Important Literary Terms Flashcards
Allegory
a story that has a hidden meaning which is usually moral or political. It’s a story that has dual meaning to it.
Ex: wizard of oz was about the debate on whether to use gold or silver as the national money
Alliteration
when the same letter or sound occurs at the beginning of closely connected words
Ex: peter piper…/she sells seashells…
Assonance
similar to alliteration bit its with vowels towards the middle of the word
Consonance
the repetition of the same consonant sound within the same line
Allusion
reference to a bigger work
Ambiguity/ambiguous
a word, phrase, idea, or statement that can be understood in many different ways/open to more than one interpretation
Analogy/analogous
a comparison between two different things/things that are comparable usually to make something clearer.
Ex: Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you are going to get.
Anecdote/anecdotal
a short, interesting story about a person or real event/based on personal accounts so it is not necessarily reliable or true. It adds personal knowledge and it is significant to the story at hand. It can provide context.
Apostrophe
speech that is directed towards a person who is not there or something that is personified
Aside/dramatic aside
when a character talks directly to the audience to tell the truth, express a feelings, or make comments about certain events.
audience is shown some of character’s thoughts (like in Jane eyre when she addresses the reader or in Ferris Bueller’s day off)
the aside is where they move off to the side or the other characters do not know about it
Conventional/conventionality
features that define a genre (like tropes, archetypes, etc.)
Diction
choice of words
not only words that the author chooses, but also that the character uses because it can show if the character is educated, etc.
Digression
sudden interruption in a story that provides information, establishes feelings, builds suspense, and reveals the character’s motivation. Go off topic from the main speech
Enjambment
when the line continues without a pause or punctuation beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza
Epigram/epigrammatic
a short poem that is often satirical focusing on one thought that has a satirical twist at the end.
A brief and witty statement which is apparently self-contradictory
Ex: those who smile the brightest often are the saddest people
Eulogy
writing or speech in honor of a deceased person and it is usually speaking of people in high regards.
Euphemism/Euphemistic
an appropriate word to replace and offensive term.
Ex: someone is in a better place/ we are letting you go.
hyperbole/hyperbolic
intentionally exaggerating something for emphasis
Imagery
using either literal or figurative language to add symbolism and to help the reader picture the scene. Create a picture with words.
Internal rhyme
there are multiple words within the same line that rhyme
inversion (anastrophe)
when you reverse the normal order of words in a sentence (Ex: her cat, marlin, was on the chair, Inversion: on the chair was her cat, marlin).
Invocation
a request for help directed towards a deity or muse
Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic)
when someone does the opposite of what we expect
Verbal: says something but means the opposite
Situational: something happening that is opposite of what we expect
Dramatic: when the audience knows something that the character doesn’t
Meter/metrical
the rhythmic pattern in a line of poetry
Metonymy
a figure of speech consisting the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated
you are comparing something that is not similar physically or emotionally. (replace filmmakers with Hollywood. they should join in hands which really means applause) (also the White House made a statement when we are really referring to the government)
Ex: country’s strength refers to military.
Mixed metaphors
a mixture of incompatible metaphors
Any sentence or passage containing two metaphors that don’t go together
Mood
what feelings do the words cause the reader to feel
Oxymoron/oxymoronic
self contradicting group of words
Ex: jumbo shrimp, pretty ugly, bitter sweet
Parable
a simple story that has a moral lesson behind it
Paradigm/paradigmatic
example, perspective, set of ideas, assumptions, values, etc.
a collection of beliefs held by a group of people or a multitude of habits. beliefs, ideals, values that a lot of people share.
Paradox
concept, idea, situation, that seams to be contradictory or impossible
Parody
something being imitated in a comical way. When an author mimics the style of another writer.
Pastoral
Rural, farm, country related. A genre taking place in rural areas often romanticized in an unrealistic manner.
Personification
to address something like it is living. A thing given human attributes
Poetic forms: Sonnet, Petrarchan (Italian), AMP
Sonnet: poem having 14 lines usually with 10 syllables per line
Petrarchan: normally consists of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and a sestet usually cdcdcd or cdecde
AMP:a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable, for example Two households, both alike in dignity
Shakespearean
14 line poem divided in three quatrains and a final couplet. The rhyme scheme is usually abab cdcd efef gg
Ode
a lyric poem that is used to celebrate a person, thing, place or, idea
Ballad
narrative song passed throughout generations orally
Sestina
poem with six stanzas usually with six lines each. They are unusually unrhymed. Also has a three-line envoy
Elegy/elegiac
a poem that laments a public figure, friend, or loved one
Dramatic monologue
a poem or speech was written about a story about one particular character. The author is normally speaking through the character to say something.
Reminiscence
when readers remember certain things from imagery, or rhythmic or syntactic devices
Rhyme
words sounding the same
Rhyme Scheme
pattern of sounds repeated at the end of a stanza or line
Sarcasm/sarcastic
the use of irony to mock someone or express feelings of contempt
Simile
comparing two things that are unlike and it often starts with as or like
Metaphor/metaphorical
a comparison of two things that are unrelated without using like or as
Soliloquy
she a character talk to themselves; monologue; inner dialogue (like their thoughts)
can also de a dramatic monologue but not all dramatic monologues are soliloquies
nobody is around when the person is speaking
MORESO that the speech isn’t directed towards anyone. In an aside it is directed towards the audience.
it is when the speaker is by themselves
Syllogism
a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion
Ex: If katie is smart, then she will get into a good college
Symbol
an item, person, thought, thing, or idea that has another meaning than what it actually means
syntax
the specific way/rules of arranging words in a sentence
Synecdoche
when something is referred to in other words (new wheels= new car)
the whole is referred to by one part
(can i offer a hand in marriage; hungry mouths to feed)
Thesis/anithesis
the major point made by the author in the work
the opposite or contrast idea
Tone
the style in which the author conveys their attitude in their work
Understatement (Litotes)
describing something in a way that makes it seem less serious or have less quality than it actually does.
versification(prosody)
the act of making verses in a poem
Wit
the ability to write things that are funny; an intelligent form of humor
