Figures of Speech and Literary Topics

These flashcards cover key rhetorical figures and literary topics discussed in the lecture notes.

Aliteración

Repetición de sonidos en una misma frase o verso.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of one sentence and at the beginning of the next.

Anáfora

Repetition of one or more words at the beginning of consecutive phrases or verses.

Antítesis

Contrasting two opposing ideas or concepts within the same structure.

Apóstrofe

Direct appeal to a person, being, object, or idea, often in the form of an exclamation.

Asíndeton

Omission of conjunctions to speed up the rhythm of the phrase.

Enumeración

List of words or ideas presented successively.

Epanadiplosis

A figure in which a word is repeated at the beginning and at the end of a sentence or verse.

Epífora

Repetition of a word or group of words at the end of consecutive phrases or verses.

Epíteto

Adjective that highlights a quality of the noun, without providing new information.

Eufemismo

Substitution of a hard or rough word or expression with a softer or more acceptable one.

Hipérbaton

Alteration of the logical order of words in a sentence.

Hipálage

Attributing a complement to a word different from the one to which it should logically refer.

Hipérbole

Exaggeration used to reinforce an idea or quality.

Interrogación retórica

A question that does not expect an answer, used to emphasize an idea or provoke thought.

Ironía

Expression that indicates something contrary or different from what is said, generally as a disguised mockery.

Lítote o atenuación

Denying the contrary of what is desired to affirm.

Metáfora

Identification of a real term with an imaginary one.

Metonimia

Designating something with the name of another thing taking the effect for the cause or vice versa.

Oxímoron

Combination of two contradictory terms in the same expression.

Paradoja

Apparent contradiction that invites reflection.

Paralelismo

Repetition of a similar grammatical structure in consecutive phrases or verses.

Paronomasia

Use of two similar sounding words with different meanings in a phrase.

Personificación

Attributing human qualities to objects, animals or abstract ideas.

Políptoton

Use of a series of words sharing the same root but with different morphemes.

Polisíndeton

Repeated use of conjunctions to create rhythm in the phrase.

Pleonasmo

Use of redundant words that are unnecessary because they are already implied in the context.

Quiasmo

Crossed arrangement of similar elements in two phrases or verses.

Símil

Comparison of a real term with another imaginary one using 'like' or 'as'.

Sinestesia

Mixing sensations from different senses into one expression.

Zeugma

Figure that omits a word that is implied in two or more elements of a sentence.

Amor post mortem

Affirmation of the eternal nature of love that persists beyond physical death.

Aurea mediocritas

State of being satisfied with one's relative well-being, free from envy or greed.

Beatus ille

Eulogy of a simple and withdrawn life away from societal complications.

Carpe diem

Exhortation to seize the present, acknowledging the fleeting nature of time.

Contemptus mundi

Rejection of earthly life marked by evil and pain, focusing on spiritual pursuits.

Descriptio puellae

Praise of the beauty of a young woman, highlighting her physical attributes.

Donna angelicata

Presentation of the woman as an angelic being, ideal in moral and spiritual perfection.

Homo viator

Vision of man as a traveler accumulating experiences throughout life.

Locus amoenus

Description of an idealized place in nature associated with tranquility and pleasure.

Omnia mors aequat

Presentation of death as an equalizer that reaches all individuals regardless of class.

Quotidie morimur

Acknowledgment that each day we die, reflecting on human mortality.

Somnium imago mortis

Equating sleep with the eternal rest represented by death.

Tempus fugit

Allusion to the rapid passage of time.

Theatrum mundi

Consideration of the world as a theater and men as dramatic actors.

Ubi sunt

Reflection on the transience of life and the disappearance of people or things from the past.

Vanitas vanitatum

Denunciation of the absurdity of human ambition given life's fleeting nature.

Venatus amoris

Presentation of the love game as a hunting scenario.

Vita flumen

Comparison of human existence to a river flowing towards an inevitable destination, which is death.

Verso de arte menor

Verses with up to eight syllables, commonly octosyllabic.

Verso de arte mayor

Verses with more than eight syllables, typically used in poetry.

Copla

Four verses of minor art, generally octosyllabic, with assonance rhyme in even and odd verses.

Serventesio

Four verses of major art, usually octosyllabic, with consonant rhyme.

Sextina

Poem composed of six stanzas, each with six lines, ending with a tercet.

Romance

Undefined series of octosyllabic verses, with assonant rhyme in even and odd verses.

Endecha

Poetic composition with elegiac tone, lacking a fixed metric structure.

Soneto

Fourteen verses of major art, generally written in two quartets and two tercets.

Silva

Undefined series of verses, combining eleven-syllabic and seven-syllabic lines.

Narrador omnisciente

Narrator who knows everything about the characters and the plot.

Narrador observador

Narrator who recounts from an external perspective.

Narrador protagonista

Narrator who tells the story in the first person as the main character.

Narrador testigo

Secondary character who narrates what they see or know.

Estilo directo

Reproduction of a character's words literally.

Estilo indirecto

Paraphrasing a character's words without quoting them directly.

Monólogo interior

Technique expressing a character's thoughts and emotions directly.

Flujo de conciencia

Complex narrative technique reflecting the continuous flow of a character's thoughts.

Tiempo exterior

Chronological time in which the narrated events occur.

Tiempo interno

Subjective time within the narrative, influenced by the perception of events.

Tiempo lineal

Time develops continuously and chronologically.

Tiempo circular

Time that repeats or occurs cyclically.

In medias res

A narrative technique that starts in the middle of the action.

Analepsis

Technique involving a flashback to narrate past events.

Prolepsis

Technique anticipating future events in the narrative.

Verosimilitud

Quality of appearing true or real within the context of a story.