Literary Terms

María Fernanda García Gastélum A01376181

Antithesis:

Definition: A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.

Example: Love is the antithesis of selfishness.

Anachronism:

Definition: A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists.

Example: Everything was as it would have appeared in centuries past apart from one anachronism, a bright yellow construction crane.

Catharsis:

Definition: The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Example: A man who killed someone in a drunk driving incident experiences catharsis by volunteering in a children's shelter.

Claim:

Definition: State or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof.

Example: He claimed that he came from a wealthy, educated family.

Contrast:

Definition: The state from being strikingly different from something else, typically something in close association.

Example: The day began cold and blustery, in contrast to almost two weeks ago of uninterrupted sunshine.

Anecdote:

Definition: A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Example: He told anecdotes about his job. / He had a rich store of anecdotes

Allegory:

Definition: A story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. / A symbol

Example: Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey.

Argument:

Definition: An exchange of diverging or opposite views/ A reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong.

Example: I had an argument with my father/ He rejected the argument that keeping the facility would be costly.

Anaphora:

Definition: The use of a word referring to or replacing a word they used earlier to avoid repetition/ The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Example: I like it and so do they.

Critique:

Definition: A detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory.

Example: The authors critique the methods and practices used in the research.