Literary Terms Flashcards
Adverb
Word that describes a verb or quality, place, time, degree, cause, etc.
Allusion
A reference to something famous
Ambiguity
Statement that allows for several different interpretations
Analogy
A comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect (ex: No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.)
Analysis
A detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features
Antagonist
Adversary of a protagonist of a literary work
Antecedent
A word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun that typically follows the substantive (ex: “John” in “Mary saw John and called to him”)
Antithesis
Placing two opposite ideas together in the same sentence to achieve a contrasting effect (ex: speech is silver, but silence is gold)
Atmosphere
Overall mood of a story or poem; emerges through description and the setting rather than action and characters
Catharsis
Cleansing of or release of emotions as the reader sympathizes with a character (ex: Romeo & Juliet- at the end of the story, when the two characters commit suicide, and the audience cries; when the families make up with each other, it offers a feeling of closure)
Chronology
Arrangement of events by time
Claim/thesis
Statement that a writer intends to support and prove
Climax
The point in a narrative at which the conflict hits the highest point
Conceit
An extended metaphor that compares two very dissimilar things; often controls a large section of a poem
External Conflict
Struggle between a person and an outside force, which drives the dramatic action of the plot (ex: Macbeth v. Macduff)
Internal Conflict
Psychological struggle within the mind of a character (ex: Hamlet’s inaction is caused by internal conflict)
Diction
Selection of words to communicate a message or establish a particular voice/writing style; help create the tone, bring characters to life, etc. (formal, informal, slang, etc.)
Drama
Portrayal of fictional or non-frictional events through the performance of written dialog (prose, poetry), AKA plays; builds feelings of tension and anticipation as the story develops (comedy, tragedy [Romeo and Juliet], etc.)
Dramatic dialogue
A literary work in which a speaker’s character is revealed in a monologue usually addressed to a 2nd person (usually poetry; the person speaking is the character themselves talking to someone else)
Epiphany
The moment in the story where the character achieves realization, awareness, or a feeling of knowledge after events are seen in a different light
Exposition
The part of the story that sets the stage; introduces theme, setting, characters, and circumstances (intro)
Extended Metaphor
A comparison between two unlike things that continues through a series of sentences or lines (often more than one sentence)
Foil
Character whose characteristics oppose another character; used to highlight a particular quality of the main character (ex: Hamlet and Laertes)
In medias res
Beginning a narrative by plunging into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events (starting a story with a messy situation, and then the character is like “I’ll bet you’re wondering why I’m here” and then the beginning of the story is told)
Irony
Contradictory statements or situations reveal a reality that is different from what appears to be true (verbal irony [telling a quiet group “don’t everyone speak at once”; situational irony [fire station burns down])
Juxtaposition
Two things are placed side by side for comparison (yin-yang, two characters with different personalities)
Literary Argument
An argument about a piece of literature (consisting of a thesis & supporting evidence)
Motif
An object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work (ex: Hamlet- incest)
Nuance
A subtle difference in meaning, opinion, attitude (ex: looking out the window to the same sight you see everyday, but really admiring how the sun hits the tree (or whatever))
Paradox
A statement that appears at first to contradictory, but upon further reflection, actually makes sense (ex: “earn money by spending it”)
Parallel Structure
Having two or more clauses, phrases, or words with similar form and length; keeps rhythm within the lines (ex: read not to contradict and confute; not to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weight and consider”)
Poetry: Closed form
Poetry that follows a set number of lines, meters, rhymes, etc. (ex: sonnet, etc.)
Poetry: Open Form
Poetry that does not follow a set template or lines, meters, rhymes, etc.
Pronoun Reference
When a pronoun that refers to a word or word group (antecedent) that goes before (ex: The old man smiled as HE listened to the marching band); antecedent can also follow the pronoun
Referent
A person, place, entity, etc. which is designated by a word or phrase (ex: “cat” refers to a feline domestic animal)
Resolution
Conclusion of a story, loose ends are tied
Shift
A change of the mood/tone within a literary work
Soliloquy
A monologue in which a character talks to themselves or reveals their thoughts when alone
Monologue
A long speech by one person (usually addressed to other people)
Stanza
A division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together (paragraph of a poem)
Stream of Consciousness
A narrative style that tries to capture a character’s thought process in a realistic way (mimics the non-linear way our brains think); meant to make the reader feel as though they are a fly on the wall of the character’s mind
Syntax
Determines how chosen words are used to form a sentence (ex: “I cannot go out” vs. “Go out I cannot”); puts an emphasis on different parts of the sentence
Tense
Time of a verb’s action or its state of being (past, present, future)
Amplify
To expand something, such as a statement, by the use of detail or illustation by closer analysis
Associate
To connect or bring into relation, as thought, feeling, memory, etc. (ex: many people associate dark clouds with depression or gloom)
Clarify
To make clear or easier to understand by giving more details or a simpler explanation
Exemplify
To show or illustrate by example
Qualify
To characterize by naming an attribute
