English Literature Vocabulary

Flashcards for English Literature Review

Simile

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

Invocation to the Muses

A poet's appeal to goddesses for inspiration, common in epic poems.

Flashback

An interruption in the story to show an event from the past.

Mood

The overall feeling or atmosphere created for the reader.

Epic simile

An extended, elaborate comparison in an epic poem.

Ethos

Appeals to credibility/character.

Pathos

Appeals to emotion.

Logos

Appeals to logic/reason.

Text features

Elements that help organize, present, and enhance information (e.g., headings, captions, charts, maps).

Central Idea

The main point or message of a nonfiction text.

Vocabulary in context

Figure out word meaning from surrounding words/sentences.

Narrator

The person or character telling the story.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about future events in the story.

Universal theme

A message or idea that applies to everyone, regardless of time or place.

Irony

A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or what is said and what is meant.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration for emphasis.

Understatement

Presenting something as less important or significant than it is.

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things, saying one is the other (no 'like' or 'as').