Literary Terms Flashcards
what is the author’s purpose?
the reason an author writes.
ex: informative, persuasive, argumentative
what are rhetorical devices?
figurative language
ex: repetition, parallelism, rhetorical questions
what is a symbol?
an object, person, or place that stands for something else.
ex: red, white, and blue symbolize american patriotism.
what is the theme?
the underlying message the author wants the reader to understand.
ex: good vs. evil, coming of age
what is an inference?
a prediction in the story made by the reader
what is parallelism?
a pattern of words or sentence structure
what is repetition?
a repeating sound or word used to add emphasis
what is text structure?
arrangement of the story
ex: sequence, description, cause/effect
what is a simile?
comparing 2 things using like or as
what is supporting textual evidence?
material to prove claim
ex: a citation
what is a metaphor?
comparing 2 things without using like or as
what is claim/p.o.v.?
what the narrator can see
ex: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
what is mood?
a feeling that can change over time
what is foreshadowing?
a warning or indication of a future event
what is an extended metaphor?
an author’s exploitation of a single metaphor
what is pace?
the speed at which the narrator tells the story
what is the author’s tone?
the mood implied by the author’s words
what is irony: verbal/situational?
figure of speech, what takes place when the opposite of what is expected actually happens
what is figurative language?
creating comparisons by linking the senses and the concrete to abstract ideas.
what is fortune’s fool?
In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo has just contributed to Mercutio’s (?) death; he calls himself “fortune’s fool” partially to assuage his own guilt. In other words, he thinks of the consequences of his actions as caused by fate or luck, and he is just a victim or bystander.
I suppose the “fool” might be meant as a reference to a jester rather than just a patsy.
what is tragic hero?
A tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy. In his Poetics, Aristotle records the descriptions of the tragic hero to the playwright and strictly defines the place that the tragic hero must play and the kind of man he must be. Aristotle based his observations on previous dramas.
what is foil?
to prevent (something considered wrong or undesirable) from succeeding.
what is a pun?
a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or involving words using similar sounds.s
