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literature terms Flashcards

1
Q

act

A

major part of a play

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2
Q

allegory

A

Work in which things represent or stand for other things

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3
Q

alliteration

A

Repeated sounds in consecutive words

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4
Q

allusion

A

reference to something

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5
Q

anachronism

A

error in time sequence

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6
Q

antagonist

A

Character who opposes the work’s hero

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7
Q

antihero

A

main character who lacks heroism

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8
Q

apostrophe

A

direct reference to something that is absent

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9
Q

assonance

A

repetition of vowel sounds

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10
Q

ballad

A

Poem that tells a tale and is usually meant to be sung

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11
Q

Bildungsroman

A

autobiographical novel

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12
Q

canto

A

division of a long poem

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13
Q

cliché

A

An overused, formerly meaningful element in a work

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14
Q

climax

A

point of highest drama in a work

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15
Q

couplet

A

Two consecutive lines of verse that rhyme with each other

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16
Q

denouement

A

final part of a work

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17
Q

doggerel

A

bad poetry

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18
Q

elegy

A

poem expressing sadness

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19
Q

epic

A

long heroic story

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20
Q

epiphany

A

A work or section of a work presenting a moment of revelation

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21
Q

essay

A

Short work expressing the author’s opinion

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22
Q

fable

A

short story containing a moral lesson

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23
Q

foot

A

unit of verse

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24
Q

foreshadowing

A

When the author hints at future plot developments

25
Q

genre

A

type of literature

26
Q

hiku

A

japanese 3-line poem

27
Q

hyperbole

A

exaggeration

28
Q

idiom

A

a saying that has a figurative meaning

29
Q

imagery

A

When the author uses descriptive words to enhance his meaning

30
Q

irony

A

Something that means the opposite of its literal meaning

31
Q

kitsch

A

Work of poor quality or reputation

32
Q

lampoon

A

satirical portrayal

33
Q

limerick

A

5-line humorous poem

34
Q

metaphor

A

Description of something done by comparing it to something else

35
Q

meter

A

a poems rhythm

36
Q

motif

A

repeated theme in a work

37
Q

onomatopoeia

A

Word that sounds like what it means

38
Q

oxymoron

A

term that contradicts itself

39
Q

parable

A

story with a moral lesson

40
Q

paradox

A

Illogical statements used to create insight

41
Q

parody

A

work that mocks another work

42
Q

pathos

A

something used to get sympathy

43
Q

personification

A

Giving human attributes to things that are not human

44
Q

plot

A

events of literary work

45
Q

prose

A

nonpoetic language

46
Q

pun

A

A humorous use of words to suggest alternate meanings

47
Q

rhetoric

A

An art that writers use to be more persuasive

48
Q

rhetorical question

A

A question that makes a point; no reply is expected

49
Q

sarcasm

A

An ironic statement usually used in a negative way

50
Q

satire

A

work that makes fun of something

51
Q

scene

A

Part of a play happening in a certain location

52
Q

similie

A

Description accomplished by comparing one thing to another

53
Q

sonnet

A

14-line poem

54
Q

stanza

A

Part of a poem consisting of a group of lines

55
Q

symbol

A

representation of an idea

56
Q

theme

A

The core subject that an author is writing about

57
Q

thesis

A

the primary argument in an essay

58
Q

tone

A

The author’s attitude towards the subject matter

59
Q

verse

A

poetry or part of a poem

MAT (41 decks)

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