Untitled Flashcards Set

Diction

Choice of words.

Juxtaposition

The placing of words, phrases, clauses, or images next to one another frequently in order to heighten similarity or contrast.

Motif

A recurring element that is elaborated or developed and traced throughout a work.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, usually at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Imagery

A word or group of words that refers to a sensory experience.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that directly compares two things that are thought to be dissimilar.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept.

Archetype

A constantly recurring symbol, motif, or character type that appears throughout seemingly unrelated stories in the history of a culture.

Personification

A figure of speech in which non-human things are given human qualities.

Allegory

A literary form or approach in which objects, persons, and actions make coherent sense on a literary level but also are equated with abstract meanings outside the story.

Allusion

Echoes of or brief reference to a literary work or a historical figure, event, or object.

Connotation

The associations and emotional implications a word may carry in addition to its dictionary definitions.

Figurative language

Use of language that departs from customary construction, order, or significance to achieve a special effect of meaning.

Mirroring

The author’s use of images, actions, or features in one part of a story that reflects another moment.

Paradox

When a writer combines two seemingly opposing ideas in order to create a larger meaning.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

Syntax

The way an author constructs sentences.

Chiasmus

A literary device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration; a figure of speech in which something is stated more strongly than is logically warranted.

Foreshadowing

Words, gestures, or other actions that hint at future events, outcomes, or themes in a literary work.