Literary Terms starting with "A"

Question 1

a form of irony, a pretended refusal that is insincere or hypocritical

Accepted Answer

accismus

Question 2

a prose nonfiction composition, usually brief, that deals with a single topic

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article

Question 3

a comparison of two things, alike in certain aspects

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analogy

Question 4

the means by which a document is presented for textual study

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apparatus

Question 5

the state of having more than one meaning

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ambiguity

Question 6

literature that predicts the ultimate destiny, usually the destruction, of the world

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apocalyptic

Question 7

assignment of something to a time when it was not in existence

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anachronism

Question 8

a 19th century literary movement that rested on the credo of "Art for Art's Sake"

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aestheticism

Question 9

a word formed by combining the initial letters or syllables of a series to form a name

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acronym

Question 10

inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence

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anastrophe

Question 11

associations devoted to the advancement of special fields of interest

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academies

Question 12

literary device where the same expression is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines

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anaphora

Question 13

dramatic convention where an actor directly addresses the audience while unheard by the actors

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aside

Question 14

the ascription of human characteristics to nonhuman objects

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anthropomorphism

Question 15

a severe abridgment that summarizes the principal ideas or arguments in a much longer work

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abstract

Question 16

a short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event

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anecdote

Question 17

the character directly opposed to the protagonist

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antagonist

Question 18

permanent table showing the movements of heavenly bodies so yearly calculations could be made

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almanac

Question 19

a shortened version of a work, but one that attempts to preserve essential elements

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abridgement

Question 20

the omission of one or more sounds from a word ("even" for "evening", "bod" for "body")

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apocope

Question 21

asking a question as though to seek the opinion of one's hearer, reader, opponent, or judge

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anacoenesis

Question 22

In metrics, the emphasis given a syllable in articulation

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accent

Question 23

a method by which a thing is separated into parts, and those parts are given detailed scrutiny

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analysis

Question 24

literary gleanings, fragments, or passages from the writings of an author or authors

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analecta

Question 25

people living in an agricultural society, or espousing the merits of such a society

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agrarians

Question 26

a grotesque, usually humorous dance interspersed among beautiful or serious action in a masque

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antimasque

Question 27

a lengthy and formal curse or malediction (Psalm 109 is a classic example)

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ara

Question 28

extended metaphor where objects, persons, or actions in narratives have deeper, broader meaning

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allegory

Question 29

figure of speech that makes brief reference to a historical/literary figure, event, or object

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allusion

Question 30

a metaphor applied to new writing that shows striking innovations in style, form, and subject

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avant-garde

Question 31

figure of speech where some usually absent person or entity is addressed as though present

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apostrophe

Question 32

a stage direction meaning "both"; Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, includes "exeunt ambo"

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ambo

Question 33

a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words (i.e. "life is short")

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aphorism

Question 34

a word or phrase made by transposing the letters of another as "cask" is to "sack"

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anagram

Question 35

speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, sentences, or ideas (opposites attract)

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antithesis

Question 36

the story of a person's life as told by that person

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autobiography

Question 37

term designates a collection of writing, either prose or poetry, usually by various authors

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anthologoy

Question 38

metrically complete; applied to lines that carry out the metrical, rhythmic pattern of a poem

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acatalectic

Question 39

the failure to complete a sentence according to the structural plan if was started

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anacoluthon

Question 40

a protagonist in a play or novel who has the converse of most traditional heroic attributes

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antihero

Question 41

a term applied to anything totally independent of influences, limitations, or modifiers

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absolute

Question 42

narratives of historical events recorded year by year

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annals

Question 43

a moral fable (i.e. "A Country Comet" by C. Day Lewis)

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apologue

Question 44

the rewriting of a work from its original form to fit it for another medium

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adaptation

Question 45

the sense that human beings...live in meaningless isolation in an alien universe

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absurd

Question 46

arrangement of details such that the lesser appears when something greater is expected

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anticlimax

Question 47

repetition of initial identical consonant sounds or any vowel sounds in successive syllables

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alliteration

Question 48

miscellaneous sayings, anecdotes, gossip, about a particular person, place, event.

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ana

Question 49

meteorological term meaning unequal weight or atmospheric pressure(related to rhyme and accent)

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anisobaric

Question 50

vision or trance in which something from the past or unconscious mind is restored to vivid life

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analepsis

Question 51

form of circumlocution in which the truth is spoken in a way that tends to deceive or mislead

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ambages

Question 52

books appearing in successive numbers at intervals of one year and usually in review of year

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annuals

Question 53

the existence of mutually conflicting feelings or attitudes

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ambivalence

Question 54

a maxim or aphorism whose truth is held to be self-evident

Accepted Answer

axiom

Question 55

something that is analogous to or like another given thing

Accepted Answer

analogue

Literary Terms starting with "A"

Questions 55

Literary Terms starting with "A"

Questions 55