Waller - Literary Terms 2 Flashcards
inversion
the syntactic reversal of the normal order of the words and phrases in a sentence, eg: “I wakened was with thund’ring noise”
connotation
the emotional or cultural association that a word or phrase has in addition to its literal meaning, or denotation
chiasmus
in poetry, things are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form; e.g. ‘Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds.’
discourse
the use of language to share ideas, insights, and information
jargon
obscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words
circumlocutions
use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive.
colloquial
used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.
latinate vocabulary
suspend rather than hang
ambiguity
deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work. An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way– this is done on purpose by the author, when it is not done on purpose, it is vagueness, and detracts from the work.
anaphora
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent.
anastrophe
fancy word for inversion. Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose is rhythm or emphasis or euphony.
antimetabole
another word for chiasmus
antithesis
Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure.
anthropomorphism
attributing human characteristics to an animal or inanimate object (Personification)
aphorism
brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth. Also called maxim, epigram.
maxim, epigarm
another word for aphorism
apposition
Placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the latter of which is provides more info, explanation, qualification, or modification of the first (often set off by a colon). Paine: “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
asyndeton
Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally: instead of X, Y, and Z… the writer uses X,Y,Z…. see polysyndeton.
colloquialism
word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations. Example: “He’s out of his head if he thinks I’m gonna go for such a stupid idea.
confessional poetry
a twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet’s life.
didactic
form of fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of
correct behavior or thinking.
elegy
a poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died.
eulogy
great praise or commendation, a laudatory speech, often about someone who has died.
epanalepsis
same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line, clause, or sentence. Voltaire: “Common sense is not so common.”
epigraph
quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme.
epistrophe
same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, sentences (it is the opposite of anaphora).
Homeric epithet
compound adjective used with a person or thing: “swift-footed Achilles”; “rosy-fingered dawn.”
farce
type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations.
hypotactic
sentence using connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. I am tired because it is hot.
hypotaxis
Use of such syntactic subordination of just one clause to another
syntactic subordination
grammatical process that links clauses in a sentence, making one clause dependent on another
juxtaposition
normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit. also can be used for contrast Ezra Pound: “The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/ Petals on a wet, black bough.”
litotes
the positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form: For example, “It’s not the worst thing I’ve eaten” means that it probably tastes pretty good.
local color
term applied to fiction or poetry tending to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape.
lyric poem
poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker.
implied metaphor
does not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison: “I like to see it lap the miles” is an implied metaphor in which the verb lap implies a comparison between “it” and
some animal that “laps” up water.
dead metaphor
metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid: “The head of the house”, “the seat of the government”, “a knotty problem” are all dead metaphors.
mixed metaphor
metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible. “The President is a lame duck who is running out of gas.”
metonymy
figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something closely associated with it. Typically associated with setting/placement. “We requested from the crown support for our petition.” The crown is used to represent the monarch.
paratactic sentence
simply juxtaposes clauses or sentences. I am tired: it is hot.
polysyndeton
sentence which uses a conjunction with no commas to separate the items in a series. X and Y and Z. used by Kurt Vonnegut
quatrain
poem consisting of four lines, or four lines of a poem that can be considered as a unit
refrain
word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated, for effect, several times in a poem
synecdoche
figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. “If you don’t drive properly, you will loose your wheels.” the wheels represent the entire car
syntactic permutation
sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. often difficult for a reader to follow
telegraphic sentence
sentence shorter than 5 words in length
tricolon
sentence of three parts of equal importanec and length, usually 3 independent clauses
vernacular
langauge spoken by the people who live in a particular locality
hypophora
rhetorical device where a speaker or writer asks a question and then immediately answers it
