Allusions and Literary Terms Flashcards

Question

Homeric

Answer 1

After Homer Now refers to anything that is larger than life

Answer 2

From Horatio Alger’s stories Now refers to anyone who makes good after being born into a life of poverty

Answer 3

Franze Kafka’s writings Now refers to any literature or situation similar to characters who are thwarted by red tape and authoritarian bureaucracies

Answer 4

Locations of mutiny Now allude to mutiny

Answer 5

England’s most renowned naval hero Alludes to heroism, particularly military

Answer 6

Philosopher beliving that man can find truth in the universe despite being victim to customs, prejudice, and self-interest Alludes to his basic philosophy

Answer 7

From O’Connor’s novel The Last Hurrah Has come to stand for the final action of a person before the end of a career

Answer 8

From Book of Job Today anything that is huge and monstrous

Answer 9

From Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels Now anything that is tiny and can control something larger than itself

Answer 10

From Machiavelli’s The Prince Now refers to anyone who is merciless, clever, and unethical to obtain goals

Answer 11

After Thomas More Now is any respected person who stands up for his ideals under pressure

Answer 12

From Melville’s Moby Dick Now refers to any monstrous obsession

Answer 13

From Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Now used to describe a physically small person, often affectionately

Answer 14

From Jean Jacques Rousseau’s writings Refers to an uncultivated person who is really more worthy and sensible than some of his or her ‘civilized’ counterparts

Answer 15

Greek mythology A child’s powerful erotic attachment to the parent of opposite gender, creating rivalry with that of the same gender

Answer 16

After Orwell Now refers to anything bleak and oppressive, especially a political situation

Answer 17

From Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress Now anyone who overcomes worldly problems is said to have made a pilgrim’s progress

Answer 18

From Plato’s Symposium Any strong but non-lover affinity for another is called platonic

Answer 19

From Greek mythology Now refers to a person who is independent, defiant of authority, and willing to make sacrifices for his beliefs

Answer 20

From Greek mythology Any story where a mentor takes on a pupil, remakes the person, then falls in love with the resulting creation is compared to the Pygmalion myth

Answer 21

From Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny Has come to denote any petty, incompetent person in a leadership position

Answer 22

From Cervantes’s Don Quixote Now any one who pursues idealized, impractical goals is called this

Answer 23

Anything that makes a simple task seem complicatedis compared to a Rube Goldberg contraption.

Answer 24

Dmaon Runyons writings Now refers to any underworld or even a personable or likeable rogue

Answer 25

Hilton’s Lost Horizons Now has come to mean any idyllic place

Answer 26

Emerson’s Concord Hymn Now refers to any dramatic statement or action that begins something important or greatly influences something later

Answer 27

Carson’s Silent Spring Now refers towards any ecological calamity

Answer 28

Socrates/Plato Refers to the method of Q&A teaching versus lectures

Answer 29

DuMaurier’s Trilby Now anyone who has (or tries to obtain) power over someone else through strength of personality is this

Answer 30

Latin “blank slate” Means that the mind is blank, fresh, unsullied, and ready to be inscribed with knowledge

Answer 31

Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass Now denotes any two things that are difficult to tell apart

Answer 32

From Burdick and Lederer’s The Ugly American Now describes overbearing American policies or behavior in foreign countries.

Answer 33

Thomas More’s Utopia Utopia is any perfect place, state of being, or government

Answer 34

Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Now a person who fantasizes about unrealistic, brave deeds is Mittylike, Mittyish, or a Walter Mitty

Answer 35

From Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” Now is any person who is working hard trying to earn a living, but is not being very successful and is therefore a pathetic figure

Answer 36

From Book of Revelation Now refers to any fierce confrontation resulting in mutual destruction

Answer 37

Book of Matthew Refers to a place that would be a shining example and a model to others

Answer 38

Old Testament Now a person who is confronted with difficulties and is encouraged to hold up in the face of adversity or persecution as David did

Answer 39

Old Testament Can be used as an allusion to Noah’s descendants bearing the curse of servitude

Answer 40

Old Testament Now refers to any wicked or shameless women

Answer 41

Old Testament Esther and her foster father, Modecai, helped deliver the Jews from persecution by the king of Persia.

Answer 42

From the Book of Daniel Now refers to the flaw of an otherwise strong and admirable person

Answer 43

Great Greek philosopher who may rely upon the heart as well as common sense for direction

Answer 44

Representative of the grandest of all time periods in the modern era—the arets and literature flourished during the Elizabethan Era

Answer 45

Represents a daring plot to wage war against a most formidable enemy, despite his failure, he is remembered for his success in using elephants against Rome

Answer 46

Satan, satanic, devil—evil is connoted

Answer 47

Name usually implies a foreshadowing of doom—extermination, destruction, some kind of complete disaster suggested

