Literary Elements Flashcards
Understand elements of English Literature in order to apply them on the AP Literature test.
Allegory
A work that conveys a hidden meaning, usually moral, spiritual, or political, through the use of symbolic characters and events
Metaphor
A statement in which two objects, often unrelated, are compared to each other.
Similie
Like metaphors, two unrelated objects are being compared to each other, but unlike metaphors, this is done using the words “like” or “as”
The tree is the god of the forest.
Metaphor
The tree is like the god of the forest.
Similie
Analogy
An analogy is an argumentative comparison (it compares two unalike things to advance an argument)
That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet
Analogy
Imagery
The use of figurative language to describe something
Can come in different forms
-Sight Imagery
-Sound Imagery
-Touch Imager
-Taste Imagery
-Smell Imagery
Kinesthetic Imagery
Imagery that moves piece by piece of a larger thing (ex: the tree cooled down as its own leaves rushed against its bark).
Symbolism
Combines a lot of ideas presented in metaphor and imagery
A white dove is an example of a (_) for peace
symbol
Personification
Giving human attributes to nonhuman objects. In many cases, it fosters empathy in your readers.
Hyperbole
The use of over-dramatic language for emphasis
Irony
When a write describes something by using opposite language.
Like most bureaucrats, she felt boundless love for her job, and was eager to share that good feeling with others.
Bureaucrats have mundane hobs and often have very little impact on others, so to describe her job with such loving terms is ironic
Juxtaposition
The placement of contrasting ideas next to each other, often to produce an ironic or thought provoking effect.
Paradox
A paradox is a juxtaposition of contrasting ideas that, while seemingly impossible, actually reveal a deeper truth
I hate and I love.
Paradox
Allusion
Literary reference.
Ekphrasis
A poem or story that is directly inspired by another piece of art.
Onomatopoeia
A word that sounds like the noice it describes
Wham! Bham! Pop!
Onomatopoeia
Pun
A literary device that plays with the sounds and meanings of words.
Alliteration
The reputation of an initial sound in words that are close together
But when a Boy and Barefoot
Alliteration
Anachronism
A historically inaccurate detail in a literary work
Anagram
A word or phrase that can be spelled by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a series of sentences or clauses
Antagonist
The bad guy
Antihero
A protagonist who lacks heroic qualities such as integrity, courage, or morality.
Antithesis
Comparison of two opposite items
Aphorism
A brief, memorable statement that captures a broad, universal truth
Archetype
Common structure repeated in many stories
Assonance
Repetition of similar vowel sounds within words and phrases
Blank verse
Poetry or prose that does not rhyme but has a consistent meter.
Caesura
A pause in the middle of a line of poetry or verse, sometimes marked by punctuation
Characterization
Any of the various techniques used by an author to reveal the traits a character to the reader
Chiasmus
A figure pop speech in which one phrase is followed by another inverts its grammatical construction.
Cinquain
A five-line stanza or five line patterned poem
Climax
The point of highest tension in a story, in which the main conflict is faced and ultimately resolved
Conflict
The central struggle that influences a story/plot
Consonance
The repetition of one or more consonant sounds in words that are close together, such as a single sentence or line of poetry.
Couplet
A pair of consecutive lines of poetry that form a complete thought.
Diction
The word choice of a writer or speaker
Double Entendre
A figure of speech with two possible interpretations
Dramatic Irony
One or more characters in a story remain unaware of plot developments that have already been revealed to the audience.
Elegy
A poem or Sony of lamentation written in honor of a deceased person
Ellipsis
A device used to omit details from a narrative
Enjambment
The technique of breaking a line of verse In the middle of a phrase so that the phrase continues on the next line without a natural pause between the lines.
Epigram
A brief, witty, satirical statement that is generally memorable on account of paradoxical.
Epilogue
A concluding section or speech at the end of a literary work, often used to provide closure.
Epithet
A descriptive phrase that accompanies or replaces the name of a charechter or thing.
Euphemism
A figure of speech that softens an unpleasant or offensive idea by substituting a polite phrase instead.
Exposition
The introduction of background information necessary for the reader or audience to make sense of a story
Falling Action
The part of a story’s plot immediately following the climax, leading to its resolution
Foot
Unit of meter in poetry
Foil
A character whose traits contrast with those of the protagonist or another main character, thereby highlighting some aspect of that character
Foreshadowing
A detail in a literary work that hints at events that will occur later, often to create suspense or expectation.
Hero
the Protagonist.
Idiom
A commonly used figurative speech with a meaning that differs from its literal meaning.
Litotes
A figurate device consisting of an ironic understatement in which a positive statement is made negative by the opposite
Malapropism
A misuse/mispronunciation of a word or phrase, often in the form of a word being replaced with a similar sounding word.
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which the name of one object or concept is substituted for something else that is closely related to it
Monologue
An extended speech given by one speaker or character, either to themselves or others without interruption.
Mood
The emotional atmosphere of a work of literature, as evoked by setting, imagery, word choice, style, and tone.
Motif
The technique of using repetition of an idea, event, phrase, or symbol throughout a literary work to illuminate or expand on an idea.
Narrator
The speaker telling a story
