Literary Terms: Setting and Symbolism

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Questions and Answers

What is the setting?

The place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.

What is a general setting?

The particular physical location in which an episode or scene within a work takes place.

What is a particular setting?

A setting used to define a character for a more focused part of a story.

What does time refer to in literature?

The span in which events take place. Signup and view all the answers

What is a symbol?

A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially an abstract idea. Signup and view all the answers

What is a myth?

A traditional story that typically involves supernatural beings or events. Signup and view all the answers

What are figures of speech?

Words or phrases used in a nonliteral sense to add rhetorical force to a passage. Signup and view all the answers

What is an allegory?

A story, poem, or picture that can reveal a hidden meaning, typically moral or political. Signup and view all the answers

What is an allusion?

A figure of speech that refers to a well-known story, event, person, or object. Signup and view all the answers

What is irony?

A figure of speech in which words are used so that their intended meaning differs from the actual meaning. Signup and view all the answers

What is a metaphor?

A figure of speech that makes an implicit comparison between two different things. Signup and view all the answers

What is metonymy?

The substitution of the name of an attribute for that of the thing meant. Signup and view all the answers

What is an oxymoron?

A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. Signup and view all the answers

What is personification?

A figure of speech where a thing, idea, or animal is given human attributes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a simile?

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two different things using 'like' or 'as'. Signup and view all the answers

What is synecdoche?

Referring to the whole of a thing by the name of any one of its parts. Signup and view all the answers

What is a theme?

The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work, stated directly or indirectly. Signup and view all the answers

What is a moral in literature?

Expressing or conveying truths or counsel as to right conduct. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Setting

Refers to the physical location or environment where events occur in a narrative.
General setting encompasses the broad physical location of a story, such as Middle Earth in "The Lord of the Rings."
Particular setting narrows down specific locations that contribute to character development, like Mordor in "The Lord of the Rings."
Time indicates the duration in which events unfold, exemplified by "Wuthering Heights," which spans decades.

Symbol

Represents a material object that signifies something more abstract; for instance, "The Yellow Wallpaper" symbolizes the narrator's mental decline.

Myth

Traditional stories that explain early history or natural phenomena, often involving supernatural elements. An example is the tale of Icarus.

Figures of Speech

Language used in a nonliteral sense to enhance the expressiveness of writing.
Includes various forms such as:
- Allegory: A narrative with a deeper moral or political meaning, exemplified by "Animal Farm."
- Allusion: A brief reference to a well-known entity, like Faustus mentioning "Olympus."
- Irony: A statement where the intended meaning differs from the literal one, illustrated in "Romeo and Juliet" with Juliet's tragic fate.
- Metaphor: An implicit comparison between dissimilar entities, as shown in "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
- Metonymy: Substitution of a related term; "suit" for business executive.
- Oxymoron: A juxtaposition of contradictory terms, such as "big shrimp."
- Personification: Attributing human traits to non-human elements, utilized in "The Yellow Wallpaper."
- Simile: A direct comparison using "like" or "as," as in Nabokov's "Lolita."
- Synecdoche: Referring to a whole by naming a part, like calling a car "wheels."

Theme

The underlying message or central idea of a literary work, which may be conveyed explicitly or subtly, such as the theme of war in "Gone With the Wind."

Moral

The ethical lesson or truth conveyed by a narrative, epitomized in "Hunchback of Notre Dame," which explores true monstrosity beyond physical appearance.

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Description

Explore crucial literary terms such as 'setting' and 'figurative language' in this quiz. Understand how they contribute to the meaning and context in various works, using examples from literature like 'The Lord of the Rings'. Test your knowledge and enhance your literary analysis skills!