Literary Device Quiz #2 Flash Cards

symbol

a person, place, thing or event that stands for something larger than itself

theme

the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work

satire

literary technique in which foolish ideas/customs are ridiculed for purposes of improving society

pun

a play on a word with two or more meanings

parody

a work that is an imitation of another work for the purpose of criticism, humor or flattery

personification

figure of speech in which an object, animal, or concept is given human characteristics

allegory

a narrative in which the characters often stand for abstract concepts

allusion

reference to someone or something that is known from culture

connotation

the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase

denotation

the literal or dictionary definition of a word or phrase

imagery

the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience

tone

a way of communicating information that conveys an attitude

mood

the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

foreshadow

important hints that an author drops to prepare the reader for what is to come

flashback

a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time

suspense

the tension or excitement felt by the reader as they become involved in the story

parable

a relatively short story that teaches a moral, or lesson about how to lead a good life