literary terms

30 flashcardsby emi
Study these flashcardsFree · spaced repetition · iPhone, Android, Mac & web

All cards

1
Allegory
extended metaphor
illustrates complex ideas in ways that are comprehensible to readers

hidden meaning through symoles, actions, imagerym events that create a deeper meaning the author wants to convey
2
Apostrophe
the character breaks off from the play and speaks to a third party audience such as calling out to GOd
3
Allusion
brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers.
4
Dialect
a conversation between two or more people with differeing opinions but wishing to find truth through reasoned arguments
5
Dichotomy
a division in two opposing parts

good evil
soul body
love hate
black white
6
Epic
a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
7
Epic Simile
a complex poetic comparison that takes place over several lines
8
Muse
goddesses of inspiration of literature, science, arts

considered source of knowledge embodied in poetry
9
Rhetoric
the art of using language persuasively and effectively
10
Logos
Logic
logicationality/ reasoning to persuade readers intillectually
facts
statistics
definitions
cause and effect
etc.
11
Pathos
emotion
use of emotion and affect to persuade
appeals to heart
stories or testimonials
personal connections
imagery that provokes emotional response
12
Ethos
Ethics and Credibilityestablishment of writers authroity and believability as they write
trust the writer do to his or her noble character and ethical ways
credible sources
accurate citations
experience and authority
humility
uses tentative authroitative lang: "This is the only way"
13
Litotes
understatement is used to emphasize a point by stating the negative to affirm the positive
(lots of double negatives)

Ex: she's not bad looking
14
Ceasura
rhythmical pause separating a line of verse into halves
15
Kennings
descriptive compounds that evoke an image (whale road)
16
Alliteration
creates interest by using the same initial constenant sound in different words
17
Ambiguity
When an author suggests different, sometimes contradictory interpretations for a higher purpose/deeper meaning
18
Analogy
comparason between two things to reveal their similarities
19
Anaphora
repeated words or phrases used to emphasizze a point
20
Assonance
the close repetition of similar vowels, sounds, stressed in syllables
Twinkle Twinkle little STAR, how i wonder what you ARE
21
Hyperbole
exaggeration
22
Irony
using a word or situation to mean the opposite of its usual or literal meaning
23
Juxtaposition
the arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, setting, for the purpose of comparison or contrast to show character traits
24
Synechdode
Using a piece of something to describe the whole object
25
Voice
an authors general distinctive literary style
26
Antithesis
juxtaposition or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced construct
27
Chiasmus
two corresponding pairs arranged in a parallel inverse order
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair"
28
Malapropism
confusing words for other words that have similar sounds. Ex: Illiterate him quite from your memory (obliterate)
29
Parallelism
similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
30
Polysyndeton
the repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses
"If there be cords, or knives,
Poison, or fire, or suffocating streams"
Study all 30 cards for free