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Literary Terms American Literature

Terms in this set (43)

Body of stories, legends, myths arising out of the oral traditions of people around the world

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

Repetition of sounds at the end of words

Repetition of the consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Repetition of the vowel sounds in conjunction with dissimilar consonant sounds

Usually in poems and is a rhythmical pattern determined by the number of beats in each line

Includes word choice, tone, degree of formality, rhythm, grammar

Edgar Allan Poe's theory about what constituted a good short story. Achieved by a single emotional effect on the reader.

Contrast between what is stated and what is meant or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

Literary and artistic movement of 19th century that arose in reaction again the Neoclassic movement and placed emphasis on imagination, emotion, nature

Figurative Language

Writing that used figures of speech such as metaphor, simile and irony

Transcendentalism

American literary movement of 19th century. Believed that intuition and the individual conscience transcend experience and thus are better guides to truth than are sense and logical reason.

Story or tale with two or more levels of meaning - a literal level and one or more symbolic levels.

Anything that stands for or represents something else.

descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader.

Writer's attitude towards subject

Mournful, melancholic poem

Poetry that lacks regular rhythmical pattern or meter

Repeated line in a poem or song

Daily autobiographical account of events and personal reactions

Writer's or speaker's word choice

Presentation in art of the details of actual life.

Form of language spoken by people in particular region or group

Writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, institutions

A word or phrase used in everyday conversation and informal writing

Puritan plain style

Usage of plain and simple language to make a direct statement

Fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or heroes or
causes of natural phenomena

Figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though if were something else. (ie. Death is a long sleep)

Melodic poem that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker.

The passing on of songs, stories, by word of mouth

A prejudiced outlook while writing

Modes of Discourse

narration, description, exposition and argument

An association made that a word brings to mind

Persuasive Technique

writing or speech that attempts to convince reader to think and act in a particular way.

Characterization

Act of creating and developing a character.

Conversation between characters

Sequence of events in a literary work. Involves both characters and central conflict.

Writer's or speaker's word choice. (Informal, plain/ornate, common)

Form of non-fiction in which a person tells his or her own life story.

Public speaking that is formal, persuasive and emotionally appealing

A concise statement containing general truths or observationsabout life. (Ralph Waldo Emerson famous for this style)

Repetition of grammatical structure

A reference to a well-known person, place, work of art

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