Literary Terms Flashcards
Superlative
Highest degree or most extreme level of a quality or characteristic
Emphasise a quality or characteristic, make it stand out, create comparison, create importance, add drama and excitement, more engaging and interesting
Pathetic Fallacy
Human emotions, feelings or traits are attributed to objects, animals or nature
Create deeper emotional impact enhance overall mood, create empath and connection between reader and subject matter, convey symbolism, reflect human emotions, foreshadowing
Juxtraposition
Two or more contrasting/opposing ideas, words or images are placed next to each other
Creates emphasis, highlights differences, makes comparison, adds tension, irony, humour, makes text more engaging, adds surprise or shock, provoke a deeper understanding, adds complexity or ambiguity
Tricolon
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Creates emphasis, rhythm, sense of completeness, balance and power, memorable and persuasive, create a progression or climax, builds momentum or anticipation
Allegory
A story can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning (moral or political), uses symbolism to represent abstract concepts, ideas or values
Draw connection to human/social issues, creates a second layer of meaning, communicates/critiques society, invokes emotion, inspiration and provides guidance
Alliteration
Sequence of words in a phrase or sentence begin with the same letter or sound
Makes language more memorable, pleasing and rhythmic sound, sense of cohesion, emphasis on ideas, emphasise a mood of playfulness, melancholy or urgency
Anaphora
A word or group of words is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses of sentences
Creates a powerful, memorable and persuasive message, draws attention, creates urgency, sense of unity, shared experience
Anthopomorphism (Personification)
Non-human or non-living things are portrayed as having human-like characteristics
Creates a sense of familiarity with characters, helps the reader empathise, engaging
Archetype
A universal symbol or pattern that appears across different cultures and time periods, represents a shared human experience
Creates familiarity with audience/reader, can evoke powerful emotional response and resonate with people from different backgrounds, accessible and engaging, creates depth and meaning
Colloquialism
A word or phrase that is commonly used in informal conversation or writing
Create sense of familiarity, convey a particular mood, create sense of identity, unprofessional or inappropriate in a formal setting
Cumulative sentence
Multiple clauses in a sentence
Makes a sense of buildup or progression, creates a flowing descriptive style, presents a vivid image, creates anticipation or suspense
Dramatic Irony
Audience or reader knows something that the characters do not
Creates tension for audience, anticipation
Flashback
Takes the reader or audience back to a previous time in the story, used to provide background information or add depth and complexity
Add tension and suspense
Foreshadowing
Hints at or suggests future events in a story
Creates a sense of anticipation, suspense, adds complexity
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for emphasis or effect
Emotional, humorous or dramatic impact, emphasising intensity or importance, make a point more memorable, impactful and vivid
Hypophora
The speaker or writer asks a question and then immediately answers it
Used to anticipate and address the concerns of the audience or to emphasise a particular point, creates a sense of engagement, clarity and coherence
Imagery
Use of figurative language to create sensory experiences by engaging the readers senses and emotions uses vivid and descriptive language to paint a mental picture or evoke a sensory experience
Engages the senses, creates a vivid and memorable experience, adds depth and richness, connection between reader and text, overwhelming, distracting
Irony
Contradiction between what is expected and what actually happens
Creates humorous, sarcasm, emphasis. Used to challenge assumptions or expectations or to highlight contradictions, adds depth and complexity
Isocolon
Phrases of clauses that have an equal or parallel structure in terms of length and rhythm
Creates a balanced, harmonious effect, symmetry, rhythm, makes it memorable and effective, adds clarity, adds emphasis by highlighting important ideas
Juxtraposition
Two contrasting things are placed side by side for comparison or contrast
Creates a deeper meaning by highlighting differences, creates tension and interest by emphasising differences, used to create humorous or irony, create surprising effect
Litotes
Understatement is used to emphasise an idea be negating its opposite
Creates irony or makes the point more strongly, subtle and indirect way of emphasising a point, can soften the impact of a statement, less aggressive, adds depth and complexity
Metaphor
Implied comparison between two things that are not actually alike
Creates a vivid, imaginative description of something by drawing comparison, provides a fresh perspective, deeper understanding, creates emotional impact, easier to relate
Motif
Ruccuring image, symbol, theme or idea
Helps unify a work and give it meaning, unity, coherence, highlights key ideas, adds depth and richness, helps reinforce meaning or message, create anticipation
Onomatopoea
Use of words to imitate the sounds they describe
Creates a sensory experience for the reader using an auditory element, makes language more vivid and dynamic, more engaging
