Literary Terms and Their Meanings

This set of flashcards contains key literary terms and their meanings to help students understand important concepts for their exam.

Bedlam

Originally a nickname for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, now means wildly chaotic or extremely noisy. Has come to mean wildly chaotic or extremely raucous and noisy.

Albatross Around One's Neck

In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a sailor shoots an albatross, As punishment, the sailor is forced to wear the carcass of the albatross around his neck. Some burden, often of guilt, a person must bear.

Prometheus/Promethean

Greek mythology, a titan known for his cunning, Zeus withheld fire from mankind

Juggernaut

Any unstoppable force, especially a destructive one.

Sour Grapes

The attitude of rationalizing disappointment; believing what one wanted wasn't great after all.

Sold Down the River

To be betrayed or misled, especially by someone trusted.

Nemesis

A source of downfall or retribution for wrongdoing.

Pyrrhic Victory

A victory that comes at such a great cost that it is scarcely better than losing.

Scapegoat

A person who is blamed or punished for someone else's misdeeds.

Don Quixote/Quixotic/Tilting at Windmills

To be foolishly idealistic or to undertake naive heroic attempts.

Shibboleth

A catchword or slogan associated with a particular group or sect.

Doublespeak

Deliberate use of evasive or ambiguous language.

Murphy's Law

The principle that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

Flanderize

To make a character shallower by exaggerating one trait that encompasses their entire personality.

Rorschach Test

A projective psychological test that interprets a person's responses to inkblots.

The Monkey's Paw (Curls)

When a wish is granted in an unexpected and costly way.