Techniques Flashcards Preview

Literary Devices > Techniques > Flashcards

Flashcards in Techniques Deck (28)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Foreshadowing

A

literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story

“Life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love”
In the balcony scene, Juliet is concerned about Romeo’s safety as she fears her kinsmen may catch him. Romeo says, in the above lines, that he would rather have her love and die sooner, than not obtain her love and die later. Eventually, he gets her love and dies for her love, too.
ROMEO + JULIET (WILLIAM SHAKEPEARE

2
Q

Simile

A

figure of speech that makes a comparison showing similarities between two different things., a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as.” Therefore, it is a direct comparison.

3
Q

Adage

A

An adage is a short, pointed, and memorable saying that is based on facts, and considered truth by the majority of people. Often repeated sayings and quotes become adages that pass on to many generations. However, some adages are metaphoric, having hidden meanings, and embody common observations

4
Q

Intertextuality

A

a textual reference within some body of text, which reflects again the text used as a reference. Instead of employing referential phrases from different literary works, intertextuality draws upon the concept, rhetoric, or ideology from other writings to be merged in the new text.

5
Q

Anecdote

A

short and interesting story, or an amusing event, often proposed to support or demonstrate some point, and to make the audience laugh.

6
Q

Metaphor

A

Figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics.

7
Q

Tone

A

an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.

8
Q

Imagery

A

to use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

9
Q

Symbolism

A

use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.

10
Q

Paradox

A

The term paradox is from the Greek word paradoxon, which means “contrary to expectations, existing belief, or perceived opinion.” It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a latent truth

11
Q

Allegory

A

Figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events. It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story, with a purpose of teaching or explaining an idea or a principle.

12
Q

Irony

A

Figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that ends up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between appearance and reality.

13
Q

idiom

A

a set expression or a phrase comprising two or more words. An interesting fact regarding the device is that the expression is not interpreted literally. The phrase is understood to mean something quite different from what individual words of the phrase would imply.

14
Q

Anachronism

A

derived from the Greek word anachronous, which means “against time.” Therefore, an anachronism is an error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece. In other words, anything that is out of time and out of place is an anachronism.
Generally, they are considered errors that occur due to lack of research.

15
Q

Epigraph

A

An epigraph is a literary device in the form of a poem, quotation, or sentence– usually placed at the beginning of a document or a simple piece – having a few sentences, but which belongs to another writer. An epigraph can serve different purposes, such as it can be used as a summary, introduction, example, or an association with some famous literary work, so as to draw a comparison, or to generate a specific context for the piece.

16
Q

In media res

A

narrating a story from the middle after supposing that the audiences are aware of past events. In medias res demands beginning a narrative in the very middle of its action from some vital point when most of the action has occurred. The author then freely moves backward and forward at his leisure, connecting the dots of the story.

17
Q

Polyptoton

A

a stylistic device that is a rhetorical repetition of the same root word. However, each time the word is repeated in a different way, such as the words luppiter, lovi, lovis, and lovem are derived from the root word “love.”

18
Q

Hypophora

A

Figure of speech in which a writer raises a question, and then immediately provides an answer to that question. Commonly, a question is asked in the first paragraph, and then the paragraph is used to answer the question.

19
Q

Cacophony

A

In literature, however, the term refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing, and unmelodious sounds – primarily those of consonants – to achieve desired results.

20
Q

Aposiopesis

A

It is a rhetorical device that can be defined as a figure of speech in which the speaker or writer breaks off abruptly, and leaves the statement incomplete

21
Q

Metonym

A

replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. We can come across examples of metonymy both from literature and in everyday life.

22
Q

Anthropomorphism

A

Anthropomorphism is a literary device that can be defined as a technique in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions, or entire behaviours to animals , non-human beings, natural phenomena, or objects.

23
Q

Anacoluthon

A

it is a stylistic device defined as a syntactic deviation, and interruption within a sentence from one structure to another. In this interruption, the expected sequence of grammar is absent. The grammatical flow of sentences is interrupted in order to begin more sentences.

24
Q

Anthimeria

A

originated from the Greek word anti-meros, which means “one part for another.” It is a rhetorical device that uses a word in a new grammatical shape, often as a noun or a verb. Simply, it replaces one part of speech with another.

25
Q

Foil

A

A character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character

26
Q

Polysyndeton

A

Literary technique in which conjunctions e.g. (and, or, but) are used repeatedly in quick succession, often with no commas.

27
Q

Satire

A

noun: satire
the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

28
Q

Anadiplosis

A

form of repetition in which the last word of one clause or sentence is repeated as the first word of the following clause or sentence