Literary Terms Review Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing literary terms and concepts.

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text.

Analogy

A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Anecdote

A brief story used to illustrate or make a point.

Apostrophe

A punctuation mark used to indicate either possession or the omission of letters or numbers.

Climax

The most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.

Connotation

An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Dialogue

Conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie.

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

Figurative Imagery

Uses similes, metaphors, and other figures of speech to describe something by comparing it to something else, often adding symbolic meaning.

Flashback

A scene in a movie, novel, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story.

Foreshadowing

Be a warning or indication of a future event.

Hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence; excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Idiom

A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.

Imagery

Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.

Irony

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Jargon

Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.

Juxtaposition

The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

Limited Narrator

Only ever mentions the feelings of one character.

Malapropism

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Mood

A temporary state of mind or feeling.

Motif

A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.

Personification

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristic to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Point of View

A particular attitude or way of considering a matter.

Setting

The place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.

Simile

A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more empathetic or vivid.

Symbol

A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process.

Theme

The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic.

Tone

The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

Tragedy

A play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.