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Literary Terms > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

0
Q

Adage

A

A familiar proverb or wise saying

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1
Q

Absolute

A

A word free from limitations or qualifications (“free”, “all”, “unique”, “perfect”)

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2
Q

Ad hominem argument

A

An argument attacking an individuals character rather than his or her position on an issue.

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3
Q

Allegory

A

A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions.

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4
Q

Alliteration

A

The repetition of initial sound in successive or neighboring words.

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5
Q

Allusion

A

A reference to something literary, mythological or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize.

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6
Q

Analogy

A

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way.

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7
Q

Anaphora

A

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences.

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8
Q

Anecdote

A

A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event

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9
Q

Antecedent

A

The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

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10
Q

Antithesis

A

A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced

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11
Q

Aphorism

A

A concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance.

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12
Q

Apostrophe

A

A figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction.

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13
Q

Archetype

A

A detail, image or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response.

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14
Q

Argument

A

A statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work.

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15
Q

Asyndeton

A

A construction n which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions.

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16
Q

Balanced sentence

A

A sentence in which words, phrases or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast.

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17
Q

Bathos

A

Insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity.

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18
Q

Chiasmus

A

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary)

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19
Q

Cliché

A

An expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off

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20
Q

Climax

A

The point of highest interest in a literary work

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21
Q

Colloquialism

A

Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writting.

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22
Q

Complex sentence

A

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

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23
Q

Compound sentence

A

A sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions

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24
Q

Conceit

A

A fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor.

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25
Q

Concrete details

A

Details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events

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26
Q

Connotation

A

The implied or associate meaning of a word.

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27
Q

Cumulative sentence

A

A sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases.

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28
Q

Declarative sentence

A

A sentence that makes a statement or declaration.

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29
Q

Deductive reasoning

A

Reasoning in which a conclusion is reaches by starting a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise Tuesday morning.)

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30
Q

Denotation

A

The literal meaning of a word.

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31
Q

Dialect

A

A variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region.

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32
Q

Dialogue

A

Conversation between two or more people.

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33
Q

Diction

A

The word choices made by a writer.

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34
Q

Didactic

A

Having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing

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35
Q

Dilemma

A

A situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives.

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36
Q

Dissonance

A

Harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds

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37
Q

Elegy

A

A formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme.

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38
Q

Ellipsis

A

Te omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (Some people prefer cats; others; dogs)

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39
Q

Epic

A

A long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation.

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40
Q

Epigram

A

A brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying.

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41
Q

Epigraph

A

A saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work.

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42
Q

Epiphany

A

A moment of sudden revelation or insights.

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43
Q

Epitaph

A

An inscription on a tombstone or burial place.

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44
Q

Epithet

A

A term used to point put a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives (swift-footed Achilles) that become an almost formulaic pat of a name. Epithets can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of their given epithets (The Rocket).

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45
Q

Eulogy

A

A formal speech praising a person who has died.

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46
Q

Euphemism

A

A indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant.

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47
Q

Exclamatory sentence

A

A sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark.

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48
Q

Expletive

A

An interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity.

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49
Q

Fable

A

A brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters.

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50
Q

Fantasy

A

A story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters; a fantasy may be merely whimsical, or it may present a serious point.

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51
Q

Figurative language

A

Language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)

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52
Q

Flashback

A

The insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative.

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53
Q

Flat character

A

A character that embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story.

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54
Q

Foreshadowing

A

The presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work.

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55
Q

Frame device

A

A story within a story. An example is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, in which the primary tales are told within the “ frame story” of the pilgrimage to Canterbury.

56
Q

Genre

A

A major category or type of literature.

57
Q

Homily

A

A sermon, or a moralistic lecture.

58
Q

Hubris

A

Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy.

59
Q

Hyperbole

A

Intentional exaggeration to create an effect.

60
Q

Hypothetical question

A

A question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition.

61
Q

Idiom

A

An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect.

62
Q

Imagery

A

The use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses.

63
Q

Implication

A

A suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly.

64
Q

Inductive reasoning

A

Deriving general principles form particular facts or instances. (Every cat I have seen has four legs; cats are four legged animals)

65
Q

Inference

A

A conclusion one draws ( infers) based on premises or evidence.

66
Q

Invective

A

An intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack.

67
Q

Irony

A

The us e of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning ; or incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs.

68
Q

Jargon

A

The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession.

69
Q

Juxtaposition

A

Placing two elements side by side to present a contrast or comparison.

70
Q

Legend

A

A narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements.

