Literary Devices & Genres Flashcards
Genre
the type of art, literature or music characterized by a specific form, content and style
Vignette
a small impressionistic scene, an illustration, a descriptive passage, a short essay, a fiction, or nonfiction work focusing on one particular moment
Poerty
a collection of spoken or written words that expresses ideas or emotions in a powerfully vivid and imaginative style, comprising of a particular rhythmic and metrical pattern.
Drama
mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance.
Prose
a form of language that has no formal metrical structure
Found Poem
a poem based upon existing literature
Non-Fiction
genre of literature where the events within the composition are true
Fiction
genre of literature where the events within the composition are not true
Science Fiction
fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.
Mystery
a novel, play, or movie dealing with a puzzling crime, especially a murder.
Short Story
a story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel
Simile
referring to the practice of drawing parallels or comparisons between two unrelated and dissimilar things, people, beings, places and concepts. By using similes a greater degree of meaning and understanding is attached to an otherwise simple sentence, using “like” or “as”
Perspective
a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
Metaphor
a meaning or identity ascribed to one subject by way of another. In a metaphor, one subject is implied to be another so as to draw a comparison between their similarities and shared traits
Alliteration
literary device where words are used in quick succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group.
Allusion
a figure of speech whereby the author refers to a subject matter such as a place, event, or literary work by way of a passing reference. It is up to the reader to make a connection to the subject being mentioned.
Point of View
a particular attitude or way of considering a matter.
Irony
to playing around with words such that the meaning implied by a sentence or word is actually different from the literal meaning
Theme
the base that acts as a foundation for the entire literary piece. The theme links all aspects of the literary work with one another and is basically the main subject.
Inference
a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
Characterization
the step by step process wherein an author introduces and then describes a character
Flashback
device wherein the author depicts the occurrence of specific events to the reader, which have taken place before the present time the narration is following, or events that have happened before the events that are currently unfolding in the story
Foreshadowing
the use of indicative word or phrases and hints that set the stage for a story to unfold and give the reader a hint of something that is going to happen without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense.
Hyperbole
extreme exaggeration
Imagery
wherein the author uses words and phrases to create “mental images” for the reader
Mood
a definitive stance the author adopts in shaping a specific emotional perspective towards the subject of the literary work
Onomatopoeia
to words whose very sound is very close to the sound they are meant to depict.
Plot
the sequence of events and happenings that make up a story.
Setting
used to identify and establish the time, place and mood of the events of the story.
Tone
the perspective or attitude that the author adopts with regards to a specific character, place or development.
Stream of Consciousness
an uninterrupted and unhindered collection and occurrence of thoughts and ideas in the conscious mind.
