Literary terms quiz 1st quarter Flashcards
allegory
concrete representation of an abstract idea
alliteration
two or more consecutive words that begin with the same sound for aid to memorization, to bring attention to an important part, and to mark the meter
Allusion
an indirect reference
Anachronism
something out of its proper historical time period
Antagonist
character against the protagonist
Anthropomorphism
giving human qualities to living things, including gods
anti-climax
descent from the climax
anti-hero
protagonist that doesn’t exhibit the qualities of the traditional hero
aphorism
statement that reveals truths or principles
apostrophe
one word exclamation to begin the paragraph
aside
character speaks his own feelings that others do not hear (drama)
assonance
similar vowel sounds followed by different consonants
ballad
poem that recounts the story in the form of a song
beast fable
fable where principle characters are animals
Ballad stanza
four-line stanza used in the traditional ballad
bildungsroman
novel depicting the growth of a child to his maturity
caesura
pause in a line of poetry
Canto
section of a long poem
characterization
how an author develops a character
chivalric romance
courtly love - knight choses a lady and dedicates all his deeds to her
classicism
ancient Greek and Roman beliefs
cliche
an unoriginal expression used many times
climax
point of greatest tension in the plot
conflict
the issue that needs to be resolved
connotation
when a word word invokes something beyond its literal meaning
consonance
similar consonant sounds followed by vowel sounds
couplet
two successive lines of rhyming poetry
didacticism
teaching tone especially in Angle-Saxon
denouement
a conclusion
dialogue
conversation between two or more
dramatic irony
character’s words come back to haunt him, he did not recognize the reality of what he is saying
elegy
speech given at a funeral for the dead
elegiac
sad, yearning tone
enjambment
one sentence crosses over one or more lines, surprises the reader
Epic
long, formal narrative poem written in an elevated style that recounts the adventures of a hero of almost mythic proportions who embodies the traits of a nation or people
Epic conventions
In medias res and epic similes (long comparisons using like or as that has a tenor (subject) and a vehicle (image)
Epithet
another name for someone or something that uses a phrase
exposition
writing that explains
extended metaphor
metaphor that is extended throughout the entire work
Falling action
the crisis that ends in a catastrophe
figurative language
language using figure of speech to elevate the writing
figure of speech
used to compare (imagery, metaphor, simile)
flashback
when the action stops and one recalls the past
foil
a character who contrasts with the main character to accentuate the main character’s distinctive qualities or characteristics
foreshadowing
warning/indication of future events
free verse
poetry that lacks meter and does not rhyme
genre
classification of literary works based on content
imagery
figurative language that evokes the 5 senses
kenning
two nouns put together acting as a metaphor, words of power
lyric poetry
poem that expresses deep, personal emotions
metaphor
a comparison between two unlike things
personification
giving human attributes to anything nonhuman
prosopopoeia
when an inanimate object speaks (kind of personification)
simile
comparison using like or as
