Literary device
A story with characters and actions that are symbolic of ideas.
Allegory
A genre that centers upon the unraveling of a mystery presented to the reader early in the story to arouse the readers curiosity
Detective fiction
Common Sense
Thomas Paine
An Ideal example of a type
Archetype
"But Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one"
Common Sense
Mood
A genre that combines horror and romance
Gothic Fiction
Poor Richards Almanack
Ben Franklin
A simple form of communication for expressing political ideas that authors could print and distribute in a clandestine manner
Pamphlet
"Remember , Christians, Negros, black as Cain, May be refin'd and join the' angelic train"
On Being Brought From Africa to America
A broad idea about life, human nature, or ideals that the work expresses
Theme
The imitation of classic literature
Neoclassicism
His poems brought incentive and inspiration to the revolutionary cause
Phillip Freneau
The repetition of initial consonant sounds for emphasis
Alliteration
The repetition of initial consonant sounds for emphasis
Alliteration
Dropping subtle hints about the future
Foreshadowing
Fictional portrayal of historical figures or events
Historical fiction
First African American American author of importance. She was controversial
Phillis Wheatley
Compares two things using "like" or "as"
simile
"On the top of a rock whose sides were steep, rugged, and encumbered with dwarf cedars and stony asperities" ...." Suddenly the sadness that constantly attended him was deepened. Sighs, and even tears, sometimes escaped him.
From Wieland
The manner in which words are used
Tone
A period of literature focusing on imagination and expressive art rather than science
Romanticism
Wieland. This author was the first American author who attempted to support himself solely through writing
Charles Brockden Brown
A figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another
Metaphor
"A little Neglect may breed great mischief... For want of a Nail the Shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost ; and for want of a horse the the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the Enemy, all for want of Care about a horse-shoe nail"
Poor Richards Almanack