Glossary of Key Terms Flashcards
(17 cards)
Allegory
A story, character, place, or event is used to convey a hidden meaning, typically moral or political, about real-world events or issues ( e.g. Duncan’s death is an allegory for the risks of killing your king).
Allusion
An indirect reference to another event, person or work which the writer assumes the reader is familiar.
Archetype
The first real example of prototype of something; an ideal model of the perfect image of something.
Bathos
An anti-climax which is abrupt; usually humour that comes from an odd and sudden change in tone
Biblical
language that relates to the bible and thus has religious connotations
blazon
a poem in which the speaker describes a woman’s physique by focusing on and listing various individual parts of a woman’s body
caricature
an imitation where particular notable characteristics are exaggerated to a comic or grotesque effect
colloquialism
an informal word or phrase used in normal or familiar conversation
comic relief
relief from tension caused by the intro of a comedic element
connotation
an impression, idea, or feeling associated with a word or phase beyond its literal meaning
dichotomy
a division or contrast between two opposed things
double entendre
words or phrases that have a double meaning and is deliberately ambiguous, especially when one of the meanings is risque. (For example: In Elizabethan England, the use of the word “die” referred to both death and orgasm).
dysphemism
the substitution of a more offensive term for one considered less so
epithet
a word or phrase applied to a person to describe an actual or credited quality
epitome
a perfect example of a specific quality
epizeuxis
repetition of words in succession within the same sentence.
euphemism
substitution of a harmless term for one that is considered as offensively risque or explicit
