Literary Terms (first ten; second group added) Flashcards
Accent
(In poetry): the stressed portion of a word
Ex) “To be, or not to be”
Academic
(Describing style): dry, theoretical writing
Alliteration
The repetition of initial consonant sounds
Abstract (style)
Complex, discussing intangible qualities like good and evil, seldom uses examples to support points
Aesthetic, aesthetics
Adj: "appealing to the senses" Noun: a coherent sense of taste Ex) kid whose room is painted black, sleeps in a coffin, listens to funeral music (an aesthetic) Aesthetics: the study of beauty Ex) what is beauty?
Analogy
A comparison; usually involves two or more symbolic parts and are employed to clarify an action or relationship.
Allusion
A reference to another work or famous figure
Classical allusion: reference to Greek or Roman mythology
Topical allusion: refers to a current event
Popular allusion: something from popular culture (tv show, hit movie, etc.)
Allegory
A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside of he tale itself
(Every aspect must relate)
Anachronism
Derived from Greek: “misplaced in time”
Antecedent
Word, phrase, or clause that a pronoun refers to or replaces.
“The principal asked the children where they were going.”
They=pronoun
Children=antecedent
Anthropomorphism
Inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena are given human characteristics, behavior, or motivation
“In the forest, the darkness wait for me, I could hear its patient breathing.”
Anticlimax
Action produces far smaller results than one had been led to expect
Anecdote
A short narrative
Antihero
A protagonist who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of unsavory qualities.
Assonance
The repeated use of vowel sounds, as in, “Old king Cole was a merry old soul.”
