Literary Devices Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing literary devices discussed in the lecture notes.

Allegory

A story used to represent a more general message about real-life issues or events.

Alliteration

A series of words that start with the same sound, typically consonants.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a figure, place, event, or idea originating from outside the text.

Anachronism

An intentional error in the chronology or timeline of a text.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple sentences.

Anthropomorphism

When something nonhuman behaves in a human-like way.

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions in a group of words or phrases to emphasize meaning.

Colloquialism

The use of informal language and slang.

Epigraph

A quotation, poem, or short passage inserted at the beginning of a larger text.

Epistrophe

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive statements.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression used in place of something harsh.

Flashback

An interruption in a narrative that depicts events that have already occurred.

Foreshadowing

When an author hints at what’s to come later in the story.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.

Imagery

Description that appeals to our senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, or hearing).

Irony

A statement used to express an opposite meaning.

Juxtaposition

The comparing and contrasting of two or more different ideas, characters, objects, etc.

Malapropism

When an incorrect word is used in place of a word that has a similar sound, often for comedic effect.

Metaphor

Describing ideas, actions, or objects in non-literal terms by comparing one thing to another.

Simile

A type of metaphor using 'as' or 'like' to compare two things.

Metonym

When a related word or phrase is substituted for the actual thing to which it's referring.

Mood

The general feeling the writer wants the audience to have.

Onomatopoeia

A word that represents a sound and resembles or imitates the sound it stands for.

Oxymoron

A combination of two words that express a contradictory meaning.

Paradox

A statement that appears illogical but might be true or plausible.

Personification

Describing a nonhuman figure or concept as having human-like qualities.

Repetition

When a word or phrase is written multiple times for emphasis.

Satire

A genre of writing that criticizes something using irony, humor, and hyperbole.

Soliloquy

A character speaking aloud to himself, revealing inner thoughts and feelings.

Symbolism

The use of an object, figure, or event to represent something else.

Synecdoche

A literary device in which part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa.

Tone

The writer or narrator's attitude towards a subject.