Exam 2: Literary Terms

Question 1

From the Greek word for “inscription”; a short poem (or saying) that is clear, catchy, and often satirical - often containing a witty ending and meant to be remembered. Usually features short lines with bouncy rhythms, parallel phrases (anaphora, etc.), and paradoxical wit.

Answer 1

epigram

Question 2

specific words or phrases chosen to evoke an emotional response (usually to influence) the reader or listener by appealing to the emotions

Answer 2

emotive language

Question 3

from Greek para, “past, contrary to,” and doxa, “opinion”’ a statement that is self-contradictory on the surface, yet seems to evoke a truth nonetheless

Answer 3

paradox

Question 4

has an interlocking rhyme scheme of ABAB BCBC CDCD EE

Answer 4

Spenserian sonnet

Question 5

refers to a common them in classical and Renaissance literature that suggests readers should make the most out of life and enjoy it before it is over

Answer 5

carpe diem tradition in literature

Question 6

a sustained, formal poem that mourns the loss of someone or something; a lament or sadly meditative poem on a solemn theme

Answer 6

elegy

Question 7

Repetition of the same word or words in the middle of successive sentences or clauses. An example from 2 Corinthians 4:8: We are troubled on every side, but not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.

Answer 7

mesodiplosis

Question 8

Can be understood as the physical structure of the poem: the length of the lines, their rhythms, their system of rhymes, and repetition. In this sense, it is normally reserved for the type of poem where these features have been shaped into a pattern, especially a familiar pattern. Another sens of the term is to refer to these familiar patterns - these can be simple and open-ended forms, such as blank verse, or they can be a complex system of rhymes, rhythms, and repeated lines within a fixed number of lines, such as a sonnet or a villanelle.

Answer 8

poetic form

Question 9

a direct comparison that extends over several lines or stanzas in a poem, or over many sentences in a paragrpah(s)

Answer 9

extended metaphor/conceit

Question 10

The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Answer 10

Shakespearean sonnet

Question 11

a long narrative poem in elevated or dignified language that tells the story of a hero and reflects the values of a culture

Answer 11

epic poetry

Question 12

A poem about city, often with a gritty or satirical view of its life. Swift’s “A Description of morning” is an excellent example.

Answer 12

ironic pastoral

Question 13

the absence of a syllable in the last metrical foot in a line of verse

Answer 13

catalexis

Question 14

a reference to any person, place, or thing (literary, historical, or actual)

Answer 14

allusion

Question 15

a short text honoring a deceased person; an inscription on a gravestone or plaque

Answer 15

epitaph

Question 16

In poetry, the continuation of a sentence without pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. Milton uses this technique frequently in Paradise Lost.

Answer 16

enjambment

Question 17

the tone that prevails in a piece of literature

Answer 17

mood

Question 18

a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in turn signifies something, or has a range of reference, beyond itself

Answer 18

symbol / symbolism

Question 19

a major shift or change in structure, tone, or subject in a poem or novel

Answer 19

shift

Question 20

two lines of rhymed verse in iambic pentameter, commonly used in epic and narrative poetry

Answer 20

heroic couplets

Question 21

verse in which the typography or lines are arranged in an unusual configuration, usually to convey or exted the emotional content of the words

Answer 21

pattern poetry

Question 22

an expression that, in addition to an obvious meaning, carries a second, subtle meaning (often at variance with the ostensible meaning)

Answer 22

adianoeta

Question 23

a particular kind of foot that has a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable; an example from Edgar Allan Poe’s “the Raven”: Ónce up | ón a | mídnight | dreár y, | whíle I | póndered, | weák and | weár y

Answer 23

trochee

Question 24

two metrical feet per line

Answer 24

dimeter

Question 25

a form of extended metaphor in which objects and persons in a narrative, either in prose or verse, are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative

Answer 25

allegory

Question 26

a stanza or poem containing eight lines

Answer 26

octave

Question 27

the repetition of a word or group of words at the end of two or more phrases, clauses, lines, or sentences

Answer 27

epistrophe

Question 28

an allegorical character used in morality plays who represents an ordinary individual

Answer 28

everyman character

Question 29

For example, all of Shakespeare’s plays begin in the middle of action that has already begun before the opening of the first act.

Answer 29

in medias res

Question 30

A lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular person or subject, usually praising it, often in elevated style or manner, and often with uniform, metrical feet. The tone is typically lofty and noble, and the themes are usually inspirational and deal wiht messages of art, beauty, and eternity. They can be humorous and satirical, but are almost always contemplative, provoking the reader to explore deeper thems of human relations, experience, and emotion

Answer 30

ode

Question 31

two rhymed lines that contain an independent and complete thought or statement; usually a pause lightly at the end of the first line; the second is more heavily end-stopped, or “closed”

Answer 31

closed couplet

Question 32

the collection of images in a poem or other literary work

Answer 32

imagery