Glossary of Literary Terms Flashcards
1
Q
the stressing of certain syllables or words
A
accent
2
Q
the actual movements and speech of characters forming or acting out situations on the state
A
action
3
Q
a narrative in which the character, place, and events represent certain abstract qualities or ideas designed to teach some moral lesson or truth
A
allegory
4
Q
the repetition of the same consonant sounds
A
alliteration
5
Q
a reference to mythology, history, or a literary work
A
allusion
6
Q
a comparison of two different things that may share common characteristics.
A
analogy
7
Q
the opponent or force in conflict with the protagonist
A
antagonist
8
Q
words addressed to an inanimate object as if it were alive or to an absent person as if he were present
A
apostrophe
9
Q
a dramatic effect in which a character directly addresses either the audience or another character
A
aside
10
Q
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
A
Augustan age
11
Q
often anonymous works produced from anglo-saxon times until the seventeenth century, through which the common people could be understood
A
ballad
12
Q
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
A
ballad stanza
13
Q
an imitation by a modern poet of the early english and scottish popular ballads
A
art ballad
14
Q
a short narrative folk song which tells of a single event in an objective manner
A
popular ballad
15
Q
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
A
biography
16
Q
unrhymed iambic pentameter
A
blank verse
17
Q
a unique type of romantic character developed by Bryon and closely associated with him. Hero is rebellious, brooding and proud
A
Byronic Hero
18
Q
a pause or break in a line of poetry
A
caesura
19
Q
a popular art form from medieval france. were sung as any joyous song or hymn
A
carols
20
Q
lyricists of a lighthearted nature who emphasized the pleasures of tis world and who write love songs to or about women
A
cavalier poets
21
Q
the portrayal of the imaginary persons who carry out the action of the plot in a novel or story
A
characterization
22
Q
telling the reader directly what the character is like
A
direct exposition
23
Q
allows the reader to draw his own conclusions from what the character thinks, or what other characters think about him
A
indirect exposition
24
Q
undergoes some change and is different at the end of the story
A
dynamic character
25
remains essentially the same throughout the story
static character
26
the people who perform the action of a narrative, novel, or play
characters
27
a play that ends happily; deals with everyday details of life, and the characters are ordinary men rather than kings or nobels
comedy
28
a humorous event or speech used to provide temporary relief from the intense drama of the play
comic relief
29
an elaborate comparison of two things which superficially have little in common
conceit
30
points out an unusual parallel between highly dissimilar elements
metaphysical conceit
31
struggle between opposing forces
conflict
32
two rhyming lines which express a complete thought
couplet
33
two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter
heroic couplet
34
a belief in an impersonal God
deism
35
the outcome or resolution in which all the loose ends are tied up at the end of a play
denouement
36
the speeches between two or more characters in a play or all the speeches of a play taken collectively
dialogue
37
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
38
a lyric poem in which a single character engages in conversation with a silent listener
dramatic monologue
39
dramatic structure:
exposition
rising action
turning point
catastrophe
denouement
40
a poem characterized by sober meditation on death
elagiac poem
41
a melancholy poem which reflects on nature and death
elegy
42
a dignified poem usually written in honor of a friend who has died
pastoral elegy
43
a london theater where many shakespeare's plays were performed
elizabethan playhouse (globe)
44
the protestant reformation in england
english reformation
45
the elizabethan period. england experienced a revived interest in Greek and Roman literature
engllish renaissance
46
a long, narrative poem based on a series of heroic adventures that are important to the advancement of a certain race of country
epic
47
originally, any brief poem, often used as an inscription for monuments or tombs.
epigram
48
a work of moderate length in which the writer tries to develop his own thoughts on some subjects.
essay
49
written in the romantic age, an informal and more personal essay than those written in the eighteenth century.
familiar essay
50
used to explain scientific theories to the general public
formal essay
51
a short tale or anecdote told to teach a lesson.
exemplum
52
material that introduces the characters, the main conflict, and necessary background for a literary work
exposition
53
the pattern in a line of poetry
foot
54
two unaccented syllables followed by an accented one
anapest
55
an accented syllable followed by two unaccented ones
dactyl
56
an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one
Iamb
57
one accented syllable
monosyllabic
58
two accented syllables
spondee
58
an accented syllable followed by an unaccented one
trochee
59
poetry having no metrical pattern. it differs from prose only in that it is written in lines
free verse
60
poets who lived during the rule of King George V and idealized the beauties of nature
georgians
61
a professional performer who sang poetry or recited poetry to a musical accompaniment
gleeman
62
a popular meter consisting of five iambic feet
iambic pentameter
63
a brief picture, sketch, or scene; short works describing pleasant scenes of country or domestic life
idyll
64
the use of words which appeal to the senses
imagery
65
the use of precise concrete images, free verse, and suggestion rather than complete statement
imagism
66
a literary movement around the turn of the twentieth century which restored irish nationalism and produced great drama and poetry
irish literary renaissance
67
the use of words to convey the opposite of their iteral meaning, usually with a humorous effect
irony
68
contrasting what a character says and what a reader or audience knows to be true
dramatic irony
69
presenting a discrepancy between appearance and reality or between expectation and fulfillment
irony of situation
70
metaphorical, compound words or phrases that refer to a persons, place, or things. kennings are a characteristic of anglo-saxon poetry
kenning
71
a short poem characterized by emotion, melody, and imagination
lyric
72
characterized by a positive attitude toward life, an awakening to feeling, a love for nature, and an emphasis on personal expression
lyrical poetry
73
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
74
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
75
an implied comparison in which one thing is described in terms of another
metaphor
76
lyricist interested in the things of the mind the soul, and eternity
metaphysical poets
77
the measured rhythm of a poem. the following are traditional hymn meters.
meter
78
a meter in which the first and third lines contain eight syllables and the second and fourth lines contain six syllables
common meter
79
a four line stanza with each line containing eight syllables
long meter
80
a meter in which the first, second, and fourth lines have six syllables and the third line has eight syllables
short meter
81
substituting a word or phrase for another term closely with it
metonym
82
the traditional values of the middle class based on christian principles
middle class morality
83
a medieval play founded on the legend of a saint or on a miracle performed by a saint
miracle play
84
a dramatic allegory in which the vices and virtues wage for the possession of the huma osul
morality play
85
a medieval play based on biblical history and scriptural themes.
mystery play
86
a european movement characterized by an interest in imitation of classical works and styles
neoclassicism
87
a type of extended prose ficition
novel
88
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
89
an eight line stanza often used to emphasize the first eight lines of an italian sonnet
octave
90
one of the most formal and most complex types of lyrical poetry
ode
91
using words which sound like what they mean
onomatopoeia
92
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
93
a moveable stage, platform, or scaffold upon which medieval drama were preformed
pageant
94
the false idea that the spirit of God dwells in nature and that to commune with nature us to commune with God
pantheism
95
a truth expressed in the form of an apparent contradiction
paradox
96
the repetition of ideas in slightly differing form; the construction of two or more thoughts in the same pattern
parallelism
97
a retelling of a work in one's own words.
paraphrase
98
a classical love song dealing with shepherds and rustic life, often presenting an idealized concept of rural life
pastoral
99
a comparison in which human qualities are given to an inanimate object or animal
personification
100
the arrangement of events in a story or play; the sequence of related actions
plot
101
language that is reserved for poetry only
poetic diction
102
a court poet or official state poet
poet laureate
103
the method of presenting the reader with the material of the story; the perspective from which the story is told
point of view
104
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
105
a hero who is usually in conflict with an opponent called the antagonist
protagonist
106
a group of four lines or a four-line stanza pattern used in poetry
quatrain
107
a phrase of sentence which is repeated at intervals, usually at the end of a stanza
refrain
108
the restoration of the stuart monarchy to the throne with the return of Charles II from france in 1660
restoration
109
the similarity of sound between two words
rhyme
110
the regular recurrence of sound
rhythm
111
the period from 1798 - 1832. turned away from classicism toward nature
romantic age
112
an epic of extended fiction which uses dramatic characters and events to represent nonliteral meanings
romantic allegory
113
an elaborate french verse form which was popular with many english poets who used it for light and fanciful poems
rondeau
114
originally, greek poetry that combined criticism with wit or ironic humor to ridicule something
satire
115
an anglo-saxon poet who composed and recited his own poetry
scop
116
a six-line poem which follow an eight line division to clarify the preceding octave
sestet
117
the physical background against which the events of a story take place
setting
118
an imaginative, relatively short prose narrative written to give the reader entertainment and insight
short story
119
an expressed comparison of unlike things using the words like, as, resemble, or similar
simile
120
a speech by a lone character on the stage
soliloquy
121
a fourteen line poem written in iambic pentameter with a definite pattern of two basic varieties
sonnet
122
a nine line stanza having a rhyme scheme of ababbcbcc, the first eight lines in imabic pentameter, the ninth in iambic hexameter
spenserian stanza
123
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
124
a secondary plot woven into the main plot
subplot
125
an attempt to portray or interpret the workings of the unconscious mind as manifested in dreams
surrealism
126
in poetry, a word or group of words having meaning in itself but also representing something beyond itself
symbol
127
words with the same or similar meaning
synonyms
128
an italian stanza form made popular by donte
terza rima
129
the view which holds that there is a personal God who is creator and ruler of the world
theism
130
the central idea which gives a work meaning
theme
131
the writers or speakers attitude toward his subject and in turn the response which the writer intends from his readers
tone
132
a play that ends abruptly
tragedy
133
the greek word means "no place"
utopia
134
the literary period which began with the death of sir walter scott and ended in 1901 with the death of queen victoria
victorian era
