Literary terminology Flashcards
(126 cards)
1
Q
Assonance
A
Repetition of a vowel sound in words in close proximity
2
Q
Vignette
A
A short literary piece/scene/drawing that conveys atmosphere or character
3
Q
Irony
A
Language intensed to mean the opposite of the words expressed;or amusing or cruel reversal of an outcome expected, intended or deserved.
4
Q
Eucatastrophe
A
A term coined by Tolkein, which refers to a sudden turn of events at the end of a story that result in the protagonist’s good fortune.
5
Q
Satire
A
Exposing of vice of foolishness of a person or institution to ridicule
6
Q
Personification
A
Attributing human qualities to inanimate objects
7
Q
Rhythm
A
Pace and sound pattern of writing, created by metre, vowel length, syntax and punctuation
8
Q
Zeugma
A
The use of one word twice with different meanings
9
Q
Metatheatre
A
A name for a quality or force in a play which challenges theatre’s claim to be simply realistic - to be nothing but a mirror in which we view the actions and sufferings of characters like ourselves, suspending our disbelief in their reality
10
Q
Neologism
A
Newly coined word
11
Q
Ambiguity
A
Capacity of works to have two simultaneous meanings, in the context as a device for enriching meaning
12
Q
Metaphor
A
A suppressed comparison
13
Q
Euphenism
A
A tactful word or phrase to refer to something unpleasant or offensive
14
Q
Masculine rhyme
A
A rhyme made on a single stressed syllable
15
Q
Didactic
A
Intending to teach
16
Q
Anachronism
A
Chronological misplacing of person, event or object
17
Q
Dystopian
A
A novel that features a dystopia: an imaginary community or society that is undesirable or frightening.
18
Q
Deus ex machina (God out of the machine)
A
Inextricable problem suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived introduction or a character or event
19
Q
Monosyllabic word
A
A word with one syllable
20
Q
Versimilitude
A
Refers to the resemblance a work bears to reality
21
Q
Allusion
A
Passing reference to another literary work
22
Q
Oxymoron
A
Two contradictory terms uniting in a single phrase eg. bitter sweet
23
Q
Picaresque
A
Relating to a style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero
24
Q
Epigram
A
A short poem or sentence that expresses a feeling or idea in a funny way
25
Denouement
The end of the story, where everything is explained
26
Heroic couplet
A couplet of iambic pentamenter
27
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration for effect
28
Epic
A long poem that tells a story about ancient people and gods
29
Stream of conciousness
A method used by some modern novelists to relate the innermost thoughts and feelings of characters without logical sequence, syntax or sometimes punctatuation
30
Bildungsroman
A literary work that features the physical and spiritual journey of a youthful character
31
Allegory
Extended metaphor that veils a moral or political underlying meaning
32
Ode
Lengthly lyrical and reflective poem addressed to the subject
33
Stichomythia
Ancient Greek single lines spoken by characters alternately
34
Canon
Approved traditional literary works to be found on academic syllabuses
35
Polemic
Vigorous dispute, a controversy, especially in politics or religion
36
Apostrophe
Address to an absent or imaginary person; or an object or abstract idea
37
Caesura
Deliberate break or pause in a line of poetry, signified by punctuation
38
Connotations
Associations evoked by a word
39
Eulogy
A piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, especially a tribute to someone who has died
40
Couplet
Two consecutive lines of poetry that are paired in rhyme
41
Simile
Comparison introduced by 'as' or 'like'
42
Prosopopoeia
The writer communicates to the reader by speaking as another person or object
43
Conceit
An extended metaphor
44
Rhyme
Repetition of a vowel sound in words at the end of lines
45
Protagonist
Principal character in a drama or literary work
46
Analogy
Perception of similarity between two things
47
Epiphany
A sudden spiritual manifestation or revelation
48
Dramatic irony
When the audience knows something the character speaking does not, creating humour/tension
49
Antithesis
Contrasting of ideas by balancing words or phrases of opposite meaning
50
Feminine rhyme
Final syllable unstressed
51
Ballad
Narrative poem in short, rhymed verses, usually telling of love, the supernatural and travel
52
Magic realism
20th century description of a work that interweaves details with supernatural and dream-like mythical elements in an everyday setting
53
Colloquial
Informal language of a conversational style
54
Epistolary novel
A novel written in a series of letters
55
Trope
Like a motif/word used in an unusual way to create effect
56
Courtly love
A literary convention going back to the Middle ages; a knight serves his lady according to a well-defined ritual and code of conduct
57
Synecdoche
Figure of speech in which part is made to represent the whole
58
Quatrain
Four-lined stanza or group of four lines distinguished by a rhyme scheme
59
Alliteration
Repetition of the initial letter or sound in adjacent words to create an atmospheric or onomatopoeic effect
60
Parody
Imitation and exaggeration of style for the purpose of humour/ridicule
61
Metafiction
Fiction about fiction - writing within which the process of writing is discussed
62
Sonnet
Lyrical poem of 14 lines of rhymed iambic pentameter, either an octet and sestet (Petrarchan) or three quatrains and a couplet (Shakespearean) or 14 lines ending with a couplet (Milton)
63
Thesis
A short, debatable claim around which you write an essay. A thesis is a pithy statement of your main argument. It's what you're going to prove.
