Glossary of Literary Terms Flashcards
the stressing of certain syllables or words
accent
the actual movements and speech of characters forming or acting out situations on the state
action
a narrative in which the character, place, and events represent certain abstract qualities or ideas designed to teach some moral lesson or truth
allegory
the repetition of the same consonant sounds
alliteration
a reference to mythology, history, or a literary work
allusion
a comparison of two different things that may share common characteristics.
analogy
the opponent or force in conflict with the protagonist
antagonist
words addressed to an inanimate object as if it were alive or to an absent person as if he were present
apostrophe
a dramatic effect in which a character directly addresses either the audience or another character
aside
another name for the neoclassical age and the age of the pope; the first half of the eighteenth century marked by a return to classical standards
Augustan age
often anonymous works produced from anglo-saxon times until the seventeenth century, through which the common people could be understood
ballad
a four-line stanza with four accented iambic syllables in lines one and three, and three accented syllables in lines two and four. the rhyme scheme is abcb
ballad stanza
an imitation by a modern poet of the early english and scottish popular ballads
art ballad
a short narrative folk song which tells of a single event in an objective manner
popular ballad
introduces the facts of another person’s life and orders then in such as way that the reader can develop real insight into the person’s character
biography
unrhymed iambic pentameter
blank verse
a unique type of romantic character developed by Bryon and closely associated with him. Hero is rebellious, brooding and proud
Byronic Hero
a pause or break in a line of poetry
caesura
a popular art form from medieval france. were sung as any joyous song or hymn
carols
lyricists of a lighthearted nature who emphasized the pleasures of tis world and who write love songs to or about women
cavalier poets
the portrayal of the imaginary persons who carry out the action of the plot in a novel or story
characterization
telling the reader directly what the character is like
direct exposition
allows the reader to draw his own conclusions from what the character thinks, or what other characters think about him
indirect exposition
undergoes some change and is different at the end of the story
dynamic character
remains essentially the same throughout the story
static character
the people who perform the action of a narrative, novel, or play
characters
a play that ends happily; deals with everyday details of life, and the characters are ordinary men rather than kings or nobels
comedy
a humorous event or speech used to provide temporary relief from the intense drama of the play
comic relief
an elaborate comparison of two things which superficially have little in common
conceit
points out an unusual parallel between highly dissimilar elements
metaphysical conceit
struggle between opposing forces
conflict
two rhyming lines which express a complete thought
couplet
two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter
heroic couplet
a belief in an impersonal God
deism
the outcome or resolution in which all the loose ends are tied up at the end of a play
denouement
the speeches between two or more characters in a play or all the speeches of a play taken collectively
dialogue
A form of literature written in prose or poetry or a combination of the two which relies on action to portray life and character
drama
a lyric poem in which a single character engages in conversation with a silent listener
dramatic monologue
dramatic structure:
exposition
rising action
turning point
catastrophe
denouement
a poem characterized by sober meditation on death
elagiac poem
a melancholy poem which reflects on nature and death
elegy
a dignified poem usually written in honor of a friend who has died
pastoral elegy
a london theater where many shakespeare’s plays were performed
elizabethan playhouse (globe)
the protestant reformation in england
english reformation
the elizabethan period. england experienced a revived interest in Greek and Roman literature
engllish renaissance
a long, narrative poem based on a series of heroic adventures that are important to the advancement of a certain race of country
epic
originally, any brief poem, often used as an inscription for monuments or tombs.
epigram
a work of moderate length in which the writer tries to develop his own thoughts on some subjects.
essay
written in the romantic age, an informal and more personal essay than those written in the eighteenth century.
familiar essay
used to explain scientific theories to the general public
formal essay
a short tale or anecdote told to teach a lesson.
exemplum
material that introduces the characters, the main conflict, and necessary background for a literary work
exposition
the pattern in a line of poetry
foot
two unaccented syllables followed by an accented one
anapest
an accented syllable followed by two unaccented ones
dactyl
an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one
Iamb
one accented syllable
monosyllabic
two accented syllables
spondee
an accented syllable followed by an unaccented one
trochee
poetry having no metrical pattern. it differs from prose only in that it is written in lines
free verse
poets who lived during the rule of King George V and idealized the beauties of nature
georgians
a professional performer who sang poetry or recited poetry to a musical accompaniment
gleeman
a popular meter consisting of five iambic feet
iambic pentameter
a brief picture, sketch, or scene; short works describing pleasant scenes of country or domestic life
idyll
the use of words which appeal to the senses
imagery
the use of precise concrete images, free verse, and suggestion rather than complete statement
imagism
a literary movement around the turn of the twentieth century which restored irish nationalism and produced great drama and poetry
irish literary renaissance
the use of words to convey the opposite of their iteral meaning, usually with a humorous effect
irony
contrasting what a character says and what a reader or audience knows to be true
dramatic irony
presenting a discrepancy between appearance and reality or between expectation and fulfillment
irony of situation
metaphorical, compound words or phrases that refer to a persons, place, or things. kennings are a characteristic of anglo-saxon poetry
kenning
a short poem characterized by emotion, melody, and imagination
lyric
characterized by a positive attitude toward life, an awakening to feeling, a love for nature, and an emphasis on personal expression
lyrical poetry
a popular love song during the elizabethan age. it consisted of five or six voice parts sung independently, without accompaniment, and woven into an intricate pattern
madrigal
a narrative form popular during the medieval period; this form of writing is based primarily on the adventures of knights, kings, or distressed ladies.
