Literary Terms Flashcards
Need to know how to use and spell
structure
verse
written in lines
line breaks are a part of the poem punctuation
structure
line break
where the line stops and goes to the next
black thoughts brim in the grim playground of my mind
structure
end-stop
verb: end-stopping
the line is stopped with punctuation; the sentence ends at the end of the line
structure
enjambment
verb: enjambing
continuation of a sentence through the end of a line or a line break
sound
rhythm
the pattern of stresses within a poem/verse/line
structure
stressed syllable
emphasized syllable
structure
unstressed syllable
unemphasized syllable
structure
prose
writing in which line breaks aren’t part of the work; lines run all the way to the bottom of page and continue
e.g. books, newspapers, etc.
figure
simile
a figure of speech that compares a literal thing (tenor) to a figurative thing (vehicle)
figure
metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is figurative
figure
tenor
the literal part of a simile/metaphor
figure
vehicle
the figurative part of a simile/metaphor
structure
anaphora
adj: anaphoric
repetition of certain words or phrases, especially the first part
e.g. “Give me liberty or give me death.”
figure
personification
when inanimate objects are given human-like qualities/actions
e.g. “The sun smiles down at me as I walk.”
structure
polysyndeton
use of more conjuctions than needed
e.g. “Anna and Kendall and Sam and Stewart came to prom.”
structure
asyndeton
use of no conjunctions
e.g. “The teacher was astonished, gaping, awestruck.”
sound
tone
writer’s attitude
diction
diction
word choice
diction
high/elevated/formal register
complex, formal, high-sounding speech
diction
low/colloquial/conversational register
casual, everday, easy-to-understand speech
structure
verse form
the shape/structure of a poem
like stanzas, groupings of lines, line breaks, etc.
general literature
genre
category of literary works; a stylistic category or sort, especially of literature or other artworks.
e.g. Romance, comedy, tragedy, etc.
general literature
speaker
the voice behind a literary work;
It’s important to note that the speaker isn’t always the author.
genre
dramatic monologue
A poem where the voice of the poem is a fictional character and clearly not the poet
structure
sonnet
a 14-line poem in iambic pentameter made up of an octave and a sestet with a rhyme scheme
structure
Italian sonnet
also called a Petrarchan sonnet
a type of sonnet with an octave and a sestet; tradionally with the following rhyme schemes:
ABBA;ABBA;CDC;CDC
or
ABBA;ABBA;CDCDCD
structure
octave
group of eight lines
structure
sestet
group of six lines
structure
quatrain
a stanza comprised of four lines
structure
tercet
group of three lines
structure
rhyme scheme
specific rhyming pattern of the last words of every line in a poem
structure
end rhyme
last words of each line rhyme
structure
internal rhyme
when words within a line rhyme
sound
masculine rhyme
a single-syllable rhyme
e.g. “top” and “flop”
sound
feminine rhyme
a multi-syllable (2-3 syllables) rhyme
e.g. “beaming” and “steaming”
sound
perfect rhyme
a rhyme that perfectly overlaps over the two words
e.g. “face” and “trace”
sound
slant rhyme
rhyme of words that are similar, but not identical
e.g. “poncho” and “crunchy”
figure
volta
aka turn
shift in subject, tone, pacing, or another element of poem
general literature
canon
a body of works deemed authentic, elite, or an essential part of a culture; works that have acheived the status of a “classic”
e.g. Shakespeare
genre
epic
(poetry)
- a long, adventerous, narrative poem
- written in high register
- often involving heros & mythological beings
- invocation of the muses
Greek context/culture
rhapsode
illiterate, often blind, storytellers that told stories (like epics)
Greek context/culture
kleos
glory; often accumulated from patriarchal ancestry
Greek context/culture
xenia
hospitality; expected from the host and the guest
Greek context/culture
nostos
journey home; homecoming
Greek context/culture
katabasis
journey to the underworld
Greek context/culture
anagnorisis
moment of recognition
Greek context/culture
aristeia
a person’s (often a hero’s) shining moment/moment of glory
Greek context/culture
deus ex machina
- derived from Greek theatre, when, at the end, a god would be lowered onto the stage to solve all the problems
- today’s meaning: an “artificial” ending; resolved too neatly
e.g. the end of the Odyssey when Athena stops the impending bloodshed
Greek context/culture
supplication
verb: supplicate
to humble oneself and touch another’s knees to beg earnestly; often in an act of desperation
Greek context/culture
libation
poured offerings to honor anyone who isn’t present; traditionally with mixed (diluted) wine
Greek context/culture
portent
aka omen
a sign/warning that something, especially important, is likely to occur
literary theory
metamorphosis
a change in physical form
Greek context/culture
oath
an unbreakable promise
general literature
narrative
a work in the 1st person
general literature
narration
the action or process of giving a spoken or written account of a story
(in the 3rd person)
Greek context/culture
in medias res
literal meaning: “in the middle”
often how epic poems begin
e.g. The Odyssey begins in medias res
Greek context/culture
invocation
an address to the Muses in which a poet requests help in composing a poem/telling a story
general literature
catalogue
a list
general literature
exemplum
pl. exempla
a short story/anecdote (usually from myth/history) used to give advice/shed wisdom regarding a moral situation
general literature
epithet
a stock phrase used to get the required number of syllables in lines; like puzzle pieces
figure
epic simile
a long, intricate simile that often tells a short story
figure
hypallage
aka transferred epithet
when a word that grammatically belongs to another word is moved to another place in the sentence
e.g. “Pale with fear” > “Pale fear”.
