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
when writing strains for grandeur it can’t support and tries to elicit tears from every little hiccup
bathos
the use of disturbing themes in comedy
black humor
pretentious, exaggeratedly learned language
bombast
a broad parody that takes a style or form such as a tragic drama and exaggerates it into ridiculousness
burlesque
the use of deliberate harsh and awkward sounds
cacophony
the beat or rhythm of poetry in a general sense
cadence
a section division in a long work of poetry
canto
a portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality
caricature
cleansing of emotion an audience member experiences having lived through the experiences presented on stage
catharsis
descriptions, representations, or discussions of the features that make up an individual and represent who they are
character
a group of people who stand outside of the main action on stage and comment on it
chorus
a new word, usually invented on the spot
coinage/ neologism
a word or phrase used in everyday conversational English that isn’t a part of accepted “schoolbook” English
colloquialism
multiple layers of interpretation
complex
startling or unusual metaphor developed over a few lines
extended metaphor/ conceit/ controlling image
everything a word implies
connotation
the repetition of consonant sounds within words
consonance
a pair of lines that end in rhyme
couplet
style according to social station, or occasion
decorum
a song for the dead
dirge
the grating of incompatible sounds
dissonance
crude, simplistic verse often in sing song rhyme
doggerel
when an audience knows something before the characters do
dramatic irony
when a single speaker says something to a silent audience
dramatic monologue
a seemingly ideal world where the actual implementation of perfection is unsuccessful and destructive
dystopia
a type of poem that mediates on death and mortality in a serious, thoughtful, manner
elegy
