Literary Terms Flashcards
Where and/or when a story takes place
Setting
A statement that seems contradictory but is actually true
Paradox
Long story relating the great deeds of a larger-than-life- hero
Epic
Words or phrases placed beside each other that have the opposite meaning
Oxymoron
Three dots which indicate the omission of words or the trailing off of a thought
Ellipsis
Adjective of describing phrase regularly used to characterize a person, place, or thing in the story
Epithet
Comparison of two unlike objects sharing two or more similar characteristics
Figurative Language- Metaphor
Figure of speech where actual interest is expressed in words that carry the opposite meaning
Irony- Verbal
To directly address a nonexistent person, abstract quality or person (usually absent)
Apostrophe
A long speech made by one character in a play, narrative, or poem
Monologue
When a character struggles with forces outside of himself/herself
Conflict- External
The insertion of material often not closely related to the subject of the text
Digression
Language that appeals to the senses
Imagery
Who is telling the story
Point of View
Is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story
Motif
A struggle that takes place entirely within a character’s own mind
Conflict- Internal
To imitate the techniques or style of some person, place, or thing
Parody
Person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself itself as well
Symbol
Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about that will happen
Suspense
Series of related events that make up a story
Plot
Universal patterns found in art and literature
Archetype
Sugar coating or a kinder expression
Euphemism
A figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis or comedy
Hyperbole
A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone or on the stage
Soliloquy
Author’s or character’s attitude towards the subject of being written or towards the audience
Tone
Any kind of art, writing, or speaking that ridicules or mocks some weakness in individuals or society, etc.
Satire
A strategy in rhetoric appealing to the audience’s intellect
Logos
Way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people
Dialect
When the audience know something the characters in the story do not know
Irony- Dramatic
Character or force blocking the protagonist
Antagonist
Giving human characteristics to nonhuman objects
Anthropomorphism
Traditional story usually used to explain a belief, ritual, or natural phenomenon
Myth
Figure of speech that makes a comparison using words such as “like” or “as”
Figurative Language- Simile
A reference to a statement, a person, a place, or event in history or in literature
Allusion
The emotional mood the author gives to the text
Atmosphere
A character in a story who does not change
Character- Static/Flat
Fixed idea or concept of a character that doesn’t allow for individuality
Stereotype
Repetition of a word, phrase, or sentence
Anaphora
Words associated with sound
Onomatopoeia
A strategy in rhetoric appealing to the audience’s sense of right and wrong
Ethos
Figurative language in which a non living thing is given living qualities or characteristics for the purpose of comparison
Figurative Language- Personafication
An extremely harsh and cruel insult
Invective
Repetition of initial consonants sounds
Alliteration
Play in the multiple meanings of a word or two words that sound alike but have different meanings
Pun
Clues that allow the reader to speculate what might happen later in the plot
Foreshadowing
Part of the plot that gives information about characters and their problems
Exposition
Another term for slang, an expression that cannot be translated literally
Idiom
Moment of great emotional intensity or suspense in the plot
Climax
Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
Blank Verse
A character who emphasizes the actions or qualities of the protagonist by providing strong contrast
Foil
A strategy in rhetoric appealing to the audience’s emotions
Pathos
A character in a story who changes as a result of the story’s events
Character- Dynamic/Round
Word choice used by the author to create tone or atmosphere
Diction
Main character the reader focuses his/her attention on in the story; the person who sets plot in motion
Protagonist
Scenes that interrupt present action of plot to tell what happened at an earlier time
Flashback
Statement expressed or implied that a text seems to be making about its subject
Theme
A literary, musical, or artistic work that imitates another’s recognizable style
Pastiche
A series of words or phrases or clauses with grammatically similar construction
Parallelism