medieval romance
an implied comparison in which one thing is described in terms of another
metaphor
lyricist interested in the things of the mind the soul, and eternity
metaphysical poets
the measured rhythm of a poem. the following are traditional hymn meters.
meter
a meter in which the first and third lines contain eight syllables and the second and fourth lines contain six syllables
common meter
a four line stanza with each line containing eight syllables
long meter
a meter in which the first, second, and fourth lines have six syllables and the third line has eight syllables
short meter
substituting a word or phrase for another term closely with it
metonym
the traditional values of the middle class based on christian principles
middle class morality
a medieval play founded on the legend of a saint or on a miracle performed by a saint
miracle play
a dramatic allegory in which the vices and virtues wage for the possession of the huma osul
morality play
a medieval play based on biblical history and scriptural themes.
mystery play
a european movement characterized by an interest in imitation of classical works and styles
neoclassicism
a type of extended prose ficition
novel
works out through characters and incidents some central problem dealing with a special social, political, economic, or moral issue and often strongly advocates a specific solution
novel of purpose / problem novel
an eight line stanza often used to emphasize the first eight lines of an italian sonnet
octave
one of the most formal and most complex types of lyrical poetry
ode
using words which sound like what they mean
onomatopoeia
a movement within the anglican church led by john henry newman from 1833 to 1845 which sought to return to the rituals and practices of the roman catholic church
oxford movement
a moveable stage, platform, or scaffold upon which medieval drama were preformed
pageant
the false idea that the spirit of God dwells in nature and that to commune with nature us to commune with God
pantheism
a truth expressed in the form of an apparent contradiction
paradox
the repetition of ideas in slightly differing form; the construction of two or more thoughts in the same pattern
parallelism
a retelling of a work in one’s own words.
paraphrase
a classical love song dealing with shepherds and rustic life, often presenting an idealized concept of rural life
pastoral
a comparison in which human qualities are given to an inanimate object or animal
personification
the arrangement of events in a story or play; the sequence of related actions
plot
language that is reserved for poetry only
poetic diction
a court poet or official state poet
poet laureate
the method of presenting the reader with the material of the story; the perspective from which the story is told
point of view
a group of poets in the second half of the eighteenth century who turned away from the formality of alexander pope and began writing poetry characterized by warmth of expression, a sense of mystery, a delight in wonder, a love for nature.
pre-romantics
a hero who is usually in conflict with an opponent called the antagonist
protagonist
a group of four lines or a four-line stanza pattern used in poetry
quatrain
a phrase of sentence which is repeated at intervals, usually at the end of a stanza
refrain
the restoration of the stuart monarchy to the throne with the return of Charles II from france in 1660
restoration
the similarity of sound between two words
rhyme
the regular recurrence of sound
rhythm
the period from 1798 - 1832. turned away from classicism toward nature
romantic age
an epic of extended fiction which uses dramatic characters and events to represent nonliteral meanings
romantic allegory
an elaborate french verse form which was popular with many english poets who used it for light and fanciful poems
rondeau
originally, greek poetry that combined criticism with wit or ironic humor to ridicule something
satire
an anglo-saxon poet who composed and recited his own poetry
scop
a six-line poem which follow an eight line division to clarify the preceding octave
sestet
the physical background against which the events of a story take place
setting
an imaginative, relatively short prose narrative written to give the reader entertainment and insight
short story
an expressed comparison of unlike things using the words like, as, resemble, or similar
simile
a speech by a lone character on the stage
soliloquy
a fourteen line poem written in iambic pentameter with a definite pattern of two basic varieties
sonnet
a nine line stanza having a rhyme scheme of ababbcbcc, the first eight lines in imabic pentameter, the ninth in iambic hexameter
spenserian stanza
aids in producing the play which help he audience or reader visualize the setting or scenes by giving details of time, place, and entrances and exits of characters
stage directions
a secondary plot woven into the main plot
subplot
an attempt to portray or interpret the workings of the unconscious mind as manifested in dreams
surrealism
in poetry, a word or group of words having meaning in itself but also representing something beyond itself
symbol
words with the same or similar meaning
synonyms
an italian stanza form made popular by donte
terza rima
the view which holds that there is a personal God who is creator and ruler of the world
theism
the central idea which gives a work meaning
theme
the writers or speakers attitude toward his subject and in turn the response which the writer intends from his readers
tone
a play that ends abruptly
tragedy
the greek word means “no place”
utopia
the literary period which began with the death of sir walter scott and ended in 1901 with the death of queen victoria
victorian era