figure
apostrophe
when characters/narrator speak to someone/something who isn’t present
figure
antithesis
adj. antithetical
assertion of the positive part vs the negative side
e.g. “Your enemies jealous, your friends delighted.”
figure
irony
when there is tension between two underlying meanings; when the thing said contrasts the underlying meaning
structure
meter
adj. metrical
basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse
e.g. iambic pentamer
general literature
scansion
verb: scan
looking for stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry as well as feet
structure
poetic foot
rhymical unit of meters
e.g. iamb, trochee
structure
iamb
adj. iambic
a poetic foot consisting of an unstressed then stressed syllable
to hèlp (` is supposed to be a stress mark)
(opposite of trochee)
structure
trochee
adj. trochaic
a poetic foot consisting of a stressed then an unstressed syllable
yòu need (` is supposed to be a stress mark)
(opposite of iamb)
structure
iambic pentameter
meter consisting of 5 iambs
structure
trochaic substitution
the subsitution of an iamb for a trochee, usually at the beginning of a line
structure
blank verse
verse form of unrhymed iambic pentameter
e.g. Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey
structure
monometer
meter with one foot
structure
dimeter
meter with two feet
structure
trimeter
meter with three feet
structure
tetrameter
meter with four feet
structure
pentameter
meter with five feet
most common meter in English language
structure
hexameter
meter with six feet
general literature
aesthetics
study of beauty and the appreciation of arts
general literature
aesthetic experience
an experience of a work of art
figure
ekphrasis
adj. ekphrastic
the use of detailed description of a work of visual art as a literary device
e.g. “The Archaic Torso of Apollo”
figure
pastoral
(noun and adj.)
description of nature as a literary device
general literature
utopia
adj. utopian
an world in which everything is perfect
general literature
grotesque
(noun and adj.)
distortion, weird, unnatural
also means gross/disgusting
general literature
elegy
adj. elegiac
a form of poetry in which the poet or speaker expresses grief, sadness, or loss
figure
anachronism
adj. anachronistic
the presence of something in a time period in which it doesn’t belong in
e.g. jeans in Ancient Greek society
figure
allusion
adj. allusive
an indirect reference to something
figure
intertextuality
adj. intertextual
when a text is intricately intertwined with another so you need to know the latter to understand the former
e.g. “Ulysses” and The Odyssey are intertextual.
diction
archaic diction
old-fashioned way of speaking
structure
ellipsis
adj. elliptical
omitting a portion of the sequence of events
leaving out words that can be implied by a parallel structure
figure
litotes
ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary
e.g., you won’t be sorry, meaning you’ll be glad
understatement through double negatives
general literature
Aristotle’s Poetics
the work in which Aristotle introduces elements that he thought literature include, like mimesis
literary theory
mimesis
adj. mimetic
the representation of reality in works of art
general literature
lyric
adj. lyrical
a short poem, often with songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker’s personal emotions and feelings.
