Literary Terms Flashcards
allegory
a story in which the characters settings and events stand for abstract or moral concepts
alliteration
pattern of sound that include the repetition of consonant sounds
allusion
reference in a piece of work to a person, place, or thing in history or other work of literature
assonance
repetition of similar vowel sounds
blank verse
verse that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
cacophony
unpleasant sounding arrangement of words
cadence
rhythm or rhythmic construction in verse
connotation
association that comes along with a particular word
couplet
two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
denotation
the literal meaning of a word
diction (formal)
word choice; language used by educated people
dramatic monologue
when a single character reveals himself and the dramatic situation
end rhyme
rhyme that happens in the last syllables of verses
epic
long narrative poem; relates the deeds of a hero
figurative language
not meant to be interpreted in a literal sense
free verse
has no fixed meter or pattern; many rhyme or not rhyme
heroic couplet
consecutive lines (two) or rhyming poetry that are written in iambic pentameter and contain a complete thought
hyperbole
exaggeration used for effect
iambic pentameter
consists of five verse feet, each foot an iamb-that is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
imagery
language that is appealing to a sense or many senses
internal rhyme
a rhyme that happens between words within a verse line
inversion
reversal of the usual order of words; used to get some sort of emphasis
irony
referring to how a person, situation, statement, or circumstance is not as it would actually seem
lyrics
song like poem; written to express emtion from a particular person
metaphor
comparison between two unlike things to add meaning ot one of them; does not use like, as, than
meter
regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
mood
way the reader feels when reading a story
onomatopoeia
use of words that mimic their meaning in sound
paradox
statement or situation containing apparently contradictory elements but might be true
paraphrase
summary of a piece of literature
personification
an animal, objet, natural force, or idead is described as if it were human
quatrain
usually a stanza or poem of four lines
rhyme scheme
pattern of rhymes in a poem
simile
comparison of two unlike things using like, as, then, or resembles
sonnet (Elizabethan)
composed of three quatrains and a terminal couplet in iambic pentameter, used by Shakespeare
stanza
group of lines forming a unit in a poem
tone
attitude a write takes toward his or her subject, characters, and readers
understatement
form of irony in which something is purposely represented as less than it is in fact
unstressed
not pronounced with stress syllable
extended metaphor
metaphor that is extended through a stanza or entire poem
oxymoron
figure of speech that infused two contradictory or opposing ideas to make perfect sense; contradicts itself
