nov lit terms - syntax & structure (2/2)

anachronism

something that isn’t placed in its proper historical time period

anaphora

repetition of an opening word or phrase in a series of lines

anecdote

a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event; frequently reveals a character trait

antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

anthithesis

rhetorical figure in which two ideas are directly oppose; must be presented in grammatically parallel way

asyndeton

a rhetorical figure involving the deliberate omission of conjunctions to create a concise, terse, and often memorable statement

caesura

a speech pause occurring within a line

chiasmus

a rhetorical figure consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reverse. (“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”)

climax

the point of greatest tension or emotional intensity in a plot; “turning point”

conflict

a confrontation or struggle between opposing characters or forces from which the action emanates and around which it evolves

physical conflict

man vs man; man vs nature

social conflict

man vs society

internal conflict

man vs self

denouement

refers to events following the climax of a plot and implies some ingenious resolution of the dramatic conflict and explanation of the mysteries/misunderstandings of the plot

deus ex machine

“God from the machine” refers to the intervention of a nonhuman force to resolve a seemingly unresolvable conflict in a literary work; an improbably or artificial resolution of conflict

enjambent

a poetic expression that spans more than one line; do not end with grammatical breaks and a sense of incompleteness

epigraph

a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of work

flashback

the insertion of an earlier event to the normal chronological order of a narrative

foreshadowing

the technique of introducing a narrative material that prepares the reader or audience for future events, actions, or relevations

in medias res

a technique of beginning a narrative int he middle of the action

juxtaposition

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

parallelism

a rhetorical figure to accentuate or emphasize ideas/images by using grammatically similar constructions

polysyndeton

the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural

style

an author’s choices and use of figurative language, diction, sound effects, syntax etc; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work

syntax

the arrangement —- the ordering, grouping and placement —— of words within a sentence