Literary Terms: G-M Flashcards
the major category into which a literary work fits (e.g. prose, poetry, and drama)
Genre
refers to traditions for each genre
Generic Conventions
literally “sermon”, or any serious talk, speech, or lecture providing moral or spiritual advice
Homily
a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement
Hyperbole
the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions
Imagery
to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
Infer (Inference)
an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language
Invective
the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
Irony
words literally state the opposite of speaker’s true meaning
Verbal Irony
events turn out opposite of what was expected
Situational Irony
facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the reader or audience or other characters in work
Dramatic Irony
a type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units
Loose Sentence
a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity
Metaphor
from the Greek “changed label”, the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it (e.g. ‘‘the White House” for the President)
Metonymy
Grammatically, the verbal units and a speaker’s attitude (indicative, subjunctive, imperative); literarily, the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a word
Mood
