Prose Literary Terms – Flashcards
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All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests
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Connotation
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The dictionary definition of a word
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Denotation
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a figure of speech comparing to unlike things without using like or as
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Metaphor
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a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as')
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Simile
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a brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature
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Allusion
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A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
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Personification
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Require little personal adjustment
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Literal images
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Must be imagined with the poet
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Figurative images
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Are open to interpretation
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Open images
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when an object, image, or feeling takes on a larger meaning outside of itself
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Symbols
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Symbols whose meanings are conventionally accepted
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Stock symbols
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use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
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Alliteration
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the direct address of someone or something that is not present.
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Apostrophe
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Repetition of similar vowel sounds
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Assonance
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n. excessive or trivial sentimentality; and abrupt transition in style from the elevated to the commonplace, producing a laughable effect
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Bathos
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a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line
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Caesura
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an extended complex metaphor
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Conceits
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repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong
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Consonance
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word choice
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Diction
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the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break
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Enjambment
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a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor
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Hyperbole
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the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning
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Irony
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substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in 'they counted heads')
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Metonymy
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using words that imitate the sound they denote
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Onomatopoeia
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conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')
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Oxymoron
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a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
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Paradox
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a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings
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Pun
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harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony
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Sarcasm
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substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa
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Synecdoche
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sentence structure
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Syntax
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the quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author
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Tone
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a poem in which a speaker addresses a silent listener
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Dramatic monologue
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don't undergo significant changes in ways influence or relate to the novel's primary plot.
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Static characters
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a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work
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Theme
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language or writing that exposes follies or abuses by holding them up to ridicule
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Satire
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an approach used in literature that isn't connected to a specific genre, but rather, refers to the writer's aim or outlook when composing a literary work.
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Mode
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an element present in non-fiction literature; this is the author's intended message & the idea he or she chooses to present.
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Thought
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harsh, biting satire, full of moral indignation and bitter contempt
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Juvenalian satire
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Characters who change significantly are called dynamic characters.
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Dynamic characters
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tell the story of actual events
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Narrative essays
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This deals with the movement of a character from childhood to adulthood, innocence to experience, and ignorance to knowledge
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Initiation story
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a literary work based on adventure, such as those involving the heroic undertakings of knights, & included narratives in verse or poetic language instead of prose.
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Romance
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An essay, which attempts to convince the reader of the truth of a premise by means of logic and other forms of persuasion.
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Argumentative essays
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in non-fiction essays, it is conveyed & developed through word choice & arrangement, presentation, descriptive elements, & use of dialogue & narrative.
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Style
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a reacuring subject, theme or idea in literature, artistic or musical work
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Motifs
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an account of an event, purpose, or subject that presents fact.
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Non-fiction literature
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basic categories that are based on composition criteria such as technique or content.
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Genres
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explores ideas rather than explains them
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Speculative essays
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a extended fictional work in prose
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Novel
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introduction/exposition, complication/rising action, climax, falling action, denouement/conclusion
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Parts of a plot
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second less prominent story within a story
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Subplots
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interpolated; inserted between other things
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Intercalary
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standard or cliched character types: the drunk, the miser, the foolish girl, etc.
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Stock characters
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character whose personality can be defined by one or two traits and does not change in the course
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Flat characters
