Literary Terms

Front 1

narration or description where events or objects represent ideas

Back 1

allegory

Front 2

repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words

Back 2

alliteration

Front 3

a reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea

Back 3

allusion

Front 4

universal symbols that evoke deep or unconscious responses in the reader - like heaven or hell stories, quests

Back 4

archetype

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repetition of vowel sounds to emphasize words in a line

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assonance

Front 6

the most important works of literature to be read and studied

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canon

Front 7

purgation. the audience releases emotion at the end of a tragedy

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catharsis

Front 8

associations/ implications, go beyond the meaning of the word. eagle = liberty/freedom

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connotation

Front 9

unrealistic characteristic of literary genre accepted by audience as familiar technique

Back 9

conventions

Front 10

the dictionary meaning of a word

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denotation

Front 11

writer's choice of words/phrases to create meaning

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diction

Front 12

way of using language that deviate from literal meanings - say 1 thing in terms of something else

Back 12

figure of speech

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french word for kind/type of poetry, fiction, drama, or essay

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genre

Front 14

excessive pride/self confidence, hamartia, downfall of tragedy character

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hubris

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boldly exaggerated statement

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hyperbole

Front 16

addresses the senses, convey mood through verbal pictures

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imagery

Front 17

contradictory statements to reveal reality different from what appears to be true

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irony

Front 18

place 2 things side by side to compare

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juxtaposition

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compare without using like or as

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metaphor

Front 20

the speed at which details of story are offered

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narrative pace

Front 21

when the words sounds like it is - bang, sizzle

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onomatopoeia

Front 22

condensed paradox

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oxymoron

Front 23

statement that appears to be contradictory but makes sense - what underlies statement

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paradox

Front 24

the balance of equal ideas with repetition of sounds, meanings, or structures

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parallelism

Front 25

appeals to the audience emotion - rhetorical device

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pathos

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human characteriestics to nonhuman ways

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personification

Front 27

who tells the story/ how it's told

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point of view

Front 28

techniques to clarify writing, make it effective

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rhetorical devices

Front 29

no answer is expected - for rhetorical effects

Back 29

rhetorical question

Front 30

physical/social context of where the action occurs

Back 30

setting

Front 31

comparison - like, as, than, appears, seems

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simile

Front 32

character alone utters thoughts out loud

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soliloquy

Front 33

how a piece of lit is put together, how parts relate to each other - scenes/acts follow each other in a play

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structure

Front 34

the distinctive manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve unique effects - structure, tone, irony

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style

Front 35

evokes abstract meaning beyond literal significance

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symbol

Front 36

ordering of words into patterns to put emphasis on the words

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syntax

Front 37

central meaning of work

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theme

Front 38

central idea of essay, topic in clear words

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thesis

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author's implicit attitude towards readers/characters

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tone

Front 40

story of courageous individuals - defeat, failure, death

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tragedy