Answer 48

King of all gods, represents the all-powerful, the controller of the universe

Answer 49

Denotes excessive self-love, vanity corrupts

Answer 50

Swayed by things negative and sinful, Ahab suggest a dark, evil inclination

Answer 51

From it came the word panic Liked to surprise people in the forest and make them panic

Answer 52

English philospher Origin of all knowledge comes from the senses

Answer 53

German philosopher knowledge is not derived from senses, man should avoid the extremes

Answer 54

Angel of Mercy

Answer 55

A disastrous wind that stirs the waters violently

Answer 56

Suggests high caste position or highly honored position in society

Answer 57

Usually related to India The “Preserver”

Answer 58

A princess or person rescued from a “monster”

Answer 59

American representativeof all that a traitor stands for

Answer 60

Arthurian A deceitful temptress

Answer 61

Arthurian A kind, naïve, and uncouth hero

Answer 62

Arthurian A near-perfect hero who has a fatal flaw

Answer 63

Arthurian Powerful magician

Answer 64

Arthurian Purity and perfection

Answer 65

Arthurian Passionate and independent woman

Answer 66

A likable hero made human by his flaws

Answer 67

Arthurian A penultimate achievement

Answer 68

Arthurian Place of justice, friendship, and chivalry

Answer 69

Arthurian Most powerful of all weapons, symbolic of strength and justice

Answer 70

Arthurion Friendship, loyalty, chivalry

Answer 71

Character, usually the protagonist, who faces a series of problems and events in a story, but is often going against societal standards

Answer 72

Wise saying, usually brief, reflecting truth. Ex: haste makes waste

Answer 73

Fiction depicting the moral and intellectual growth of a protagonist, often intended for the education and guidance of others

Answer 74

To excise material deemed objectionable from a piece of writing

Answer 75

Literary form which ridicules or mocks

Answer 76

Therapeutic release of emotion upon identifying with and being moved by a piece of literature

Answer 77

Final event of a dramatic work, usually ruin or death

Answer 78

Writing or speaking that goes around the subject instead of getting directly to the point. Ex: This was not unlike…

Answer 79

Literary (and other artistic) movements of ancient Greece amd Rome, using strict forms, accenting reason, and characterized by restraint. Opposite is romanticicsm

Answer 80

Clarity in connecting ideas

Answer 81

“Tight” writing; use of only the necessary words to express thoughts

Answer 82

Opposite of extract; refers to specific people and things that can be perceived with the five senses

Answer 83

Feelings and associations added to specific word meaning. Ex: mother—kindly, self-sacrificing, nurturing woman

Answer 84

Rep. of sounds at the beginning of words

Answer 85

Rep. of similar consonant sounds, with changes in intervening vowel sounds

Answer 86

Accepted literary form of the past

Answer 87

Dictionary meaning of a word

Answer 88

Literary works meant to teach a moral or lesson

Answer 89

Personification of a character’s darker side; ghost

Answer 90

Double meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence, often raucous in implication. Ex: All eyes to the rear

Answer 91

Brief postscript to book, essay, or poem; often the concluding stanza to a ballade, summarizing the poem

Answer 92

Witty, often paradoxical, saying or brief poem

Answer 93

Inscription on tombstone or marker for the dead

Answer 94

Person whose name is the source of a new word

Answer 95

More palatable word for a less pleasant subject

Answer 96

Story with moral or lesson about life, often with animal characters possessing human characteristics

Answer 97

Character opposite or different from the protagonist, used to highlight the protagonist’s traits; incidents or settings may also be used as foils

Answer 98

Stories and legends transmitted by word of mouth, rather than in writing

Answer 99

Sound and spelled alike, diff meanings

Answer 100

Sound alike, includes homonyms

Answer 101

Used in footnotes and bibliographies to refer to the source mentioned directly above

Answer 102

Phrase in common use that does not literally mean what it says

Answer 103

Creation of mental pictures by pertinent word choice and heightened description

Answer 104

Beginning in the middle of events

Answer 105

Confusion of similar-sounding words which often ends up sounding humorous

Answer 106

Recurrent words or phrases

Answer 107

Note well (followed by important point to remember)

Answer 108

Pen name or pseudonym used by author

Answer 109

Short novel with fewer characters than a novel

Answer 110

Novel with midieval setting suggesting mystery and/or horror

Answer 111

Novel characterized by young hero of lower-class, unrespectable background, who leaves home and is faced with a harsh, cruel world, and eventually conforms to its realities

Answer 112

Used in footnotes/bibliographies to refer to work previously cited or quoted

Answer 113

Use of paradoxical or opposite words for effect. Ex: poor little rich girl

Answer 114

Satire imitating an author or work with the aim of mockery

Answer 115

Writing that contains flowery, ornate language, often in the midst of otherwise dull passages

Answer 116

Saying, adage, or maxim, usually short and generally believed to be true

Answer 117

Name author uses instead of his/her real name

Answer 118

Literature reflecting real life, rather than imaginary or idealistic life.

