Literary Techniques - general Flashcards
Title
The meaning of the title
Author
The intention of the author
Purpose
The intention of the text
Implied audeience
The audience the text is aimed at
Social context
The social setting in which the text occurs
Alliteration
The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words
Allusion
A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.
Ambiguity
A word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.
Antithises
A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. eg. “one small step for man, but one giant leap for man kind”
Assonance
The repetition of a vowel sound in non-rhyming words
Cliche
An expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty.
Colloquialism
The usage of informal or everyday language in literature
Comedy
A literary genre that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having a cheerful ending.
Conceit
A kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way. eg. “marriage is like getting a root canal”
Connotation
A meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly.
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds
Diction
The style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words of the speaker or writer.
Empathy
The ability of the author to make the reader sense the emotions and feelings of the characters.
Figurative language
The use of a word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, literal meaning. eg. metaphors, similes, personification and hyperbole
Hyperbole
The use of over-exaggeration to create emphasis or humor.
Imagery
The use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. eg. olfactory (smell), visual (sight), aural (sound), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste) & kinaesthetic (movement)
Irony
A contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality
Dramatic irony
When the reader understands what’s going on in a situation but the characters are unaware.
Metaphor
A comparison between two things that states one thing is another, in order help explain an idea or show hidden similarities.
Onomatopoeia
A poetic structure of words to convey how something sounds. eg. a poem about a stream written in a way to imitate the sound of a stream
Oxymoron
Two opposite ideas joined to create an effect, commonly it is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun. eg. living death
Paradox
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. eg. “what a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.”
Personification
Something that is not human is given human characteristics.
Rhetoric
The use of language effectively to persuade employing various methods to convince, influence, or please an audience.
Satire
A techniques used to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society, by using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule.
Simile
A comparison, showing similarities between two different things, using: like or as.
Style
The method in which an author conveys meaning, tone, and emotion.
Tone
An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. eg. formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, or cheerful
Structure
The arrangement of story elements according to purpose, style and genre.
Narrative perspective
A set of features determining the way a story is told and what is told. It includes the person who is telling the story, or the narrator, as well as the character from whose point of view the story is told.
