Poetry - terms Flashcards
caesura
a metrical pause in the form of a gap between lines in a poem
alliteration
repeating initial sounds
epiteth
different names for the same character ex, describing Beowulf as “the monstrous one”
kenning
a compund metaphor, ex: the door -> the house’s mouth
Petrarchan Sonnet
(italian) brought to England by Thomas Wyatt. 14 lines. Begins with ABBAABBA
English Sonnet
(shakesperean) 14 lines. Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD etc…
Trocahaic tetrameter
a meter featuring lines composed on four trochaic feet
Iambic tetrameter
Ballad form - inspired by antique poetry. Four syllables, two stressed and two unstressed.
Iambic pentameter
Five iambic feet in a row. Chaucer introduced this and it is what Shakespeare used!
personification
giving personal attributes to inanimate objects
similie
comparing something to something else. You are like a rose.
Petrarchan love poetry
uses lots of traditional similies
anti-petrarchan poetry
uses “ugly” similes as a revolt against petrarchan poetry
metha-physical poetry
17-th century. Uses a lot of conceits (extended metaphors). Philosophical exploration. Themes: love, religion and morality. Often uses an ironic tone.
allegory
an extended metaphor
volta
A rethorical shift/dramatic turn in emotion
Terza Rima
Italian rhyme scheme used by Danthe. ABA, BCB etc. Also used by Shelley in “Ode to the west wind”
Invocation
Calling upon/requesting help in constructing the poem. A convention of the epic poem.
Rondeau
Loop - beginning and ending in the same way
Dramatic monologue
as in Browning’s “My last duchess”. A conversation in poetic form.
Poet Laureate
British ‘state poet’. First: John Dryden (1668). Other examples: William Wordsworth, Lord Tennnyson, Ted Hughes and Carol Ann Duffy. Current: Simon Armitage
