Lit terms part 2 Flashcards
Word choice - specifically, any word that is important to the meaning and the effect of a passage
Diction
Explicitly instructive. Pope’s “Essay on Man” is BLANK; so are the novels of Ayn Rand. BLANK Poetry: A poem written to state a message or teach a body of knowledge
Didactic
The use of material unrelated to the subject of a work.
Digression
A derogatory term for verse considered of little literary value. Usually the sincere product of poetic incompetence, and only unintentionally humorous
Doggerel
A single character speaking at a critical moment, usually addressed to some other character who remains silent
Dramatic Monolog
A solemn, sorrowful poem or meditation about death in general or specifically for one who is dead.
Elegy
A line with a pause at the end. Lines that end with a period, comma, colon, semicolon, exclamation point, or question mark are BLANK lines.
End-Stopped
the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next.
enjambment
A philosophical movement of the eighteenth century that celebrated reason - clarity of thought and statement, scientific thinking, and a person’s ability to perfect oneself.
Enlightenment
a long, narrative poem that describes the history of a nation, community, or race. The central figure is the epic hero who experiences legendary, mythical adventures where he displays extraordinary strength, courage, and moral fiber against supernatural forces.
Epic
a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way.
• a short poem, esp. a satirical one, having a witty or ingenious ending.
Epigram
uses a (usually fictional) series of letters and other documents to convey the plot of the story.
Epistolary Narrative Voice
A figure of speech using indirection to avoid offensive bluntness, such as “deceased” for “dead” or “remains” for “corpse.”
Euphemism
a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate. (Its opposite is cacophony)
Euphony
an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem.
Extended Metaphor
rhyme that appears correct from spelling, but is half-rhyme or slant rhyme from the pronunciation. Examples include “watch” and “match,” and “love” and “move.”
Eye Rhyme
a rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed, as “waken” and “forsaken” and “audition” and “rendition.”
feminine rhyme
Writing that uses figures of speech (as opposed to literal language or that which is actual or specifically denoted) such as metaphor, simile, and irony.
figurative language
a single rhythmical unit of verse
foot
Poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical. The poetry of Walt Whitman is perhaps the best known example of BLANK
free verse
the term used to categorize art, film, music, poetry, and other literary works based on style, content, or technique.
Genre