Answer 119

Persuasive writing

Answer 120

Novel based on actual people and places, but written as fiction instead of fact

Answer 121

Story about heroic deeds, mysterious settings, or love

Answer 122

Literary moment characterized by emotion, imagination, and goodness of people, little emphasis on reason. Opposite of classicism

Answer 123

Form of irony which seems to praise, but really criticizes

Answer 124

Literature that makes fun of social conditions or conventions, often for the purpose of creating change

Answer 125

The way an author characteristically expresses him or herself

Answer 126

Words meaning the same

Answer 127

Summary or condensed statement of a literary work

Answer 128

Story or movie filled with suspense

Answer 129

Writing with rhyme and meter, as opposed to prose; often verse refers to poetry of a less serious nature

Answer 130

Greek mythology Control life, does not allow reference to free will

Answer 131

Greek mythology Most monstrous of fears and conflicts may be overcome through ingenuity and cunning

Answer 132

Writing that has a deeper meaning hidden beneath the obvious one

Answer 133

To show words have been left frim a quote, or to indicate the passage of time

Answer 134

Newspaper or magazine article expressing opinion of an editor or publisher

Answer 135

Short prose work expressing an author’s views on a subject

Answer 136

Poem collection; genre characterized by rythm, rhyme (sometimes), and stanzas, as opposed to prose

Answer 137

Literature wirtten in sentences and paragraphs, as opposed to poetry and verse

Answer 138

Fiction story shorter than a novel, often having a surprising ending

Answer 139

Long, fictional prose story

Answer 140

Telling a story

Answer 141

Person telling a story

Answer 142

Full-length fiction book, using historical facts as its basis for plot or setting, but including imaginary characters and dialogue

Answer 143

Slight shade of meaning or detail

Answer 144

Contradictory statement that makes sense

Answer 145

Biblical Sometimes people relate any arguing or greedy family members as being them

Answer 146

Old Testament Patience of Job

Answer 147

Fictional writing that has a happy ending for its major characters and contains humor

Answer 148

Literature, often drama, ending in catastrophe for protagonists after dealing with a series of problems

Answer 149

Story or movie filled with suspense

Answer 150

Fanciful, imaginary story about a hero or heroine overcoming a problem, often involving mystical creatures, supernatural power, or magic; often a type of folktale

Answer 151

Clarification, solution, or outcome of the conflict in a story

Answer 152

Repition that is unnecessary and awkward, as contrasted with intentional repetition for a particular effect

Answer 153

Outcome, resolution, solution of a plot

Answer 154

Person who evaluates literature or other art

Answer 155

Essays and critiques evaluating a writer for his work, based on set standards, according to the philosophy of the critic

Answer 156

Character, usually the protagonist, who rises above and conquers a series of problems and events in the story

Answer 157

Kind of literature, literary classification

Answer 158

Jumping backward in the chronology of a narrative, often through a dream or musing sequence

Answer 159

Fiction aimed at the mainstream population

Answer 160

Fiction concerning advanced tech., usually imagined, no actual scientific advancements

Answer 161

Form of irony where the autheor intentionally understates the facts

Answer 162

Mood brought forth by a storybor poem

Answer 163

Main idea ina piece of literature; topic or subject

Answer 164

Comparison using like or as

Answer 165

Time and place

Answer 166

A subsequent work similar to that of an original, often with the same characters

Answer 167

Question asked without expecting an answer; used for effect

Answer 168

Play on words; words put together in such a way as to be humorous

Answer 169

Main character, hero, or heroine in a written work

Answer 170

Perspective from which the story is written

Answer 171

Structure of the literature; the way it is put together; the unfolding or sequence of events

Answer 172

Using of other people’s works as one’s own without crediting the true author

Answer 173

Literary device where writer attributes human qualities to objects or ideas

Answer 174

Restatement of writing, keeping the basic meaning, but telling it in one’s own words

Answer 175

Traditional tales about goddesses, gods, heroes, and other characters, often telling about the creation of the universe, talking about death, or otherwise philosophically explaining human existence

Answer 176

A lesson the literature is teaching; fables usually teach a lesson about life

Answer 177

Comparison of unlike things without using like or as

Answer 178

Phrases or words with meanings quite different from what is actually said

Answer 179

Extreme exaggeration used for effect

Answer 180

Hints about what is to come

Answer 181

Told from first person point of view, usually using I

Answer 182

Speaking and conversation between characters in stories, plays, and in person

Answer 183

Legal rights to published works which stop anyone else from using the work without permission

Answer 184

Opposing elements or characters in a plot

Answer 185

Higgh point of the plot where reader is most intrigued and does not know what is next

Answer 186

Trite, overused idea or statement

Answer 187

Person who opposes or competes with the main character, hero, or heroine; often the villain

Answer 188

Comparison of two dissimilar things that are alike in some way, often using a simile or metaphor

Answer 189

Reference, without explanation, to a work of literature, a character, a principle, and so on, assuming the reader is familiar with its implications

Allusions and Literary Terms Flashcards

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