English Lit Terms Flashcards
a style in writing that is complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points
Abstract
means dry and theoretical writing
Academic
the stress portion of the word in poetry
Accent
“appealing to the senses”;
Aesthetic
a story in which each aspect has symbolic meaning outside of the tale itself
Allegory
repetition of initial sounds
alliteration
a reference to another work or famous figure. ie: reference to Greek or Roman mythology
Allusion
poetic device where something is misplaced in time
anachronism
a comparison, usually two symbolic parts
Analogy
a short narrative
Anecdote
the character that opposes the protagonist
Antagonist
the word, phrase or clause that a pronoun refers to or replaces
Antecedent
in literature when inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena are given human characteristics, behaviour or motivation
anthropomorphism
when an action produces far smaller results than one had been led to expect
Anti-climax
a short usually witty saying
aphorism
an address to someone not present or to a personified object or idea
apostrophe
the use of deliberately old-fashioned language
archaism
standard or cliched character type
archetype
the act or process of analysing evidence, drawing conclusions, and developing claims
argumentation
a speech or comment usually made by an actor to the audience as though momentarily stepping outside of the action on stage
aside
a trait or characteristic
aspect
the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene
atmosphere
a speaker’s, author’s, or character’s nature toward an opinion of a subject
attitude
a long narrative poem usually in very regular meter and rhyme
ballad
