Literary and poetic terms Flashcards
alliteration
when two or more words that start with the same sound are used repeatedly in a phrase or a sentence.
allusion
an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text
characterization
the act of creating and describing characters in literature
conflict (internal/external)
External- Person vs person, society, nature, machine, supernatural, and self
Internal- when a character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs
Person vs person, society, nature, machine, supernatural, and self
external conflict
connotation
something suggested by a word or thing
couplet
pair of lines in a poem. Couplets end in rhymed words
direct characterization
consists of the author telling the audience what a character is like
indirect characterization
when an author reveals a character’s traits through actions, thoughts, speech, etc., instead of saying it outright.
dramatic irony
when the audience or readers know more about a situation than the character does.
figurative language
Figurative language uses figures of speech, which are expressions like metaphors, similes, idioms, and personification, among many others.
juxtapose
he act of placing two elements, characters, settings, ideas, words, or things side by side, or close together, to allow for comparison and/or contrast
literal
exactly what it says
monologue
an extended speech by one person
oxymoron
a word or group of words that is self-contradicting (alone together)
