Literary Terms Flashcards
Simile
A figure of speech comparing two things using “like” or “as”
Climax
The point of highest interest
Allusions
A reference that was indirect. Allusions use well known terminology
Ex: he’s taller than a giraffe
Vs
He’s taller than my aunts wardrobe
Symbol
A thing representing something abstract
Alliteration
Beginning of two of more words with the same sound
Denouement
Unraveling of a dramatic plot; a solution
Metonymy
Name substitution of a part to address it as a whole ex: all HANDS on deck
How many HEAD of cattle
Mood
The fleeting emotion in a literary piece
Theme
Underlying universal message
Personification
Giving inanimate objects human traits
Introduction
Giving the reader the setting and characters
Understatement
Calling something less than it is
Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration
Metaphor
When a term is transferred to something it does not literally apply to
Magical realism
A genre where the unbelievable becomes believable
Setting
Time AND place of a story
Falling action
After the climax, before the end. Conflicts are being resolved here.
Onomatopoeia
A word that represents a sound
Sizzle crack boom drip
Rising action
Leading to the climax
Conflict
Struggle, trial of strength
Person vs person Person vs self Person vs technology Person vs society Person vs nature Person vs authority
Rhetorical question
A question not expecting an answer
Bias
The predisposition of the writer
Repetition
Repeating words or phrases to give emphasis
Irony
Humorous way of expressing direct opposite of what is really meant
Denotation
The dictionary definition of a word
Connotation
A meaning associated with a word’s emotional connection. There is positive and negative connotation, as well as neutral connotation.
Complication
A difficulty, a problem, an obstacle
Protagonist
Leading character in a literary work
Antagonist
Against the protagonist ; an adversary
