme; near rhyme; approximate rhyme
soliloquy –
where a character shares his or her feelings or thoughts with the audience where no other character can hear
sonnet –
a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter with a carefully patterned rhyme scheme
speaker –
the narrator of a poem
specific words –
words that specify something such as large, round, blue
spoken word movement –
a movement starting in the 1990s to make poetry more popular and accessible to everyone; some consider rap an example of this movement
stage business –
incidental actions or movements of an actor to enhance the performance such as wringing hands or sitting a certain way on a chair
stage directions –
playwright’s directions in the play to the actors such as possibly where to stand or whether a line should be spoken loudly or quietly
stage –
the various structures created upon which plays were or are performed including box set, picture frame stage with proscenium arch, thrust stage, arena, and open air
staging –
refers to all aspects necessary to produce a play such as arranging for scenery and props, costumes, securing the performance hall, and so on: the staging of a play
Standard English –
the form of English which follows rules of grammar without slang or colloquialism
stanza –
a group of lines generally completing an idea
stasimon (strophes, antistrophes) –
a section between the episodia where the chorus enters and comments on the action in groups representing different positions: strophes and antistrophes
static imagery –
an image which is unchanging
static –
a character that does not change during the story
stock characters –
stereotyped characters such as the good doctor, the determined detective, the kindly old neighbor lady
storytelling –
the communication of a series of events which may take different forms such as anecdotes, myths, fables, tall tales, legends, fairy tales
stream-of-consciousness –
a style of writing that writes how a person is thinking; written-down thoughts.
stress –
the emphasis on particular syllables
style –
the composite of ways a speaker or writer uses language to create a communication
subject –
the person, object, or topic of focus in literature
subplot –
the sequence of events in a subordinate storyline in piece of literature
sudden fiction –
a type of short story of less than 1500 words; another way of referring to the short-short story
surrealism –
a literary movement beginning about 1910 where writers wrote automatically rather than with preliminary organizing in an effort to channel inner reality into a writing; followed from a movement in art
surrealistic stage setting –
the use of colors, props, costumes, lighting, music, and/or scenery that are outside the boundaries of everyday usage such as usual shapes and colors of walls or furniture
suspense –
the emotional reaction to the conflict in anticipation of future action, climax, and resolution
symbol –
something that is what it is and also represents something else
symbolic title –
a title which contains a symbol often helping to reveal theme
synecdoche –
use of a part of a person to object to refer to the person or the object: the hand that rocked the cradle to refer to the person rocking the cradle
synesthesia –
the combining of sensory images