e.g. elegies, odes, and sonnets
Historically intended to be sung and accompany musical instrumentation, lyric now describes a broad category of non-narrative poetry
general literature
drama
adj. dramatic
a genre, or style of writing used to create a play/performance in theatre
pretty self explanatory
general literature
tragedy
adj tragic
a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible/sorrowful events that befall a main character
traditionally intended to invoke catharsis in audience
Greek context/culture
dithyramb
a choral hymn sung to Dionysus
general literature
dialogue
spoken conversation between two people
general literature
monologue
a long speech a character gives
figure
paradox
adj. paradoxial
a contradictory statement, idea, or figure of speech
something that seems impossible; direct contradiction
figure
oxymoron
adj. oxymoronic
two-word paradox
e.g. black sunlight
structure
stichomythia
quick/rapid/short exchanges between characters in a dialogue
drama
chorus
adj. choral
- group of actors who describe and comment upon the main actions in a play
- long, complex poems at the ends of each section/scene of a play
drama
choral lyric
a lyrical poem sung by the chorus in a play
drama
parados
1st song/stanza sung by the chorus when it first comes onto the stage
drama
stasimon
all chorus stanzas starting from the second until the end of the play; all chorus stanzas apart from the parados
general literature
Hegelian dialectic
adj dialectical
the fusion of two opposing concepts so that they make sense together
having a contradiction in conflict and resolving it by combining the aspects of the things on polar opposites
drama
tragic hero
the hero in a tragedy
often makes a fatal mistake that causes their downfall
Greek context/culture
Κάθαρσις
catharsis - adj. cathartic
greek word for unbottling all emotions, purging oneself of negative emotions
pity and fear you feel when a tragic hero undergoes a downfall; means purgation
drama
peripeteia
turning point where people’s positions are flipped
e.g. the high of society learn they might lose everything at a turning point of a play
Greek context/culture
hamartia
the moment of error that leads to the downfall of a character in a tragedy
general literature
Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy
Nietzsche thought that Greek tragedy was a way that Greeks tried to grapple with despair & to combine Dionysian and Apollonian ideas.
Greek context/culture
Apollonian
lawfulness, order, rationality, intellect
named after Apollo, Greek god of order and knowledge, among other things
traits of Apollo; more serious than Dionysian
Greek context/culture
Dionysian
ecstasy, frenzy, excitement, freedom
traits of Dionysus; more relaxed/intoxicated
Greek context/culture
satyr play
a comedic play often shown in between tragedies to lighten the mood of the audience
general literature
parody
adj. parodic
an imitation of the style and manner of a particular writer or school of writers
often with a negative/satirical intent
general literature
translationese
awkwardness or ungrammaticality of translation, such as due to overly literal translation of idioms or syntax
genre
Romance
a long work of prose that contains both realistic and supernatural elements
not to be confused with the contemporary definition of romance: a love story
genre
novel
adj. novelistic
a realistic, long work of prose
genre
short story
a work of prose fiction that can be read in one sitting—usually between 20 minutes to an hour
the average short story is 1,000 to 7,500 words
genre
fiction
adj. fictional
a work of prose pertaining of unrealistic elements
genre
drama
adj. dramatical
plays, choreography, screenplays, and other art that is intended to be performed
genre
free verse
poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter
structure
parallelism
the use of successive verbal constructions in poetry or prose which correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc
structure
ballad stanza
aka hymn stanza
four lines where the first and third lines are iambic tetrameter and the second and fourth are iambic trimeter
ABCB rhyme scheme
Example:
[“The Brain—is wider than the Sky—”]
Emily Dickinson
The Brain—is wider than the Sky— (iambic tetrameter)
For—put them side by side— (iambic trimeter)
The one the other will contain (iambic tetrameter)
With ease—and you—beside— (iambic trimeter)
general literature
hymn
a religious song or poem of praise to God or a god
miscellaneous
feminism
the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes
figure
synecdoche
where a part of a whole represents the whole
eg. mast (the pole to hold the sails) representing ship
figure
chiasmus
a sentence where 2 words in the first half are reversed in the second half
(eg. All for one and one for all!”)
general literature
semiotics
adj. semiotic
the study of signs and their use/interpretations
general literature
signified
the meaning or idea expressed by a sign
general literature
sign
anything that communicates a meaning that is not the sign itself to the interpreter of the sign
general literature
signifier
a sign’s physical form (such as a sound, printed word, or image)
general literature
proverb
a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice
general literature
necessary condition
a condition that must be present for an event to occur
general literature
sufficient condition
a condition or set of conditions that will produce the event
figure
allegory
a conceit that can be interpreted to reveal another meaning, often a moral or political one
miscellaneous
subjunctive
relating to or denoting a mood of verbs expressing what is imagined or wished or possible.
