Literary Terms Flashcards
allegory
story, poem or picture that has a hidden meaning, typically moral or political.
analogy
comparison between one thing and another, usually for explanation or clarification.
archetype
a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art or mythology
axiomatic
something that is self-evident and cannot be questioned
brevitas
Use of a concise statement to say a lot more
convention
defining characteristics of a genre
dialect
form of language which is specific to a region or group
diction
the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
didactic
intended for instruction
discourse markers
embedded phrases in text that show a change of direction - ‘anyway’, ‘so’, ‘the next thing’
elision
omission of letter/s replaced by an apostrophe
figurative language
language that does not mean exactly as it says, representing an object or idea using metaphors.
idiom
a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the original words
lexicon
specific vocabulary of a person or branch of knowledge
litotes
understatement, where affirmative is expressed by negative ‘not bad at all’
metafiction
author self-consciously alludes to the artificiality of a work
metonym
word that denotes one thing but refers to a related thing Westminster = UK government
palimpsest
a narrative overwritten with another
polysyndeton
the use of several conjunctions in a row
pun
exploiting the two meanings of a word
register
variety of language used for particular purpose/social setting
satire
humour that exposes foolishness and corruption
style
the way the writer expresses themself
syntax
rules that govern structure of sentences
tone
author’s attitude towards their subject
trope
recurring theme
