Weekly Literary Terms: Antithesis, Archaism, Atmosphere, and Augustan Age

Antithesis:
Antithesis is a literary device used when two contrasting ideas are used together to create emphasis.

Example:
"One small step for man, one giant step for mankind."



Archaism:
Archaism is a figure of speech in which an a word or phrase that is used is considered old fashioned.

Example:
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."



Atmosphere:
Atmosphere refers to the feeling, emotion, or mood a writer conveys to a reader through the description of setting and objects.

Example:
"It was a dark stormy night; the rain fell in torrents..."



Augustan Age:
The Augustan Age is the period of English literature in the early 18th century, when writers such as Swift and Pope were active. The name comes from that of the Roman emperor  Augustus, who ruled when Virgil, Horace and Ovid were writing, and suggests a classical period of elegant literature.

Example:
Alexander Pope wrote an Epistle to Augustus which was in fact written to George II of Great  Britain