Literary Terms (making this the night before the final lol)

Question 1

Anaphora

Answer 1

repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines

Question 2

Synecdoche

Answer 2

part is used to represent a whole thing (“Hey, nice wheels!” [car])

Question 3

Alliteration

Answer 3

repetition of consonant sounds at beginning of words (Lawrence loved life)

Question 4

Archetype

Answer 4

a stock character that is easily recognizable and therefore can quickly serve a purpose

Question 5

Allusion

Answer 5

A reference to a well-known literary or historical figure or event

Question 6

Haiku

Answer 6

17-syllable Japanese poem, short, tackles big topics like nature+purpose of life

Question 7

Sonnet

Answer 7

14-line poem with a tight rhyme scheme, tackles big topics; life, death, nature of our country

Question 8

Lyric

Answer 8

poem of regular size (often arranged w/ stanzas), song-like qualities (rhyme)

Question 9

Epic

Answer 9

book length poem, usually featuring a quest, embodies a culture’s values + beliefs (The Odyssey)

Question 10

Irony

Answer 10

Situational: Hit by ambulance / fire station burning down
Dramatic: audience knows something the characters don’t
Verbal: saying one thing and meaning another; sarcasm

Question 11

Gothic

Answer 11

Strange spaces
Dangerous romance
The grotesque
The supernatural
Folklore
The unexplained
Not everything is measurable

Question 12

Romanticism

Answer 12

Celebration of nature
The spirit world is all around us
The natural over manufactured
The individual before collective
Personal liberty
Freedom of expression + belief
The American + French Revolutions

Question 13

Bildungsroman

Answer 13

coming-of-age novel

Question 14

Epic Poetry

Answer 14

focus on hero’s journey

Question 15

American Realism

Answer 15

life as it really is, historical

Question 16

Dystopian Literature

Answer 16

warning of what may happen