terms Flashcards
memorize vocab !
ambiguity
when an author leaves out details/info or is unclear about an event so the reader will use his/her imagination to fill the blanks
apostrophe
when a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond.
blank verse
name for unrhymed iambic pentameter
deus ex machina
term referring to a character or force that appears at the end of a story or play to help resolve conflict. Word means “god from a machine.”
doppelganger
the alter ego of a character-the suppressed side of one’s personality that is usually unaccepted by society (ex. jekyll and hyde)
elegy
a poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person.
enjambment
the continuation of reading one line of a poem to the next with no pause, a run-on line.
epilogue
play: a short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion
novel: a short explanation at the end of the book which indicates what happens after the plot ends
epistolary
novel that tells the story by using letters written from one character to another
euphonism
the act of substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more politically accepted or positive one. (short=vertically challenged)
expansion
adds an unstressed syllable and a contraction or elision removes an unstressed syllable in order to maintain the rhythmic meter of a line. it explains some words frequently used in poetry such as th’ in place of the, o’er in place of over, and ‘tis or ‘twas in place of it is or it was.
feminine ending
term that refers to an unstressed extra syllable at the end of a line of iambic pentameter.
flat character
a literary character whose personality can be defined by 1 or 2 traits and does not change over the course of the story (minor or insignificant characters)
foil
a character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another.
foot
metrical length of a line is determined by the # of feet it contains. The most common feet have 2 to 3 syllables, with 1 stressed.
monometer
1 foot
dimeter
two feet
trimeter
three feet
tetrameter
four feet
pentameter
five feet
hexameter
six feet
heptameter
seven feet
iamb
two syllables: first unstressed and the second one stressed. iambic foot is most common in english poetry
trochee
two syllables: first is stressed and second unstressed
dactyl
three syllables: first stressed and other two unstressed
anapest
three syllables: first two unstressed and the last one stressed
free verse
verse that contains a variety of line lengths, unrhymed, and has no traditional meter
gothic novel
genre of fiction characterized by mystery and supernatural horror, often set in a dark castle or other medieval setting
hubris
(in greek tragedies) refers to excessive pride that usually leads to the hero’s downfall (percy jackson)
illocution
language that avoids meaning of the words; writing this way means that there are two stories that only the reader would know about
in medias res
story that begins in the middle of things
inversion
disgression from ordinary word order (ex: saying “came the rain” instead of “the rain came”)
masculine ending
stressed extra syllable at the end of a line
metonymy
use of a word in a phrase to represent something else (ex: the Lamb = Jesus)
motif
dominant theme or central idea
first person narration
narrator is a character in the story
third person objective narration
narrator does not tell what anyone is thinking
third person limited narration
narrator is able to tell the thoughts of one character
third person omniscient narration
narrator is able to tell the thoughts of any character
novella
short novel usually under 100 pages
neutral language
language opposite from emotive language as it is literal or even objective in nature
oblique rhyme
imperfect rhyme scheme
ode
lyric poem of some length, usually serious and having elevated style and formal stanza structure. odes celebrate something and john keats is known for his odes
poetic justice
rewarding of virtue and punishment of vice. happy ending
prologue
introduction/preface like poems to introduce a play
rites of passage
incident which creates tremendous growth meaning a transition from teen to adult
round character
character that is developed over a book and they are major characters
soliloquy
dramatic or literary form of disclosure where there character talks to themself and reveals their thoughts without actually talking to anyone
volta
sudden change of thought and it happens in sonnets
genre
category of artistic composition of literature or music, marked by its distinctive style, form or content
flashback
when a character remembers a past event that is relevant to the story
sonnet
poem with 14 lines: 3 quatrains and 1 couplet (the American version) with a volta
memoir
an account of the personal experiences of an author
epic
an extended narrative poem in elevated language, celebrating a hero
verbal irony
when something is said, but usually the opposite is meant
meter
the measured arrangement of words in poetry
denouement
the final resolution/clarification of the plot
irony
when one thing should occur, but something else (usually the opposite) happens
euphony
a succession of words that is pleasing to the ear (alliteration, consonance, etc) in poetry and prose
diction
word choice
similie
an indirect comparison using “like”, “as”, “resembles” or “than”
slang
casual and playful speech made up of short-lived coinages
convention
an understanding between the reader and the writer about certain details that don’t have to be explained
fables
a short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point with animals that talk and act like humans
couplet
two rhyming lines
figurative language
speech that departs from the literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect
cosmic irony
when a higher power toys with human expectations
satire
literary work that attacks human vice or folly using irony in order to change the issue
dramatic irony
when the audience knows something the characters don’t
rhyme scheme
assigning letters to demonstrate rhyming lines in a poem
connotation
idea or meaning suggested with a word (bat=evil)
pun
play on words; when they have multiple meanings or spellings that can be used in a humorous way
