Literary terms Flashcards
What is Repetition?
The action of repeating something that has already been said or written.
What is Juxtaposition?
The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with a contrasting effect.
What is Hamartia?
A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.
What is deus ex machina?
An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.
What is Assonance?
In poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel in non-rhyming stressed syllables.
What is Euphemism?
A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
What is Metonymy?
The substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant.
What are Rhetorical questions?
A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
What is Alliteration?
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words.
What is Hyperbole?
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
What is Catharsis?
The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
What is Irony?
The use of words to express something opposite of its literal meaning.
What is Onomatopoeia?
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.
What is an Archetype?
A very typical example of a certain person or thing.
What is Personification?
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
What is an Oxymoron?
A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.
What is Hubris?
Excessive pride or self-confidence.
What is Parallelism?
Repetition of grammatical elements for harmonious effect.
What is a Soliloquy?
An act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
What is Anagnorisis?
The point in a play, novel, etc., in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances.
What is Pathetic fallacy?
The attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.
What is a Paradox?
A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.
What is Synecdoche?
A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.
What is Binary Opposition?
A pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning - concepts that can’t exist together (e.g., winning and losing).
