Sonnets and Terms Flashcards
abba abba cdecde (sestet can be many variations)
Italian
abab cdcd efef gg
English
abab bcbc cdcd ee (interlocking rhyme with concluding couplet)
Spenserian
untressed-stressed unit
Iambic Pentameter
rhythm of two or more syllables
Foot
unstressed followed by stressed, example: to-DAY
Iamb
stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable
Trochee
two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable (ex: serenade)
Anapest
a stressed syllable followed by two stressed syllables
Dactyl
stressed syllable between two unstressed syllables
Amphibrach
two long or stressed syllables
Spondee
the main idea or message of a creative work, such as a book, movie, or speech
Theme
the quality of a sound, the feeling expressed in a piece of writing, or the condition of a living body.
Tone
(in fictional writing) the narrator’s position in relation to a story being told.
Point of View
situational, verbal, and dramatic what?
Irony
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
Imagery
describe item by item; give the full particulars of.
Detail
the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.
Syntax
(in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza
Enjambment
a literary device in which the speaker addresses either an absent person or a non-human object, idea, or being
Apostrophe
a statement or situation that seems contradictory but actually reveals a deeper truth
Paradox
a literary device that combines contradictory words or phrases to create a new meaning
Oxymoron
a literary device that uses contrasting ideas or words in parallel structure to create emphasis and clarity.
Antithesis
a figure of speech that creates a symmetrical X shape in a sentence by repeating ideas in reverse order.
Chiasmus
a figure of speech that plays with words that have multiple meanings, or that plays with words that sound similar but mean different things.
pun
a poetic device that involves omitting or slurring a syllable or vowel to fit a poem’s meter or to make it easier to pronounce.
Elision
a punctuation mark that indicates the omission of words, phrases, or lines.
Ellipsis
the addition of a sound or syllable to a word to make it easier to articulate or to fit the meter of the verse.
Epenthesis
a word or phrase that has two interpretations, or meanings. One meaning is usually clear, while the other is more risqué or suggestive.
Double Meaning
a way to create comparisons and connections between ideas and objects using non-literal language.
Figurative Language
a literary device that compares two things using multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of poetry.
Extended Metaphor
a figure of speech that uses a related word or phrase to replace another word or phrase.
Metonymy
a figure of speech in poetry that uses a part of something to represent the whole, or vice versa.
Synecdoche
a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to emphasize a point or evoke strong feelings in poetry.
Hyperbole
a literary device that uses understatement and negation to convey an affirmative meaning.
Litotes
the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words in a line.
Alliteration
a literary device that involves repeating vowel sounds in words that are close together in a poem.
Assonance
a literary device that occurs when words share the same consonant sounds, but they come after different vowel sounds.
Consonance
a literary device that uses a combination of harsh, unpleasant sounds to create a certain mood or feeling.
Cacophony
the use of sounds to create a pleasing and harmonious effect.
Euphony
the literal situation or argument
Literal
the tone of the poem & the
devices that help create it
Emotional
the beauty or appeal–the sound
devices & structure/form
Aesthetic
Poetry typically goes from the
concrete to the abstract.
Reminder
makes an assertion, then undercuts it. “Pulls the rug
out from under” what had been established.
Ironic
turns from making a concession (admitting
the problem) to making an argument
Concessional
3 types: 1-turns from grief to consolation, 2-
turns from grief to the refusal of consolation, 3-turns from grief to deeper grief
Elegiac
turns from organized description of object to
a meditation on the meaning of that object.
Emblematic
a kind of dramatic monologue that has 3 parts: it opens with the description of a scene, then (often due to an external trigger) turns to an interior meditation (ex.
consideration of memories, concerns, anticipations), and then turns to a re-description of the scene with a
different mindset.
Descriptive/Meditative
Begins with a consideration of past events and then turns to look to the future ahead or present differently.
Retrospective/Prospective
