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lit > literary devices > Flashcards

literary devices Flashcards

1
Q

allusion

A

referencing well-known people, events, / works of literature

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2
Q

allusion effects

A

effects:
- enriches text
- adds depth, cultural / historical context
- invites audience to make connections & interpretations

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3
Q

antithesis

A

expressing an opposition / contrast of ideas

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4
Q

antithesis effects

A

effects:
- creates a sense of balance / tension
- highlight diff. between concepts
- emphasises key pts
- creates a memorable contrast

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5
Q

caesura

A

a break / pause between words within a metrical foot / near the middle of a line
→ usually marked by punctuation

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6
Q

caesura effects

A

effects:
- breaks regular flow of rhythm & metre
→ creating a momentary interruption
- emphasises words / ideas before & after the pause
- builds tension / drama
- may symbolise a turning pt. / moment of reflection ( at critical moment )

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7
Q

diction

A

choice & arrangement of words

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8
Q

diction effects

A

effects:
- helps to establish tone & atmosphere
- conveys characters’ personalities & social status
- enhances overall meaning & impact

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9
Q

ecphonesis

A

emotional exclamation

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10
Q

ecphonesis effects

A

effects:
- conveys strong emotions
- adds emphasis / urgency
- enhances dramatic effect of a particular moment

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11
Q

enjambment

A

continuation of a sentence / thought w/o a pause beyond the end of a line

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12
Q

enjambment effects

A

effects:
- creates a sense of flow & rhythm
- adds momentum to language
- creates unexpected / dramatic effects
- creates a sense of urgency / continuity ( context dependent )

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13
Q

foreshadowing

A

( dramatic device * )
warning / indication / hinting of a future event

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14
Q

foreshadowing effects

A

effects:
- builds suspense & anticipation
- prepares audience for significant plot developments
- creates a sense of inevitability & fate

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15
Q

hyperbole

A

exaggeration

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16
Q

hyperbole effects

A

effects:
- emphasis / dramatic effect
- heightens intensity of emotions, actions, / descriptions
→ creating vivid & memorable imagery
→ engaging audience’s attention

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17
Q

imagery

A

using sensory details to create vivid mental pictures

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18
Q

imagery types

A

types:
1. visual ( sight )
2. auditory ( sound )
3. olfactory ( smell )
4. gustatory ( taste )
5. tactile ( touch )
6. kinesthetic ( movement )
7. organic ( related to sensations within the body, e.g. hunger, thirst, fear, fatigue … )
synaesthesia: mix of senses

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19
Q

imagery effects

A

effects:
- generates a vibrant & graphic presentation of a scene
→ appealing to audience’s senses
→ more immersive & impactful text
- evokes emotions
- helps to establish settings, convey moods / atmospheres

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20
Q

irony

A

a mode of expression, through words ( verbal irony ) / events ( situational irony ), converting a reality diff. from & usually opposite of appearances / expectations

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21
Q

irony types

A
  1. verbal irony
  2. situational irony
  3. dramatic irony
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22
Q

irony effects

A

effects:
- generates humour
- creates suspense & tension
- foreshadowing
- critical / social commentary
→ highlighting inconsistencies encourages audience to reflect on societal norms & values

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23
Q

juxtaposition

A

places 2 contrasting ideas, characters, / situations side by side

24
Q

juxtaposition effects

A

effects:
- highlights diff. / similarities
- creates tension & emphasis

25
Q

malapropism

A

the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often w/ an amusing effect

26
Q

malapropism effects

A

effects:
- involves wordplay & puns
- injects humour & comic relief
- creates contrast between intended meaning & actual word used
→ possibly serving as satire / social commentary
→ dramatic irony through miscommunication
- portraying characters as eccentric, unaware, / uneducated
- influences overall mood & atmosphere
→ light-heartedness in comedic contexts
→ levity in serious contexts

27
Q

metaphor

A

vivid comparison of describing 1 thing in terms of another; a thing regarded as representative / symbolic of s/t else

28
Q

metaphor effects

A

effects:
- evokes imagery
- stimulates imagination
- offers new insights into familiar concepts / emotions
- more intense than simile
→ shifting from similes to metaphors creates intensification effect

29
Q

motif

A

recurring element, e.g. image, symbol, / theme, that contributes to the overall meaning & structure of the text

30
Q

motif effects

A
  • adds depth, coherence, & unity to the text
31
Q

oxymoron

A

combines 2 contradictory terms / ideas

32
Q

oxymoron effects

A

effects:
- creates a sense of paradox
- adds complexity & depth
- prompts audience to think critically about the apparent contradiction

33
Q

personification

A

attributes human qualities / characteristics to non-human entities

34
Q

personification effects

A

effects:
- brings inanimate objects / abstract concepts to life
→ relatability

35
Q

pun

A

play on words that exploits multiple meanings / similar sounds of words

36
Q

pun effects

A

effects:
- adds humour, wit, & verbal agility
→ showcasing writer’s linguistic prowess
→ engaging audience’s attention

37
Q

repetition

A

involves the deliberate use of words, phrases, / sounds

38
Q

repetition types

A

types:
1. anaphora
2. epistrophe
3. chiasmus
4. antimetabole ( type of chiasmus )
5. parallelism

39
Q

repetition effects

A

effects:
- reinforces & emphasise key ideas / themes
→ sense of importance / significance
- creates rhythm & musicality / lyrical qlty. to language
- juxtapose contrasting ideas / elements
→ sense of irony
- balanced structure creates a pleasing symmetry ( chiasmus, antimetabole, epistrophe, parallelism )
→ sense of order

40
Q

anaphora

A

rhetorical device involving a repetition of a word / grp of words in successive clauses

41
Q

epistrophe

A

each sentence / clause ends w/ the same work

42
Q

chiasmus

A

repetition of similar concepts within a repeated grammatical structure, in a reversed order
→ inversion

43
Q

antimetabole ( type of chiasmus )

A

pair of words repeated in reverse order

44
Q

parallelism

A

repetition of similarly constructed lines w/ some key diff. for emphasis / impact

45
Q

simile

A

compare 2 unlike things using “like” / “as” / “than”

46
Q

simile effects

A

effects:
- paints a vivid picture
- creates associations
- evokes specific emotions / moods

47
Q

sound devices types

A
  1. assonance
  2. consonance
  3. alliteration
  4. sibilance
48
Q

sound devices effects

A

effects:
- creates a musical & rhythmic qlty. in language
- emphasises specific words / phrases
- makes language more memorable
- achieves a particular effect of euphony ( assonance )
- adds a soft, flowing, hissing qlty. to language ( sibilance )
→ creating a specific auditory effect

49
Q

assonance

A

repetition of similar vowel sounds, usually close together

50
Q

consonance

A

close repetition of identical consonant sounds within / at the end of words

51
Q

alliteration ( type of consonance )

A

repetition of consonants, usually initial sounds / stressed syllables, in close proximity

52
Q

sibilance

A

recurrence of ‘s’ sounds
( ‘s’, ‘sh’ )

53
Q

symbolism

A

uses specific & concrete objects, characters, / actions to represent deeper meanings / concepts & abstract ideas

54
Q

symbolism effects

A

effects:
- adds layers of meaning
→ allowing for exploration of themes, motifs, etc

55
Q

tone effects

A

effects:
- establishes emotional atmosphere
- evokes audience’s emotional responses
- reveals playwright’s / poet’s perspective & stance

( dramatic device* )

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