LITERARY TECHNIQUES Flashcards
Allusion
A brief (usually indirect) reference to a person, place, event, book, etc.
Foreshadowing
A hint about what might happen in the future.
Imagery
Words or phrases that call images/other sensory experiences to mind.
Irony
When the events that occur are different from the ones expected.
Red Herring
Clues that are dropped to distract the reader from what is really going on.
Suspense
An intense feeling of nervousness/excitement felt while waiting to find out the outcome of certain events.
Symbolism
When an object is used to symbolize something else to give the object a deeper meaning.
Hyperbole
A great exaggeration.
Novel
A fictional story of book length, typically filled with action and some realism.
Short Story
A story with a fully developed theme, but is much shorter than a regular novel.
Anthology
A published collection of poems/other pieces of writing.
Excerpt
A short extract from a film, broadcast or piece of music/writing.
Genre
A category of music/literature categorized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
Poetry
Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.
Prose
Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.