71
Q

Limerick

A

Light verse consisting of five lines or regular rhythm in which the first , second, and fifth lines (each consisting of three feet) rhyme, and the second and third lines ( each consisting of two feet) rhyme.

72
Q

Limited narrator

A

A narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character.

73
Q

Literary license

A

Deviating from normal riles or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (intentional sentence fragments, for example).

74
Q

Litotes

A

A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying. “It was not a pretty picture”)

75
Q

Malapropism

A

The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (“The doctor wrote a subscription”).

76
Q

Maxim

A

A concise statement, offering advice; an adage.

77
Q

Metaphor

A

A direct comparison of two objects.

78
Q

Metonymy

A

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it (“The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting]”)

79
Q

Mood

A

The emotional atmosphere of a work

80
Q

Motif

A

A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works.

81
Q

Motivation

A

A character’s incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act.

82
Q

Myth

A

A traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events.

83
Q

Narrative

A

A story or narrated account.

84
Q

Narrator

A

The one who tells the story; may be first- or third- person, limited or omniscient.

85
Q

Non sequitur

A

An inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, “does not follow”).

86
Q

Omniscient narrator

A

A narrator who is able to know, see and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters.

87
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds.

88
Q

Oxymoron

A

An expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined.

89
Q

Parable

A

A simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson.

90
Q

Paradox

A

An apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth.

91
Q

Parallelism

A

The use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms.

92
Q

Paraphrase

A

A restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity.

93
Q

Parody

A

A humorous imitation of a serious work.

94
Q

Parenthetical

A

A comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain.

95
Q

Pathos

A

The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity.

96
Q

Pedantic

A

Characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship.

97
Q

Personification

A

Endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics.

98
Q

Philippic

A

A strong verbal denunciation. The term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century.

99
Q

Plot

A

The action of a narrative or drama.

100
Q

Point of view

A

The vantage point from which a story is told.

101
Q

Polysyndeton

A

The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural.

102
Q

Pun

A

A play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings.

103
Q

Resolution

A

The falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax.

104
Q

Rhetoric

A

The art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner.

105
Q

Rhetorical question

A

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer.

106
Q

Rhetorical devices

A

Literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression.

107
Q

Riddle

A

A question requiring thought to answer or understand; a puzzle or conundrum.

108
Q

Romantic

A

A term describing a character or literary work the reflects the characteristics of Romanticism, the literary movement beginning in the late 18th century that stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism.

109
Q

Round character

A

A character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work.

110
Q

Sarcasm

A

Harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule

111
Q

Satire

A

The use of humor to emphasize human weakness or imperfections in social institutions.

112
Q

Scapegoat

A

A person or group that bears the blame for another.

113
Q

Scene

A

A real or fictional episode; a division of an act in a play.

114
Q

Setting

A

The time, place, and environment in which action takes place.

115
Q

Simple sentence

A

A sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause.

116
Q

Solecism

A

Nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules.

117
Q

Structure

A

The arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work.

118
Q

Style

A

The choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work.

119
Q

Surrealism

A

An artistic movement emphasizing the imagination and characterized by incongruous juxtapositions and lack of conscious control.

120
Q

Syllepsis

A

A construction in which one word is used in two different senses (“After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.”)

121
Q

Syllogism

A

A three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise (“All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal”).

122
Q

Symbol

A

An object that is used to represent something else.

123
Q

Synecdoche

A

Using one part of an object to represent the entire object (for example, referring to a car simply as “wheels”).

124
Q

Synesthesia

A

Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another (“a loud color,” “a sweet sound”).

125
Q

Syntax

A

The manner in which words are arranged into sentences.

126
Q

Tautology

A

Needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding (“widow woman,” “free gift”).

127
Q

Theme

A

A central idea of a work.

128
Q

Thesis

A

The primary position taken by a writer or speaker.

129
Q

Tone

A

The attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience.

130
Q

Topic

A

The subject treated in a paragraph or work. E

131
Q

Tragedy

A

A work in which the protagonist, a person of high degree, is engaged in a significant struggle and which ends in ruin or destruction.

132
Q

Trilogy

A

A work in three parts, each of which is a complete work itself.

133
Q

Trite

A

Overused and hackneyed.

134
Q

Turning point

A

The point in a work in which a very significant change occurs.

135
Q

Understatement

A

The deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is; a deliberate under-emphasis.

137
Q

Vernacular

A

The everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage.

158
Q

Usage

A

The customary way language or its elements are used.

Literary Terms (1 decks)

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