Ex: I wish he were here.
miscellaneous
archaic
old linguistic terms used to generate an older/ancient feel
Greek context/culture
Δεινος (Deinos)
Greek word that means horrifying and brilliant; extraordinary, awe-inspiring.
-dos
way
miscellaneous
compensation
something, typically money, awarded to someone as a reward/amend/gift for loss, injury, or suffering
general literature
interpolation
later insertions of text in a work
Greek context/culture
maenads
female cult worshippers of Dionysus
Greek context/culture
Dionysia
yearly festival in honor of Dionysus where people would compete to make the best theatrical performance.
structure
periphrasis
adj. periphrastic
the use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression; a roundabout or indirect manner of writing or speaking.
structure
iambic tetrameter
a meter of 4 iambs
structure
iambic trimeter
a meter of 3 iambs
general literature
pathetic fallacy
projecting one’s emotions onto nature or interpreting nature as sharing one’s mood/feelings
miscellaneous
Essentialism
the idea that people and things have ‘natural’ characteristics that are inherent and unchanging
miscellaneous
Anti-Essentialism
the idea that for every individual and every property, there are possible worlds in which the individual has the property and possible worlds in which it does not; social constructionism
instead of a universal truth, there is no one truth
parody
funny or humored imitation of something
maenads
female cult worshippers of Dionysus; killed Pentheus
miscellaneous
ambiguity
adj. ambiguous
having an unclear answer, result, or reason; having multiple potential reasons/outcomes
novella
little novel
novel: a long work of narrative fiction, traditionally so realistic that it “could be real”; however, modern-day the term just refers to a book in general
figure
parataxis
adj. paratactic
the omission conjunctions in a list of clauses/phrases
*omission (of) conjunctions?
figure
hypotaxis
adj. hypotactic
the arrangement of a sentence in which the main clause is built upon by phrases or subordinate clauses
list?
general literature
aphorism
a short statement that has a deeper meaning
Ralph Waldo Emerson is known for these.
general literature
sonnet sequence
a collection of sonnets which tradionally track a love story
structure
English sonnet
aka Shakespearean sonnet
comprised of 3 quatrains and one couplet, often with the rhyme scheme ABAB;CDCD;EFEF;GG
figure
couplet
2 rhyming lines often at the end of a larger poem
general literature
Hermeneutics
the theory/methods of interpretation
diction
alliteration
adj. alliterative
the repetition of the same consonant sound (in poems, on a stressed syllable)
Greek context/culture
Triumph
a ceremony after a battle of a victor in which the victor parades around showing his/her spoils of war and prisoners of war.
Greek context/culture
Triumph of Love
a triumph in which Cupid parades around with his prisoners (people in love)
This represents everyone who is in love because they aren’t in control of their actions/feelings/behavior; everything they do and think is controlled by Love, so in a sense, those in love are Cupid’s prisoners (hence the Triumph of Love).
structure
Spenserian sonnet
aka Spenserian stanza
a sonnet with the rhyme scheme ABAB;BCBC;CDCD;EE
invented by Edmund Spenser
genre
devotional poetry
poetry praising/about devotion to God
structure
caesura
an abrupt break in the middle of a line
genre
Polemic
adj. polemical
writing about or relating to war
general literature
metapoetic
the self-reference, self-acknowledgement, or self-reflexive nature of a poem
figure
conceit
an extended metaphor/simile
figure
pun
a joke that plays on a double-meaning of a word
Greek context/culture
epithalamion
a bridal song
drama
aside
when a character in a play says something to the audience and/or themselves, which cannot be heard by other characters
genre
verse drama
a drama written in verse
like the play The Murder of Gonzago within Hamlet
structure
metonymy
adj. metonymic
the replacement of one word with another word that is logically connected to it
e.g. “He is the sharpest sword in the army.”
“sword” replaces what is really meant here, which is “soldier”.
figure
free indirect discourse
a prose writing technique of presenting a character’s voice partly mediated by the voice of the author with their voices effectively merged
genre
literary realism
realistic fiction
genre
modernism
a very experimental period of literature and poetry that began around the early 1900s and continued until the early 1940s.
structure
epigraph
a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme
