C-? Flashcards
diction
The choice of words in oral and written discourse
elegy
A poem or prose selection that laments or meditates on the passing or death of something or someone of value
end-stopped
A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation
enjambment
In poetry, the use of the successive lines with no punctuation or pause between them
epic
An extended narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero that in generally larger than life and is often considered a legendary figure.
epigram
A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement
euphony
Pleasing, harmonious sounds
epithet
An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing
euphemism
A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term
exposition
The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of a work of literature
extended metaphor
A series of comparisons between two unlike objects
fable
A short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior
farce
A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose
figurative language
In contrast to literal language, _____________ implies meanings. It includes metaphors, similes, and personification, among many others
first-person narrative
A narrative told by a character involved in the story, using pronouns such as I and we
flashback
A return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances. It might also be a character’s account of the past, a dream, or a sudden association with past events
foil
A minor character whose personality or attitude contrasts with that of the main character. Juxtaposing one character against another intensifies the qualities of both, to advantage or sometimes to disadvantage
foot
A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line
free verse
A kind of poetry without rhymed lines, rhythm, or fixed metrical feet
genre
A term used to describe literary forms, such as a novel, play, and essay.
gothic novel
A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action
hubris
The excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to their death
hyperbole
Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect
deuteragonist
the second most important character, after the protagonist
dialect
A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation
denotation
the dictionary definition of a word
didactic
term used to describe literature that is designed to teach a lesson or instruct
dynamic character
A character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story’s action
end rhyme
Rhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry
epigraph
A brief quotation found at the beginning of a literary work, reflective of theme
epistrophe
the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences
feminine rhyme
A rhyme in which the stress is on the second from last syllable of the words
grotesque
focuses on physically or mentally impaired characters
half rhyme
imperfect, approximate rhyme
hamartia
a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine
homily
Serious talk involving moral or spiritual advice
dactyl
A metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables (for example, merrily).
dactyllic meter
dactylic meter - A meter in which a majority of the feet are dactyls. (Out of the cradle, endlessly rocking)
deus ex machina
an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot
epistolary novel
a novel written as a series of documents or letters
flat character
A character (sense 1) whose character (sense 2) is summed up in one or two traits
heroic couplet
two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter and used widely in eighteenth-century verse
iamb
A metrical foot consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable (for example, rehearse)
iambic meter
A meter in which the majority of feet are iambs, the most common English meter
idiom
expressions that do not translate exactly into what a speaker means; idioms are culturally relevant; when a person uses an idiomatic expression, he or she truly “thinks” in the language
imagery
The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, it uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory
in media res
a piece of writing that begins in the middle of the action
internal rhyme
A rhyme in which one or both of the rhyme-words occur within the line
verbal irony
when the words literally state the opposite of the writer’s (or speaker’s) meaning
situational irony
when events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen.
dramatic irony
when facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work
italian sonnet
A sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba and of a sestet using any arrangement of two or three additional rhymes, such as cdcdcd or cdecde. (Also called a Petrarchan sonnet)
juxtaposition
the positioning of ideas or images side by side for emphasis or to show contrast
limited POV (3rd person)
the author tells the story, using the third person, but is limited to a complete knowledge of one character in the story and tells us only what that one character thinks, feels, sees, or hears
litote
a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. It is the opposite of hyperbole. Examples: “Not a bad idea,” “Not many,” “It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain” (Salinger, Catcher in the Rye)
local color
the descriptions of the setting, people, and dialect, etc., of a particular region
loose sentence
A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. They create a conversational and informal tone
lyric poem
a poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker. (Different from a ballad as a ballad tells a story with feeling)