Literary Terms and Concepts Flashcards

Flashcards created from the literary terms and definitions transcript for study and exam preparation.

What is an ad hominem argument?

An argument that attacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand (from the Latin meaning 'to the man').

What is an allegory, and what example is given in the text?

A work of prose or verse where objects, events, or characters symbolically represent ideas or concepts to convey a deeper moral meaning. An example is Orwell's Animal Farm as an allegory of the Russian Revolution.

How is alliteration defined?

The repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more closely associated words or stressed syllables.

What is an allusion?

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance without describing it in detail.

What is ambiguity in literature?

A word, phrase, or statement containing more than one meaning, leading to vagueness, confusion, or unintentional humor.

What does ambivalence mean?

A state of having simultaneous conflicting reactions, beliefs, or feelings towards someone or something, containing both positively and negatively valenced components.

What is the origin and meaning of anachronism?

Derived from the Greek word 'anachronous' meaning 'against time,' it is an error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece where something is out of time and place.

What is anagnorisis according to Aristotle in the Poetics?

The moment of recognition in which a character moves from ignorance to knowledge.

How does an analogy differ from a simile or a metaphor?

An analogy is a comparison aimed at explaining an idea or thing by comparing it to something familiar, and it is more extensive and elaborate than either a simile or a metaphor.

What is anaphora?

A form of repetition in which the same expression (word or phrase) is repeated at the beginning of successive lines, clauses, sentences, or paragraphs.

How does an anecdote differ from a short story?

An anecdote is a short narrative detailing particulars of an episode or event that lacks a complicated plot and is restricted to a single episode.

What is an antecedent?

The noun to which a pronoun refers and from which it derives its meaning (e.g., in 'Carol lost her mind,' 'Carol' is the antecedent of 'her').

What is an antimasque?

A grotesque, usually humorous dance interspersed among the serious actions of a masque, performed by professional actors as a foil to the masque proper.

What is antithesis, and what example is provided?

A literary technique in which opposite or strongly contrasting statements are balanced against each other for emphasis. Example: 'Man proposes, God disposes' (Pope, 'The Rape of the Lock').

How does an aphorism differ from a proverb?

An aphorism is a brief sentence stating an important truth. Unlike a proverb, which is usually an anonymous expression, an aphorism can be attributed to an author.

What is an apostrophe in literature?

An arrangement of words in direct address to a non-existent person or an abstract idea as if it were present and capable of understanding.

What is apotheosis?

Derived from the Greek word meaning deify, it is the glorification or deification of a human to the rank of a god.

What is an archetype?

A typical character, action, or situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature.

What is an appositive?

A noun or noun phrase used to define or explain another noun.

What is an aside?

A brief remark made by a character in a play intended to be heard by the audience but not by the other characters on stage.

What is assonance?

When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds (e.g., 'Men sell the wedding bells').

What is asyndeton?

A condensed parallel structure in which conjunctions are intentionally omitted from connecting a string of words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., 'I came, I saw, I conquered').

What is bathos?

The effect of a writer or poet awkwardly straining to achieve dignity or style elevation by falling into inconsequential and absurd metaphors or descriptions.

What is a bildungsroman?

A German term meaning 'formation novel,' referring to a novel describing the development of the hero or heroine from youth to maturity ('coming of age').

What is blank verse?

Poetry that has no fixed number of lines but uses a conventional meter (such as iamb, trochee, anapest, spondee, or dactyl) for verse drama and narrative poems.

What are the key traits of a Byronic Hero?

A character type from Lord Byron's works who is portrayed as an egoistic, proud, aloof, worldly rebel suffering existential angst from an unspeakable guilt.

How do cacophony and euphony differ?

Cacophony is a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds, whereas euphony (from Greek 'euphonos') uses pleasing vowel and smooth consonant sounds to create melodic effects.

What is a caesura?

A pause or break in the metrical or rhythmical progress of a line of verse.

What is a canto?

A section, subdivision, or part of a long or epic poem, consisting of five or more lines or multiple stanzas.

What is a catastrophe in literary tragedy?

The final stage in the falling action of a tragedy that ends the dramatic struggle and involves the downfall or death of the hero and/or others.

