Literary Terms Flashcards
(40 cards)
Tone
The attitude of the writer toward his or her subject. It may be stated or implied. It may be revealed by the author’s word choice and arrangement of ideas, events, and descriptions.
Theme
The underlying meaning of a literary work. It may be stated or implied. It differs from the subject of a literary work in that it involves a statement or opinion about that subject. Not every literary work has one, and some literary works have more than one theme.
syntax
The order or arrangement of words
Symbol
Something concrete, such as an object, person, place, or happening, that stands for or represents something abstract such as an idea, a quality, a concept, or a condition
simile
A figure of speech involving a direct comparison between two unlike things and using words such as like or as
Rhyme
Words having the same sound in their stressed syllables. Its use may give pleasure to the ear, emphasize important words or lines, and unify parts of the poem or the whole poem
Personification
A figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to nonhuman animals, objects, or ideas
Mood
The atmosphere and feeling that a writer creates in a work through the choice of setting, imagery, details, descriptions, and other evocative words.
Mixed metaphor
an inconsistent comparison
Extended metaphor
A metaphor continued throughout a stanza, paragraph, or entire work
Metaphor
a figure of speech that implies comparison between two fundamentally different things. The qualities of one are ascribed to the other.
Lyric
A short poem expressing a basic, personal emotion such as grief, happiness, love, or melancholy.
Dramatic Irony
When the reader or viewer is aware of something about which the character involved knows nothing
Situational Irony
When things turn out contrary to what is expected
Verbal Irony
A contrast between what is said and what is actually meant.
Imagery
The use of concrete details that appeal to the five senses. By appealing to a readier’s senses, a writer can more easily communicate an experience.
hyperbole
A figure of speech using great exaggeration to emphasize strong feeling and to create a satiric, comic, or sentimental effect
free verse
poetry that follows no set patterns of rhyme, meter, or line length
Figurative language
the use of words outside their literal, or usual meanings. It is used to add beauty, increase vitality and impact, suggest associations and comparisons, and develop conciseness.
diction
the author’s choice of words
Consonance
The repetition of similar or identical consonant sounds preceded by different vowel sounds. It is often used instead of rhyme at the end of a line of poetry. It can stress important words and strengthen meaning through word association. It may add to the unity of sounds and sense in a poem.
Blank Verse
Unrhymed poetry in iambic pentameter–ten syllable lines with five unstressed syllables alternating with five stressed syllables. An unstressed syllable begins the line. Poets who write in this type of poetry may vary the best within this basic structure.
Assonance
The repetition of similar or identical vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in stressed words or syllables. It can contribute to the meaning of a work, to its musical quality, and to its unity.
trochaic parameter
stressed, then unstressed syllable
