Literary Terminology Flashcards
Allusion
A reference to another work of literature, person, or event.
“His smile was as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa.”
Aside
A remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters.
“She whispered to the audience, ‘Little do they know, I have a plan.’”
Blank Verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter.
“To be or not to be, that is the question.”
Character
A person, animal, or being in a story.
“Harry Potter is a beloved character in J.K. Rowling’s series.”
Comedy
A literary work, especially a play, that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone.
“Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a classic comedy.”
Conflict
A struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work.
“The central conflict in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is the feud between the Montagues and Capulets.”
Dramatic Irony
When the audience knows something that the characters do not.
“In ‘Oedipus Rex,’ the audience knows Oedipus’s true identity long before he does.”
Epic
A long narrative poem detailing the adventures and deeds of a hero.
“Homer’s ‘The Iliad’ is an epic poem.”
Epic Hero
A brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events.
“Odysseus is an epic hero in ‘The Odyssey.’”
Epithet
A descriptive phrase expressing a quality or characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.
“Achilles is often referred to as ‘swift-footed Achilles’ in ‘The Iliad.’”
Epic Simile
An extended simile that is used typically in epic poetry to intensify the heroic stature of the subject.
“The comparison of the warriors to lions in ‘The Iliad’ is an example of an epic simile.”
Imagery
Visually descriptive or figurative language.
“The golden sun set behind the purple mountains, casting a rosy hue across the landscape.”
Inversion
The normal order of words is reversed, typically for emphasis or poetic effect.
“In the dark of night, she roamed the empty streets.”
Malapropism
The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect.
“He said the pineapple of perfection instead of the pinnacle of perfection.”
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
“Time is a thief that steals our moments.”
Mood
The atmosphere or emotional condition created by the piece, within the setting.
“The mood of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ is dark and melancholic.”
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is narrated.
“The novel ‘1984’ is told from a third-person point of view.”
Pun
A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.
“I used to be a baker, but I couldn’t make enough dough.”
Setting
The time and place in which the story takes place.
“The setting of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is early 19th-century England.”
Soliliquy
A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage.
“Hamlet’s ‘To be, or not to be’ soliloquy is one of Shakespeare’s most famous.”
Sonnet
A poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes.
“Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 begins with ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’”
Symbol
A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
“In ‘The Great Gatsby,’ the green light symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams.”
Syntax
The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.
“The syntax of the poem is complex, with a unique word order.”
Tone
The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.
“The tone of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is both somber and hopeful.”
