Literary Terms Flashcards
Define - Zoomorphism
Where animal attributes are imposed upon non-animal objects, humans, gods and events
Define - Zeugma
Where a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun
Define - Vignette
A small impressionistic scene, illustration or passage focusing on one particular aspect
Define - Verismilitude
Likeness to the truth i.e. resemblance of a fictitious work to a real event even if it is a far-fetched one
Define - Verbal Irony
When a speaker speaks something contradictory to what he intends to
Define - Truism
A statement that is based on evidence and is accepted as an obvious truth in a way that further proof is not considered necessary
Define - Tmesis
A practice of dividing a phrase or word into its components by inserting another word in the middle (“fan-bloody-tastic”)
Define - Synesis
A grammatical construction that is in agreement with the sense instead of the strict syntax
Define - Stream of Consciousness
A method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters
Define - Situational Irony
It occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead
Define - Sesquipedalian
The use of words that are very long and have several syllables
Define - Syllogism
Where an argument starts with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific
Define - Static Character
A character that does not undergo inner changes or undergoes a little change
Define - Sonnet
A poem with 14 fourteen lines, 10 syllables, iambic pentameter and has a specific rhyme scheme and a “volta” or a specific turn
Define - Synesthesia
To present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one sense
Define - Syncope
The contraction or the shortening of a word by omitting sounds, syllables or letters from the middle of the word
Define - Sestet
Second part of a Petrarchan sonnet, a poem of six lines, or a six lined-stanza in a poem
Define - Round Character
A complex personality. Like real people, he/she has depth in his feelings and passions
Define - Reductio Ad Absurdum
To reduce an argument to absurdity by drawing the conclusions with logical limits or showing ridiculous consequences
_ comes from Anglo-Norman and Old French romanz, romans, which means a story of chivalry and love
Romance
Define - Red Herring
An irrelevant topic introduced in an argument to divert the attention of listeners or readers from the original issue
Define - Refrain
A poetic device that repeats at regular intervals in different stanzas
Define - Prosthesis
The addition of an extra sound or syllable to the beginning of a word that helps in making it easier to pronounce
Define - Polysyndeton
Where several coordinating conjunctions (“and”) are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect