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From Flashcardlet > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

1
Q

a subdivision of a play

A

Act

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2
Q

a literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic representation

A

Allegory

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3
Q

use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse

A

Alliteration

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4
Q

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

A

Allusion

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5
Q

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

A

Ambiguity

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6
Q

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row

A

Anaphora

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7
Q

the character that the main character (protagonist) struggles against

A

Antagonist

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8
Q

the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a filling of balance

A

Antithesis

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9
Q

a protagonist who lacks one or more of the conventional qualities attributed to a hero. Instead of being dignified, brave, idealistic, or purposeful, the antihero may be cowardly, self-interested, alienated, or weak

A

Antihero

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10
Q

a brief, cleverly worded statement that make a wise observation about life

A

Aphorism

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11
Q

a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction

A

Apostrophe

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12
Q

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response

A

Archetype

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13
Q

a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage

A

Aside

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14
Q

repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

A

Assonance

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15
Q

coming of age story

A

Bildungsroman

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16
Q

unrhymed verse (usually in iambic parameter)

A

Blank Verse

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17
Q

the works generally considered by scholars, critics, and teachers to be the most important to study or read, which collectively constitute the “masterpieces” or “classics” of literature

A

Canon

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18
Q

a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line

A

Caesura

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19
Q

an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

A

Catastrophe

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20
Q

(psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions

A

Catharsis

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21
Q

a worn-out idea or overused expression

A

Cliche

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22
Q

the decisive moment in a novel or play; that point in a plot that created the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest; usually the point at which the conflict is resolved

A

Climax

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23
Q

two rimed lines of iambic pentameter that usually contain an independent and complete thought or statement; also called heroic couplet

A

Closed Couplet

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24
Q

dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone, usually ending happily

A

Comedy

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25
Q

the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event

A

Comic Relief

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26
Q

opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot)

A

Conflict

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27
Q

an idea that is implied or suggested

A

Connotation

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28
Q

repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong

A

Consonance

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29
Q

a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse

A

Couplet

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30
Q

the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression

A

Denotation

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31
Q

the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work

A

Denouement

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32
Q

a literary composition in the form of a conversation between two people

A

Dialogue

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33
Q

a writer’s or speaker’s choice of words

A

Diction

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34
Q

author directly describes character

A

Direct Characterization

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35
Q

harsh and inharmonious sounds, a marked breaking of the music of poetry, which may be intentional

A

Dissonance

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36
Q

a poem in which a speaker addresses one or more silent listeners, often reflecting on a specific problem or situation

A

Dramatic Monologue

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37
Q

a character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story’s action

A

Dynamic Character

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38
Q

a work of fiction describing an imaginary place where life is extremely bad because of deprivation or oppression or terror

A

Dystopia

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39
Q

a mournful poem

A

Elegy

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40
Q

rhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry

A

End Rhyme

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41
Q

a line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation

A

End Stopped Line

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42
Q

the continuation of a sentence from one line or couplet or a poem to the next

A

Enjambent

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43
Q

a short passage added at the end of a literary work

A

Epilogue

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44
Q

a moment of sudden revelation or insight

A

Epiphany

45
Q

any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds

A

Euphony

46
Q

an inoffensive expression that is submitted for one that is considered offensive

A

Euphemism

47
Q

the idea that human beings simply exist, have no higher purpose, and must exist and choose their actions for themselves

A

Existentialism

48
Q

the introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story

A

Exposition

49
Q

language that is used in writing to produce images in a reader’s mind and to express ideas in fresh, vivid, and imaginative ways

A

Figurative Language

50
Q

a transition (in literary or theatrical works or films) to an earlier event or scene that interrupts the normal chronological development of the story

A

Flashback

51
Q

a character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another

A

Foil

52
Q

a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm

A

Foot

53
Q

the use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot

A

Foreshadowing

54
Q

a story within a story

A

Frame Story

55
Q

poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

A

Free Verse

56
Q

type of category of literary work (ex. poetry, essay, short story, novel, drama)

A

Genre

57
Q

a couplet consisting of two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter and written in an elevated style

A

Heroic Couplet

58
Q

extravagant exaggeration

A

Hyperbole

59
Q

description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

A

Imagery

60
Q

the character is revealed through their personality, appearance, words, actions, and effects on others

A

Indirect Characterization

61
Q

in the middle of things

A

In Media Res

62
Q

a narrative technique that records a character’s internal flow of thoughts, memories, and ideas; a longish passage of uninterrupted thought

A

Interior Monologue

63
Q

a rhyme between words in the same line

A

Internal Rhyme

64
Q

a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs, incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs

A

Irony

65
Q

writing which presents the mannerisms, dress, speech and customs of a particular geographical region

A

Local Color

66
Q

A style of writing in which realistic details, events, settings, characters, and dialogue are interwoven with magical, bizarre, fantastic, or supernatural elements

A

Magic Realism

67
Q

a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity

A

Metaphor

68
Q

a (usually long) dramatic speech by a single actor

A

Monologue

69
Q

the overall emotion created by a work of literature

A

Motif

70
Q

the person telling the story

A

Narrator

71
Q

using words that imitate the sound they denote

A

Onomatopoeia

72
Q

conjoining contradictory terms (as in ‘deafening silence’)

A

Oxymoron

73
Q

a statement of proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

A

Paradox

74
Q

phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other

A

Parallelism

75
Q

a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work

A

Pastiche

76
Q

relating to a society in which men hold the greatest legal and moral authority

A

Patriarchal

77
Q

rhymes involving sound that are exactly the same (ex. love, dove)

A

Perfect Rhyme

78
Q

the sequence of events in a story

A

Plot

79
Q

the perspective from which the writer tells the story (1st, 2nd, 3rd person: omniscient, limited omniscient)

A

Point of View

80
Q

the introduction to a literary work

A

Prologue

81
Q

ordinary writing as distinguished from verse

A

Prose

82
Q

the principal character in a work of fiction

A

Protagonist

83
Q

a humorous play on words

A

Pun

84
Q

finding a solution to a problem

A

Resolution

85
Q

the repetition of the same stressed vowel sounds and any succeeding sounds in two or more words

A

Rhyme

86
Q

events leading up to the climax

A

Rising Action

87
Q

events after the climax, leading to the resolution

A

Falling Action

88
Q

a stanza of four lines

A

Quatrain

89
Q

form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly

A

Satire

90
Q

a subdivision of an act of a play

A

Scene

91
Q

the time and place of a story

A

Setting

92
Q

a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with ‘like’ or ‘as’)

A

Simile

93
Q

a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections

A

Soliloquy

94
Q

a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme

A

Sonnet

95
Q

a character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end

A

Static Character

96
Q

the arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire wok

A

Structure

97
Q

the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work

A

Style

98
Q

something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible

A

Symbol

99
Q

the description of one kind of sensation in terms of another (ex. “He is wearing a loud shirt”)

A

Synaesthesia

100
Q

the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences

A

Syntax

101
Q

a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work

A

Theme

102
Q

the primary position taken by a writer or speaker

A

Thesis

103
Q

the attitude of the author towards the audience and characters (ex. serious or humorous)

A

Tone

104
Q

drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance

A

Tragedy

105
Q

the character flow or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall

A

Tragic Flaw

106
Q

a narrator whose account of events appears to be faulty, misleadingly biased, or otherwise distorted

A

Unreliable Narrator

107
Q

an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal

A

Utopia

108
Q

representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature

A

Personification

From Flashcardlet (15 decks)

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