Literary Terms I
the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. (opposite of exaggeration)
understatement
a warning or indication of (a future event) in a literary work.
Foreshadowing
This document declared America free from Britain
Declaration of Independence
The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible were set during this time period
Puritanism
visually descriptive language that uses the 5 senses
imagery
The feeling that a word makes you feel
connotation
Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader
Mood
techniques writers use to enhance their arguments and communicate more effectively. *Ex: Rule of Three
Rhetorical Devices
This document stated the laws of the country
US Constitution
This time period is related to the time when the central cause of the war in the country was related to slavery.
The writer's choice of words
diction
poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter
free verse
A reference to another work of literature, person, or event
Allusion
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Allegory
The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution
Bill of Rights
Stories refer to works recognizing the differences of regions of the country by focusing on the characters, dialect, and customs. (Mark Twain)
Regionalism/Local Color
sentence structure
syntax
What A-N-T stands for
Attention Grabber, Necessary Information, Thesis Statement
The point of view where the narrator knows everything about the characters and their problems
Omniscient
A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. (jumbo shrimp)
oxymoron
Written by "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution
Federalist Papers
This time period emphasized individualism; spontaneity; freedom from rules; solitary life rather than life in society; the beliefs that imagination is superior to reason. (Emerson, Poe, Thoreau, Whitman)
Romanticism
This type of diction can be referred to as "slang." Ex: "Yo my bad"
colloquial
a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure. (Ask not what you can do for this country, but what your country can do for you.)
Paralellism
A recurring theme, subject or idea in literary work
Motif
when a plot starts in the middle of the action
en media res
Written by Thomas Paine this 47 page pamphlet advocated independence from Great Britain
Common Sense
An accurate and detailed portrayal of actual life based on careful observation of life (often focused on middle & lower classes) (Like The Office)
Realism
The 5 Elements of Writer's Voice are this
diction, syntax, detail, tone, imagery
The 4 S's in a conclusion
When the reader knows something that the character doesn't
dramatic irony
the dictionary definition of a word has this fancy literary term
denotation
Name two founding fathers
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison.
This time period wrote about the fringes of society—the criminal, the fallen, the down-and-out. (Jack London)
Naturalism
The difference between mood and tone
Tone (n.) The attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience conveyed through word choice and the style of the writing. Mood | (n.) The overall feeling, or atmosphere, of a text often created by the author's use of imagery and word choice.
Nick is Daisy's cousin