Literary Terms

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

Occurrence of the same letter/sound at the beginning of adjacent/closely connected words
Ex. Sly snake slithers

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

Implied indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text
Ex. She is a real Einstein

Question 3

Anachronism

Answer 3

Something belonging/appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists
Ex. Acrylics being worn in Bridgerton

Question 4

Archetype

Answer 4

Typical example of a certain person or thing
Ex. Superman is an archetype of a hero

Question 5

Caesura

Answer 5

An interruption or break in a poem
Ex. They cease not fighting // east and west.

Question 6

Elegy

Answer 6

Poem of serious reflection, sometimes a lament for the dead
Ex. O Captain, My Captain!

Question 7

Epic Hero

Answer 7

Main character of an epic poem that tells story of a grand quest where they use their great/superhuman abilities to achieve great things
Ex. Beowulf

Question 8

Epithet

Answer 8

Adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned
Ex. Dirty old men

Question 9

Exeter book

Answer 9

Largest/oldest known manuscript of Old English literature

Question 10

Gielp

Answer 10

Boast; pride

Question 11

Hyperbole

Answer 11

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
Ex. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse

Question 12

Imagery

Answer 12

Visually descriptive or symbolizes something
Ex. Grass tickled his skin

Question 13

Kenning

Answer 13

Compound expression with metaphorical meaning
Ex. Tree-hugger, mind-reader

Question 14

Metaphor

Answer 14

Figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it isn’t literally applicable
Ex. A couch potato, heart of gold

Question 15

Oral Tradition

Answer 15

Cultural knowledge and information passed down through speech from one generation to the next
Ex. Riddles, legends, rhymes, songs, etc.

Question 16

Scop

Answer 16

An Old English poet or bard

Question 17

Wyrd

Answer 17

Fate or personal destiny (sometimes doom)

Question 18

Tone

Answer 18

The mood implied by an authors word choice and the way that the text can make a reader feel
Ex. I can’t wait! But what if I seem foolish?

Question 19

Foreshadowing

Answer 19

A warning or indication of a future event
Ex. Stormy weather

Question 20

Irony

Answer 20

Way of speaking that involves a contradiction between what is expected and what is actual
Ex. Fire station burns down, pilot afraid of heights