English Literary Terms 10H Flashcards
(54 cards)
ad hominem
is Latin for “against the man,” and refers to the logical fallacy (error) of arguing
that someone is incorrect because they are unattractive, immoral, weird, and so on.
Ex: A professor is presenting their latest research on quantum mechanics to a group of
colleagues. At the end of the presentation, a person whispers to the other: “I don’t
believe a word. Did you know that he has been cheating on his partner for years?”
allegory
a story within a story. It has a “surface story” and another story hidden underneath.
Dr. Seuss wrote The Sneetches as an allegory for racism and other forms of
prejudice. The story is all about creatures who are treated as inferior because they don’t
have stars on their bellies. It’s written in a child-friendly, playful style, but it still contains
an important political message.
alliteration
In alliteration, words that begin with the same sound are placed close together.
Ex: Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
allusion
is basically a reference to something else. It’s when a
writer mentions some other work or refers to an earlier part of the current work.
Ex: You’re acting like such a Scrooge!
ambiguity
an idea or situation that can be understood
in multiple ways.
EX “The murderer killed the student with a book.” We know what all these words mean
individually, but altogether they are ambiguous; was the book used as a murder
weapon? Or was the victim carrying a book during the attack?
analogy
An analogy is a literary technique in which two unrelated objects are compared for
their shared qualities. This is not done for poetic purposes, but to make rational arguments.
Ex: Raising children requires the same dedication you would give to a garden. Nurture
them, feed them, introduce them to both light and dark, and have patience; and soon
you will see them grow into blooming wonders.
anaphora
is when a certain word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of
clauses or sentences that follow each other. This repetition emphasizes the phrase while
adding rhythm to the passage, making it more memorable and enjoyable to read.
Ex: I’m sick and tired of you letting me down. I’m sick and tired of you making me mad.
And I’m sick and tired of you doing such silly things!
anecdote
is a very short story that is significant to the topic at hand; usually
adding personal knowledge or experience to the topic
Ex: Mom and Dad discuss whether or not to get a dog for the family. Dad says:
You know, when I was a kid, my dog was my best friend. He made my childhood better.
Mom contemplates his anecdote and then agrees that they should get a dog.
antithesis
is the opposite of a statement, concept, or idea. In literary
analysis, an antithesis is a pair of statements or images in which the one reverses the other.
The pair is written with similar grammatical structures to show more contrast.
Ex: That’s one small step for a man – one giant leap for mankind. (Neil Armstrong, 1969,
said upon walking on the moon for the first time)
aphorism
is a short statement of a general truth, insight, or good advice. It’s
roughly similar to a “saying.”
Ex: “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.“
archetype
is an idea, symbol, pattern, or character-type, in a
story. It’s any story element that appears again and again in stories from cultures around the
world and symbolizes something universal in the human experience.
Ex: Hero, Trickster, Lost Love, the Mentor, and Fire.
assonance
is the repetition of the same or similar
vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences.
Ex: She seems to beam rays of sunshine with her eyes of green. (4 forms of the same
sound).
caesura
refers to a break or pause in the middle of a
line of verse. It can be marked as || in the middle of the line, although generally it is not
marked at all – it’s simply part of the way the reader or singer pronounces the line.
Ex: “Oh, say can you see || by the dawn’s early light…”
catharsis
meaning “cleansing” in Greek, refers to a literary theory that cleansing
our emotions was the purpose of a tragedy. Catharsis applies to any form of art or media that
makes us feel strong negative emotions. Afterward, we can walk out of the theater feeling
better. Catharsis is roughly synonymous with the idea of “blowing off steam.”
Ex: If you listen to a death metal song in which the singer screams the lyrics, it might
help lessen your own feelings of needing to scream.
cliché
is a saying, image, or idea which has been used
so much that it sounds terribly uncreative.
Ex: As white as snow, happily ever after, don’t judge a book by its cover.
connotation
A connotation is a feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal or
main meaning (the denotation) - basically, the emotions or meanings that are implied.
Ex: Here are some word groups where each word has a different feeling or idea 1)
Stench, smell, aroma, scent, odor, and 2) Proud, confident, arrogant, egotistical.
consonance
is the repetition of a consonant
sound in a line or sentence, creating rhythm. Alliteration is consonance limited to just sounds
at the beginning of words.
Ex: Are you asking me to come up with examples of consonance? I’ll find it in the lyrics.
conundrum
is a difficult problem, one that is
impossible or almost impossible to solve - anything from moral dilemmas to riddles.
Ex: 1. What can be swallowed, or can swallow a person? Pride
2. Imagine you got into only two colleges – one was a better school with better faculty,
but the other has a reputation for being more fun and has a more socially active student
body. Which school should you pick? Which one would make you happy in the future?
- deux ex machina
is Latin for “a god from the machine.” It’s when
some new character, force, or event suddenly shows up to solve a seemingly hopeless
situation-(Hero) The effect is usually unexpected, and it’s often disappointing for audiences.
Ex: In the original story, Little Red Riding Hood is simply eaten by the wolf. But some
later authors, deciding that this was too sad for young children, decided to add a random
woodsman who appears right at the end and kills the wolf.
diction
Diction (pronounced DIK-shun) refers to word choice and phrasing in any written or
spoken text.
Ex: formal, informal, elementary teacher, police officer, sarcastic, flowery. The King
James Bible has very distinct diction, with words like “yea” and “thy.”
double entendre
A double entendre is much like what it sounds like—a double meaning or
interpretation for a word, phrase, or figure of speech. Usually, the first meaning is
straightforward, but another meaning is slightly inappropriate or risqué.
Ex: At a local farmer’s market, a woman is working at a fruit stand. A man walks up…
Man: “Wow, those are some huge melons you’ve got there. Did you grow them yourself?
Can I see one?”
Woman: “EXCUSE ME?”
Man points to a pile of watermelons behind her.
Man: “The watermelons, can I see one?”
Woman: “Oh, yes, of course. Here you go.”
dramatic irony
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something the characters
don’t — so the characters might get an unexpected outcome, but for the audience, it’s not
unexpected at all.
Ex: In the last scene, we saw the intruder sneak into the bedroom, so we feel anxious for
the little girl who walks in five minutes later.
equivocation
is the use of vague language to hide one’s meaning or to avoid committing to a
point of view. It’s often used to avoid admitting guilt, without lying openly.
Ex: During a school-closure controversy, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel used the
phrase “optimize school resource utilization” instead of “close schools.”
ethos
one of the three basic argumentative appeals, in which a speaker establishes their
credibility and knowledge, as well as their good moral character.
An ad for shampoo features a well-known
celebrity hairdresser who vouches for the product.
