Lit Terms 1 Flashcards
(50 cards)
Alliteration
the occurence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
ex: Sally Sells Seashells by the Sea Shore
Allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
ex: “I was surprised his nose was not growing like pinnochio’s”
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
ex: The tortoise and the hare, (slow and steady wins the race)
Analogy
a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
ex: sword is to a warrior as pen is to a writer
Antagonist
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.
ex: Parents in romeo and juliet
Antithesis
a contrast or opposition between two things.
ex: love is an ideal thing, marriage is a real thing
Aphorism
a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, ex:“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Apostrophe
a punctuation mark ( ’ ) used to indicate either possession or the omission of letters or numbers
ex: can’t
Aside
a remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play.
ex: the cruciable “he have his goodness now. god forbid I take it from him”
Assonance
in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible
ex: the rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains.
Autobiography
an account of a person’s life written by that person.
ex: autobiography of MLK
Ballad
a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas. Traditional ballads are typically of unknown authorship, having been passed on orally from one generation to the next as part of the folk culture.
ex: free fallin by tom petty
Biography
an account of someone’s life written by someone else.
Blank Verse
verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter.
ex: mending walls by robert frost
Caesura
(in Greek and Latin verse) a break between words within a metrical foot.
(in modern verse) a pause near the middle of a line.
any interruption or break.
ex: Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed
Canto
one of the sections into which certain long poems are divided.
ex: the cantos by ezra pound
Carpe Diem
used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.
ex: faith by alan weird
Character
a person in a novel, play, or movie.
ex: jack from lost
Classicism
he following of traditional and long-established theories or styles.
ex: the golden age
cliche
a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
ex: frightened to death
climax
the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.
ex: when in LoF Simon is killed
comedy
literary genre and a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having cheerful ending
ex: step brothers
conceit
is a kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way
ex: love is like an oil change
conflict
literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist.
ex: piggy vs group in LoF
