Section 2 Flashcards
Couplet
Two lines of rhyming poetry; often used by Shakespeare to conclude a scene or an important passage.
Dactyl
A foot of poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables/ u u.
Denotation
The literal or dictionary meaning of a word
Denouement
The conclusion or tying up of loose ends in a literary work; the resolution of the conflict and plot.
Deus ex machina
A Greek intervention literally, “the God from the machine” who appears at the last moment and resolves the loose ends of a play. Today, the term refers to anyone who untangles, resolves, or reveals the key to the plot of a work.
Examples: conclusion of Euripides Medea
Sheriff at the end of “desire under the elms” o’neill.
Diction
The authors choice of words
Dramatic monologue
A type of poem that presents a conversation between a speaker and an implied listener. Brownings “my last duchess” is a perfect example.
Elegy
A poem that laments the dead or a loss. “Elegy for Jane” by Roethke is a specific example. Gray’s “elegy in a country church yard” is a general example.
Enjambment
A technique in poetry that involves the running on of a line or stanza. It enables the poem to move and to develop coherence as well as directing the reader with regard to form and meaning. Walt Whitman uses this continually.
Epic
A lengthy, elevated poem that celebrates the exploits of a hero. Beowulf is a prime example.
Epigram
A brief witty poem. Pope often utilizes this form for satiric commentary.
Euphony
The pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work.
Exposition
Background information presented in a literary work.
Convention
A traditional aspect of a literary work such as a soliloquy in a Shakespearean play or a tragic hero in a Greek tragedy.
