Literary Terms Flashcards
Tone
The attitude of the writer toward his or her subject. It may be stated or implied. It may be revealed by the author’s word choice and arrangement of ideas, events, and descriptions.
Theme
The underlying meaning of a literary work. It may be stated or implied. It differs from the subject of a literary work in that it involves a statement or opinion about that subject. Not every literary work has one, and some literary works have more than one theme.
syntax
The order or arrangement of words
Symbol
Something concrete, such as an object, person, place, or happening, that stands for or represents something abstract such as an idea, a quality, a concept, or a condition
simile
A figure of speech involving a direct comparison between two unlike things and using words such as like or as
Rhyme
Words having the same sound in their stressed syllables. Its use may give pleasure to the ear, emphasize important words or lines, and unify parts of the poem or the whole poem
Personification
A figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to nonhuman animals, objects, or ideas
Mood
The atmosphere and feeling that a writer creates in a work through the choice of setting, imagery, details, descriptions, and other evocative words.
Mixed metaphor
an inconsistent comparison
Extended metaphor
A metaphor continued throughout a stanza, paragraph, or entire work
Metaphor
a figure of speech that implies comparison between two fundamentally different things. The qualities of one are ascribed to the other.
Lyric
A short poem expressing a basic, personal emotion such as grief, happiness, love, or melancholy.
Dramatic Irony
When the reader or viewer is aware of something about which the character involved knows nothing
Situational Irony
When things turn out contrary to what is expected
Verbal Irony
A contrast between what is said and what is actually meant.
Imagery
The use of concrete details that appeal to the five senses. By appealing to a readier’s senses, a writer can more easily communicate an experience.
hyperbole
A figure of speech using great exaggeration to emphasize strong feeling and to create a satiric, comic, or sentimental effect
free verse
poetry that follows no set patterns of rhyme, meter, or line length
Figurative language
the use of words outside their literal, or usual meanings. It is used to add beauty, increase vitality and impact, suggest associations and comparisons, and develop conciseness.
diction
the author’s choice of words
Consonance
The repetition of similar or identical consonant sounds preceded by different vowel sounds. It is often used instead of rhyme at the end of a line of poetry. It can stress important words and strengthen meaning through word association. It may add to the unity of sounds and sense in a poem.
Blank Verse
Unrhymed poetry in iambic pentameter–ten syllable lines with five unstressed syllables alternating with five stressed syllables. An unstressed syllable begins the line. Poets who write in this type of poetry may vary the best within this basic structure.
Assonance
The repetition of similar or identical vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in stressed words or syllables. It can contribute to the meaning of a work, to its musical quality, and to its unity.
trochaic parameter
stressed, then unstressed syllable
Enjambment
the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line
caesura
a sudden stop in the middle of a line in a poem
volta
turn in mood or content in poem
italian sonnet
octave, sestet; in between, there is a shift in meanining and tone
English (Shakespearean) Sonnet
3 quatrains and a concluding couplet
iambic parameter
unstressed, then stressed syllable
sonnet
a fixed form of 14 lines, normally iambic parameter, with a fixed rhyme scheme
symbolism
when an author uses symbols to make a point
symbol
something concrete, such as an object, person, place, or happening, that stands for or represents something abstract such as an idea, a quality, a concept, or a condition.
Anything that stands for or represents something else.
paradox
an apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true.
It may be either a situation or a statement.
It may be used for its shock value: its seeming impossibility startles the reader into attention and thus by the fact of its apparent absurity, it underscores the truth of what is being said
e.g.: to damn with faint praise
onomatopoeia
the use of words whose sound suggests the sounds made by objects or activities
e.g.’s: clapping, quack, thumping, boom, flapping
alliteration
the repetition of similar or identical sounds at the beginning of words or in accented syllables
it is used to create melody, establish mood, emphasize certain words, and point up similarities and contrasts
allusion
a reference to a historical or literary figure or event.
It may allude to myth, religion, or to any other aspect of ancient or modern culture
tone
the attitude of the writer toward his/her subject.
May be stated or implied
May be revealed by the author’s word choice or arrangement of ideas/events/descriptions
connotation
the interpretations of a word beyond its literal definition
associations - (personal/universal)
denotation
The literal meaning of the word; dictionary definition
