literary terms Flashcards
what is author’s purpose
the reasoning behind why the author wrote the piece
what is rhetorical devices
use of language that is intended to have an effect on its audience
what is symbol
a person, a place, an object or an activity that stands for something beyond itself
what is theme
the central idea or underlying message that the writer wants the to understand
what is inference
a logical assumption or conclusion that is based on observed facts and one´s own knowledge and experience
what is parallelism
when the same patterns of words or structures are used to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance
what is text structure
who an author arranges parts of a story
what is simile
comparing two things by using like or as
what is metaphor
comparing two things by stating one is another
what is claim/point of view
examine the claims made by that author. a claim is the argument made by the writer or speaker. it is the generalized statement which the evidence presented will support.
what is mood
a category that reflects the speaker´s view of the ontological character of an event. this character may be, for example, real or unreal, certain or possible, wished or demanded.
what is foreshadowing
a literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story. foreshadowing does not necessarily mean explicitly revealing what will happen later in the story.
what is extended metaphor
a version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose or poetry. extended metaphors build upon simple metaphors with figurative language and more varied, descriptive comparisons.
what is pace
the speed at which someone or something walks, runs, or moves to set of at a steady, gentle, leisurely, pace congestion frequently reduces traffic to walking pace
what is author´s tone
an author´s attitude toward a particular written subject. it´s very different from the author´s purpose! the tone of the article, essay, story, poem, novel, screenplay, or any other written work can be described in many ways.
what is irony: verbal/situational
verbal irony occurs when a speaker´s intention is the opposite of what he or she is saying. situational irony occurs when the actual result of a situation is totally different from what you´d expect the result to be.
what is repetition
a literary technique in which a sound, word, phrase or line is repeated for emphasis
what is supporting textual evidence
material that serves to prove a claim
what is tone
an individual way of speaking or writing especially when used to express an emotion
what is figurative language
when you describe something by comparing it to something else
what is fortune’s fool
he has been turned into a form of entertainment by destiny
what is a tragic hero
a character in a dramatic tragedy who has virtuous and sympathetic traits but ultimately meets with suffering or defeat
what is foil
to prevent from attaining an end
what is pun
use of a word or phrase to emphasize or suggest its different meanings
