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Literary and Rhetorical Terms

Terms

undefined, object
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annotation
explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographic information
common knowledge
shared beliefs or assumptions that writers believe readers should accept
hyperbole
exaggeration used to heighten effect; not intended literally, often humorous "So hungry I could eat a horse"
conventional
following traditional techniques of writing; overreliance on this may result in a lack of originality; 5 paragraph theme is seen as this
elliptical
sentence structure which leaves out something in the second half; "Fire when ready" ("you are" is understood)
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
a writer implies that because one thing follows another, the first caused the second
polysyndeton
sentence which uses "and" or another conjnuction (no comma) to separate the items in a series; X an Y and Z--stresses each item equally
asyndeton
commas used to separate a series of words. Parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of a sentence "X,Y,Z"
analogy
comparison to a directly parallel case
either-or reasoning
writes reduces an argument to two polar opposies and ignores any alternatives
emotional appeal
often through pathos, a writer attempts to ecite and involve his/her audience in the argument
Red Herring
writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue
explication
act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually close reading and paying careful attention to figuartive language
didactic
teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking
Litote
expression of affirmation by negating its opposite; "She is not that unkind."
ethical appeal
writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him/her based on a presentation of image of self through text; writer tries to gain audience's confidence in what he/she is saying
Inversion
variation of the normal words order (subj-verb-complement) which puts a modifier or the verb first in the sentece; element that appears first is emphasized more than subject
verbal irony
when the reader is aware of a discrepancy between the real meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the writer's words
ambiguity
event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way
concrete language
describes specific, observable things, people or places, rather than ideas or qualities
apostrophe
a sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction absent or present; For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!"
allegory
a story in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. It is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth; the characters or ideas may be symbolic of the ideas referred to.
non-sequitir
one statement is not logically connected to another
deconstruction
critical approach that debunks definitions of meanings based on the instability of language; re-examines literary conventions
begging the question
often called circular reasoning, occurs when the believablity of the evidence depends on the believability of the claim
authorial voice
voices or speakers used by authors when they seemingly speak for themselves in a book; makes it clear in critical discussion that the narration or presentation of a story is not necessarily to be identified with the biographical and historical author
dramatic irony
reader is aware of an inconsistency between a character's perception of a situation and the truth of the situation
pathetic fallacy
to sympathize with nature as if it were human; "The wind moaned" "The trees lamented"
periodic
sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence
straw man
when a writer argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak--it diverts attention from the real issues
connotation
rather than the dictionary definition, the associations suggested by a word; implied meaning rather than literal
cumulative
sentence which begins witht he main idea and then expands on that idea with a series of detail
archetype
symbol, theme, setting, or character that is thought to have some universal meaning
generalization
a claim based upon an isolated example or claim that something is certain rather than probable
synecdoche
the part stands for the whole-- "lend me your ears" ; "all eyes on me"
anaphora
repitition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row
assonance
repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity
epigraph
a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of theme; Sister Karen's paper for Silas Marner included this before the essay was written
mood
atmosphere created by a writer's diction, the details selected, and syntax (sets pace)
chiasmus
arrangement of repeated thoughts in the pattern of X Y Y ; "Fair is foul, and foul is fair"
allusion
indirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar
balance
construction in which both halves of the sentence are about the same length and importance
appeal to authority
In a text, the reference to words, action, or beliefs of a person in authority as a means of supporting a claim, generalization, or conclusion
paradox
seemingly contradictory statement which is actually true
synesthesia
crossing 2 senses; "loud color" ; "sweet sound" ; "prickly laugh"
freight-train
sentence consisting of one or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions
syntactic fluency
ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied length
dead metaphor
through much use it has become part of the language; ex) flowerbed, run for office, to lend a hand, fishing for compliments, catch her name
ad hominem
"Against the man" ; when a writer personally attacks his opponent instead of their arguments
abstract language
describes ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places
style
choices in diction, tone, and syntax work together to create a manner of expression
Logic
implied comparison resulting when one thing is directly called another--must be appropriate
false analogy
when two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them; "Access to firearms should not be severely restricted, as access to kitchen knives is not severely restricted and yet, like firearms, they are sometimes used to kill innocent people"
mixed metaphor
leaps from one identification to a second identification that is inconsistent with the first one; ex) "He stepped up to the plate and grabbed the bull by the horns," where two commonly used metaphoric grounds for highlighting the concept of "taking action" are confused to create a nonsensical image
antithesis
balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses. Ex.) "To err is human; to forgive divine"
metonymy
object represents somebody or something; "The order came from the White House" (president)
purple patch
highly elaborated pieces of writing within plain text; calls attention to itself because of its ornateness
equivocation
writer uses the same term in two different senses in an argument; "It is wrong to kill innocent human beings"/ "Fetuses are innocent human beings."/ "Therefore, it is wrong to kill fetuses"
anecdote
a brief recounting of a relevant episode
backing
support or evidence for a claim in argument
satire
work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way--targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals
diction
word choice, particularly as an element of style
tricolon
sentence consisting of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses
example
individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern; best are factual as well as relevant
syntactic permutation
structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved; difficult for a reader to follow
causual relationship
writer asserts that one thing results from another
authority
arguments that draw on recognized experts or persons with highly relevant experience are said to rest on authoritative backing or authority
exposition
background information provided by a writer to enhance a reader's understanding of the context of a story
persona
writer adopting a fictional voice to tell a story
tone
writer's attitude toward his/her subject revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels
consonance
repitition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity
alliteration
repitition of initial identical constant sounds

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