Vocabulary Flashcards
Spoonerism
Trading sounds. “Shoving leopard”
Stream of consciousness
The representation of perceptions/impressions, stimuli ,and fragments of random/disconnected thoughts.
Sturm und Drang
Works containing rousing action and high emotionalism, often dealing with the individual’s revolt against society. (1700’s)
Epithet
An adjective used to characterize a person. “Bravely bold Sir Robin”
Euphemism
The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit. “Passed away” traded for “died”.
Polysyndeton
Overkill of conjunctions. “He ran and jumped and laughed for joy”
Portmanteau
A new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings. “Brunch.”
Ekphrastic
A dramatic literary commentary or description of any work of art.
Emulation
An ambition and effort to equal, excel, or surpass another.
Zeugma
SEMANTIC use of one word to conduct two: “He took his hat and his leave”
Syllepsis
GRAMATICAL use of one word to conduct two: “I finally told him I was losing weight, my grip, and possibly my mind”
Periphrasis
A roundabout description of something. “Talk to the big man upstairs” instead of “pray”
Periodic Structure
A long and frequently involved sentence, only concluded by the last word. “The proper place in the sentence for the word or group of words that the writer desires to make the most prominent is usually the end.”
Ballade
Three 8-line stanzas, each with a consistent meter and a particular rhyme scheme. “ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC”
Bildungsroman
Author presents the psychological, moral, and social shaping of the personality of a character. ie. Kite Runner
Nemesis
The goddess of divine retribution or death against those who had extreme pride. Also, this means “a rival or opponent who cannot be overcome”
Pathetic Fallacy
The fallacy of attributing human feelings to inanimate objects: “The friendly sun, the angry wind, the sorrowful clouds, the cheerful flowers”
Gothicism
Works characterized by a taste for the medieval or morbidly attractive. ie Horror, supernatural, gloom, violence.
Hyperbaton
Yoda speech in addition to where language takes a sudden turn: “Sorry I be but go you must”
Caesura
Break/pause in poetry, usually marked by punctuation.
Chiasmus
Reversed order of words in parallel expressions. “I love you, you love me”
Doppelganger
A character is duplicated into distinct, opposite personalities. Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This indicates a growing awareness among authors that the “self” is really a composite of many “selves.”
Anochronism
An error in chronology: placing a person or event or language in the wrong period.
Absurd
Usual elements of literature are disregarded to stress lack of logic in nature. Ie the Metamorphosis.
Antithesis
Contrary ideas expressed in a balanced sentence. “To err is human, to forgive, divine.”
Aphorism
A brief statement or observation of a doctrine, truth, or sentiment. “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and…”
Anticlimax
A sudden drop from a dignified or important idea to a trivial one. A disappointing contrast.
Naturalism
Attempts to apply scientific principles of detachment to its study of human beings. Implies a philosophical position.
Negative Capability
A theory of the poet John Keats describing the capacity for accepting uncertainty and the unresolved.
Syncope
A traditional term for a contraction within a word through the loss of a vowel sound or letter: cam(e)ra, fam(i)ly, butt(o)ning.
Synecdoche
A figure of speech where a part is used to represent the whole. Ie. ABCs for “alphabet”
Satire
Exposes human vices or folly, usually intended as a moral criticism directed against the injustice or social wrongs.
Loose sentences
A sentence structure in which a main clause is followed by subordinate phrases and clauses.
Synethsesia
Description of one kind of sensation in terms of another. Peter’s voice was “tired and pale in the darkness”
Versimilitude
Striking details which lend an air of authenticity to a tale.
Malopropism
Humorous misuse of a word: “I look at the bright side. You could say I am an optometrist.”
Metonymy
Describing something indirectly by referring to things around it.
