M-R Flashcards
Metaphor
A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.
Meter
regularized rhythm; an arrangement of language in which the accents occur at apparently equal intervals in time.
metonymy
a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example, a news release that claims “the White House declared” rather than “the President declared”
monologue
a speech made by a single person
mood
Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader
myth
any story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the world is the way that it is
narrative poem
a poem that tells a story
narrator
the speaker or the “voice” of an oral or written work. This is one of three types of characters in a given work, (1) participant (protagonist or participant in any action that may take place in the story), (2) observer (someone who is indirectly involved in the action of a story), or (3) non participant (one who is not at all involved in any action of the story). This is the direct window into a piece of work.
novella
Written, fictional, prose narrative- longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel
objective point of view
the narrator does not enter the mind of any character but describes events from the outside
octave
8 line stanza & first 8 of a sonnet (usually Italian)
ode
a lyric poem of moderate length, with a serious subject, an elevated style, and an elaborate stanza pattern. It often praises people, the arts of music and poetry, natural scenes, or abstract concepts.
Omniscient point of view
the narrator is capable of knowing, telling, and seeing all. The author tells the story, using the third person, knowing all and free to tell us anything, including what the characters are thinking or feeling and why they act as they do.
onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents.
oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
parable
A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson
paradox
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. (Think of the beginning of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….”)
parallelism
the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.
paraody
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
pentameter
a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet
perfect rhyme
(exact rhyme) involves sounds that are exactly the same
Example: groaned/moaned
periodic sentence
sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end
personification
A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.
plot manipulation
an author who includes a turn in the plot that is unjustified by the situation or the characters
plot device
an object, character, or event whose only reason for existing is to advance the story
point of view
the perspective from which a story is told
prologue
(n) introductory part to a book, play, etc.
protagonist
the main character
proverb
A short pithy statement of general truth that condenses common experience into memorable form.
pun
A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.
Quatrain
4 line stanza or a 4 line division of a sonnet marked off by rhyme scheme
refrain
a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song
repetition
Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis
rhetoric
The art of using language effectively and persuasively
round character
A character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work
rhyme
The repetition of an identical or similarly accented sound or sounds in a work.
rhyme scheme
Any fixed pattern of rhymes characterizing a whole poem or its stanzas.
masculine rhyme
A rhyme in which the stress is on the final syllable of the word (rhyme, sublime)
motif
a phrase, idea, or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature.
persona
the person who is understood to be speaking (or thinking or writing) a particular work. It is the role or facade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader
