Literary Terms

Front 1

ad hominem argument

Back 1

From the Latin meaning "to or against the man," this is an argument that appeals to emotion than reason, to feeling rather than intellect

Front 2

allegory

Back 2

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to repesent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, and author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence

Front 3

alliteration

Back 3

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and/or supply a musical sound.

Front 4

allusion

Back 4

A direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical (like referring to Hitler), literary (like referring to Kurtz in Heart of Darkenss), religious(like referring to Noah and the flood), or mythical (like referring to Atlas). There are, of course, many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion

Front 5

ambiguity

Back 5

The multiple meanings, either intnetional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentnece, orr passage

Front 6

analogy

Back 6

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliary by associating it with, or pointing out its similiarity to, something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, and intellectually engaging

Front 7

antecedent

Back 7

The word, phrase, or clause refered to by a pronoun. The Test occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence o in a group of sentences.

Front 8

antithesis

Back 8

A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure. THe reulting parallelism serves to emphasize opposition of ideas. THe familiar phrase "Man proposes, God disposes" is an example of antithesis, as is John Dryden's description in the Hind and the Panther: "Too black for heaven, yet too white for hell."

Front 9

aphorism

Back 9

A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral pinciple.An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author's point.

Front 10

apostrophe

Back 10

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. THe effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee."

Front 11

atmosphere

Back 11

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events. See miood.

Front 12

caricature

Back 12

A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliverately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect. Sometimes caricature can be so exaggerated that it becomes a grotesque imitation or misrepresentation. Synonymous words include burlesque, parody, travesty, satire, lampoon.

Front 13

chiasmus

Back 13

A figure of speech based on inverted parallelism. It is a rhetorical figure in which two clauses are related to each another through a reversal of terms. The purpose is usally to make a larger point or to provide blance or order. In classical rhetoric, the parallel structures did not repeat words, such as found in Alexander Pope's Essay on Man: "His time a moment, and a point his spaces." However, contemporary standards allow for repeated words; a commonly cited example comes from JFK's inaugural address: "...ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country."

Front 14

clause

Back 14

A grammatical unit that contians both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete though and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate, clause can't stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

Front 15

colloquialism

Back 15

Slang or informality in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.