Literary Terms

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Ad Hominem

Back 1

Attacking the speaker

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Anachronism

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Chronologically out of place

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Anaphora

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Rep of the same word at beg of successive clauses

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Anastrophe

Back 4

Inversion of the usual syntactical order of words for their rhetorical effect

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Antecedent

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A noun that a pronoun refers to

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Antithesis

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Balance of contrasting ideas

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Aphorism

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A terse saying/embodying a general truth, or astute observation

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Apostrophe

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Addressing someone dead or non-human as though they would reply

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Archetype

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A character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people from all cultures because it occurs frequently in religion, myth, literature or folklore.

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Asyndeton

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The absence of conjunctions

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Caricature

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Picture/description ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of something

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Catharsis

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An emotional cleansing or feeling of relief

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Colloquial

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Informal speech

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Conceit

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Intricate or extended metaphor or simile that arouses a feeling of surprise or amusement

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Deus ex machina

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Unexpected or unlikely event that changes the outcome in a drama

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Double entendre

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Used in a given text so that it can be understood in 2 ways

Especially when on way is not clear

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Elegy

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Mournful poem

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Eponymous

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Self named

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Euphemism

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Inoffensive language

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False analogy

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Fallacy in which an argument is based on misleading

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Hamartia

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Protagonist's tragic flaw

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Idiom

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A peculiar expression

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Idyllic

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Charmingly simple

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Invective

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In satirical writing, the use of angry language

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Juxtaposition

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Two images not usually brought together are put side by side

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Litotes

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Understatement using opposite

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Loose Sentance

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A main clause that is followed by one or more coordinate clauses

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Malaphorism

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Absurd or humorous use of a word

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Metonymy/Synecdoche

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Figure of speech with the use of a word that closely relates to it

crown=king

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Motif

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Reoccuring idea or object

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Nonsequitur

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Latin for "does not follow"

Does not follow the premises

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Paean

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Song of joy or praise

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Paradox

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Statement that seems contradictory but is the truth

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Pathetic Fallacy

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Endowing nature, objects with human traits or emotions

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Penultimate

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The second to last chapter/moment

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Periodic Sentence

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Long and involved sentence where the main point is at the end

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Polysyndeton

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Use of multiple conjunctions

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Post Hoc

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Logical fallacy

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Purple prose/patch

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Used to describe overly ornate or flowery prose

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Syllepsis/Zeguma

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Use of one word to govern or modify two or more words

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Syllogism

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Logical argument in which one proposition is inferred from 2 premises

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Tricolon

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Series of three parallel words

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Verisimilitude

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The resemblance to truth in literature

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Vernacular

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Local language

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Seitgeist

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The general cultural, intellectual or political climate within a society