Useful Concepts Flashcards
brevity
briefness in speech or writing
irony
incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
paradox
a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory but in reality expresses a possible truth.
anticlimax
letdown in thought or emotion; something disappointing coming after something exciting
mock heroic
a form of satire in which trivial subjects, characters or events are treated with the elevated language and elaborate devices
allegory
A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
ambivalent
simultaneously feeling opposing feelings
exhortation
a communication intended to persuade the recipients to take some action
elegiac
expressing sorrow often for something past
antithesis
the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance (ex. “go big or go home”)
couplet
a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse
pragmatic
concerned with practical matters
somber
grave or even gloomy in character
indignant
angered at something unjust
equivocation
falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language
allusion
indirect reference
usurpation
wrongfully seizing and holding (an office or powers) by force
aloof
remote in manner
colloquial
informal spoken language
didactic
teaching with moral highground
oxymoron
conjoining contradictory terms (as in ‘deafening silence’)
discursive
rambling; wandering in thought or writing
feign
make believe with the intent to deceive
flippant
lacking in seriousness
rhetoric
pursuasive/effective language
conjecture
jumping to conclusions
idyllic
peacful in a natural way
disparaging
derogatory
pastoral
a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds)
trite
overused or lacking originality