64
Pathetic fallacy
Attributing emotions to inanimate objects, usually elements of nature, to represent the persona's feelings
65
Bathos
Sudden change of register from the sublime to the ridiculous
66
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound being described
67
Litotes
A figure of speech which contains an understatement for emphasis. Often ironic intentions eg. 'not bad' meaning very good
68
Omniscient narrator
3rd person narrator with unlimited knowledge of events
69
Elegy
A lament for the death or permanent loss of someone or something
70
Petrarchan sonnet
An octave (abbaabba) followed by a sestet (cdecde or cdcdcd)
71
Free verse
Poetry without a regular metrical pattern or rhyme
72
Shakespearean Sonnet
Three quatrains and a final couplet of iambic pentameter (abab, cdcd, efef, gg)
73
Blank verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter, the staple form of Shakespeare's plays
74
Nomenclature
The act of naming something/a group of things
75
Intertextuality
Relationship between one text and another
76
Episodic novel
A novel written in segments; usually composed of loosely connected incidents, each one more or less self-contained, often connected by central characters.
77
Narrative point of view
The perspective or point of view adopted by the author in order to tell the story
78
Objective third person narrative
Does not reveal anything internal about characters, only what can be observed
79
Subjective third person narrative
Uses the thoughts of a number of characters as a lens to relate and interpret events or may privilege the perspective of a given character (eg. Edna in The Awakening)
80
Omniscient narrator
A narrator who has a complete overview of the story and can move freely between different characters and scenes with full knowledge of everything that happens
81
Narrative intrusions
An author inserting his or her own opinions into the story
82
Restricted narrator
A narrator who gives only a limited view of the story, usually focusing on the experience of a single character
83
Free indirect speech
When the narrator presents a characters thoughts or speech without using inverted commas
84
Stream of consciousness
Also known as an interior monologue, a narrative mode that depicts the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind
85
Tone
The general character or attitude of a piece of writing
86
Climax
The most intense, exciting or important point in a piece of writing
87
Anti climax
A disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events
88
Linear structure
A sequential narrative, progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps
89
Cyclical structure
A repetitive/recurrent narrative
90
Flashback
Reference to a previous event, set in time earlier than the main narrative
91
Foreshadowing
A warning or indication of a future event
92
Proleptic narrative
The representation of something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred
93
Figurative language
The use of figures of speech to be more effective/persuasive/impactful
94
Concrete imagery
Descriptive language refereeing to tangible characters/qualities/characteristics
95
Abstract imagery
Imagery referring to intangible qualities, ideas and concepts (eg. Truth, honesty, kindness, love)
96
Authorial voice
When the author uses characters to voice their own opinions in their writing
97
Pathos
A quality that evokes pity or sadness
98
Caricature
A description of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect
99
Affix
A morpheme which is attracted to other words to create new words (eg. un- + child -like, un and like are affixes)
100
Anaphoric
A form of referencing in which a pronoun or noun phrase points backwards to something mentioned earlier
101
Archaism
A word no longer in use
102
Antonym
A word with an opposite meaning to another
103
Auxiliary verb
A verb that precedes the lexical verb in a verb phrase eg. (I CAN go)
104
Base
The minimal form of a word to which affixes can be added (eg. child)
105
Blend
A word composed of the parts of more than one word (eg. Guess + estimate = guesstimate)
106
Concrete noun
A noun that refers to tangible, physical objects
107
Abstract noun
Nouns for abstract concepts eg. truth, love
108
Connotations
The associations attached to a word in addition to its definition
109
Consonant cluster
A series of consonants occurring at the beginning or end of a syllable
110
Dialogue
Language interaction with two or more participants
111
Disyllabic
Having two syllables
112
Double negative
A structure in which more than one negative is used in one verb phrase
113
Dynamic
A verb that describes an action rather than a state and can be used in the progressive (eg. run - running)
114
Euphemism
A word that replaces a term seen by society as taboo or unacceptable
115
Filled pause
A voiced hesitation
116
Homophobes
Words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings
117
Idiolect
An individual's way of speaking
118
Intensifier
A word that adds emphasis (eg. so, very, incredibly)
119
Negation
The use of negative words to convey disagreement or contradiction (eg. not, never, nothing)
120
Non-count noun
A noun that refers to things which cannot be counted and usually have no plural form (eg. happiness, spring)
121
Prosodic features
The use of pitch, volume, pace and rhythm to draw attention to key elements of spoken language
122
Rhetoric
The use of dramatic or persuasive words and structures used to manipulate the intended audience
123
Suffix
A bound morpheme that occurs after a free morpheme (eg. -like, -wise)
124
Tag question
An interrogative structure attached to the end of a sentence which expects a reply eg. (It's nice today, isn't it?)
125
Turn-taking
The organisation of speakers' contributions in a conversation. Turns may be equal or participants may dominate.
126
What are the four types of statement?
Exclamatory
Imperative
Decorative
Interrogative