How does Aristotle define catharsis?

The purging or purification of emotions (such as pity and fear) working emotional relief and exaltation through imaginative participation in a tragedy.

What is chiasmus?

A form of parallel structure in verse or prose where the second part of a line reverses and balances the words in the first part (e.g., 'A wit with dunces, and a dunce with wits').

What is a deus ex machina?

Derived from Greek meaning 'god from the machine,' it is an unexpected and improbable incident employed to end a difficult situation or resolve a conflict.

What is a double entendre?

A play on words in which a word or phrase may be understood in two senses, one of which is frequently improper.

What is dramatic irony?

When the words or acts of a character carry a meaning unknown to himself but understood by the audience or spectators.

What is an elegy?

A lyric poem setting forth the poet's meditations upon death, expressing sorrow and mourning a loss.

What is enjambment?

When the sense and grammatical structure of a poetic line extends past the end of the line or stanza into the next for its completion.

What is an epigraph?

A motto or quotation placed at the beginning of a work, or at the beginning of a section of a work.

What is epistolary structure?

A narrative structure in which the story is carried forward by letters written by one or more characters.

What is ethos in rhetoric?

An ethical appeal representing credibility, persuasion through character, or the characteristic spirit and ethics that inform a work.

What is a euphemism?

A polite, indirect expression replacing harsh, impolite, or unpleasant words to hide unpleasantness (e.g., 'kick the bucket' for death).

What is a foil in literature?

A character whose behavior and qualities set off or enhance those of another figure through contrast.

How do hamartia and hubris relate in tragedy?

Hamartia is an error of judgment made due to ignorance or weakness; hubris is overweening pride that blinds the hero following hamartia, plunging them into disaster.

What does 'in media res' mean?

A Latin phrase meaning 'in the middle of things,' describing fiction that begins at a crucial point in the action.

What is a loose sentence?

A sentence structure where the main idea is stated early and additional details are given later.

What is a malapropism?

The incorrect use of a word in place of a similar-sounding word, generally producing a comic effect.

How does metonymy work?

It replaces the name of a thing with something closely associated with it that is not a literal part of it (e.g., using 'crown' to represent royal authority).

What is a motif?

A recurring object, image, sound, action, or idea in a literary work that has symbolic significance and helps develop a theme.

What is nemesis?

Derived from the Greek goddess of vengeance, it refers to the process where a character is justly punished for wrongdoings (divine retribution).

How does an oxymoron differ from a paradox?

An oxymoron combines two contradictory words ('living death'), while a paradox is an entire statement that seems contradictory yet contains truth ('I must be cruel to be kind').

How does pathetic fallacy differ from general personification?

Pathetic fallacy is a specific kind of personification that attributes human emotions specifically to inanimate objects of nature (e.g., weather reflecting a character's mood).

What is a periodic sentence?

A sentence in which essential main clause elements are withheld until the end or separated by modifiers.

How do polysyndeton and asyndeton differ in speech rhythm?

Polysyndeton adds multiple conjunctions ('eats and sleeps and drinks') to slow down speech rhythm, whereas asyndeton omits conjunctions to speed it up.

What is a syllogism?

A form of deductive reasoning consisting of three parts: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

What is synecdoche?

A figure of speech where a part signifies the whole (e.g., using 'hands' for workers or 'wheels' for a car).

What is a tautology?

The use of superfluous or redundant words that do not add clarity (e.g., 'necessary essentials'), or a logical statement true by virtue of its form.

What is terza rima?

A three-line stanza form borrowed from Italian poets with an interlocking rhyme scheme of aba, bcb, cdc, ded, etc.

How is verisimilitude defined in literature?

The resemblance or likeness to truth in a fictitious work, ensuring that events are plausible and rooted in reality enough for readers to relate to them.

How does the transcript distinguish active voice from passive voice?

Active voice occurs when the subject performs the action ('I broke the vase'); passive voice occurs when the subject is acted upon ('The vase was broken').

What is zeugma, and what example is given?

A figure of speech in which a single word (usually a verb or adjective) applies to multiple nouns, blending different ideas grammatically and logically. Example: 'John lost his coat and his temper.'