Literary Terms (General) Flashcards
Allegory
A narrative or description having second or symbolic meaning beneath the surface one
Allusion
A reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history
Anecdote
A short account of an interesting or humorous incident
Artistic unity
That condition of a successful literary work whereby all its elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose
Cacophony
A harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds
Euphony
A smooth, pleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds
Genre
A type or class, as poetry, drama, etc.
Imagery
The representation through language of sensory experience
Mood
The pervading impression of a work
Moral
A rule of conduct or maxim for living expressed or implied as the “point” of a literary work.
Prose
Non-metrical language; the opposite of verse
Theme
The main idea, or message, of a literary work.
Tone
The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject, the audience, or herself or himself; the emotional coloring, or emotional meaning, of a work
Topic
The subject matter or area of a literary work.
Setting
The context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs.
