Terms Flashcards
caesura
a break or pause in a line of poetry
canto
a section or division of a poem
climax
the decisive point of greatest intensity when outcome is revealed
comedy
a work where protagonist resolves conflict
comedy of manners
specific comedy dealing with violation of society’s conventions, also called drawing room comedy
conflict
a clash, the struggle around which the plot revolves
consonance
repitition of consonant sounds in poetry
dactyl
poetic foot consisting of two stressed, followed by two unstressed
elegy
formal poem mourning death of someone
eulogy
sermon at the time of death
elizabethan sonnet
sonnet of three quatrains and a couplet, quatrains state problem and couplets resolve it
epigram
a brief witty pointed comment
epitaph
a short poem at the time of death
essay
piece of non-fiction that expresses point of view
formal essay
impersonal and seeks to instruct or persuade
informal essay
relaxed and conversational and can deal with any topic, including something trivial
fable
a tale which uses animals with human characteristics to convey moral truth
falling action (denouement)
resolution following climax
figurative language
language that departs from the strictly literal to achieve affect
figure of speech
a device that permits the author to say one thing, and mean something else
heroic couple
two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter
hexameter
a verse line consisting of six feet
hyperbole
a exaggeration or overstation of fact, used for a serious or humorous effect
iamb
unstressed, stressed
iambic pentameter
most common verse line, five feet
interlocking rhyme
rhyme scheme, unrhymed line in one stanza signals the rhymed line in the next
internal rhyme
rhyme that occurs within the line
irony
attitude in way of writing that shows discrepancy between fake and real
verbal irony
says one thing, means something else
dramatic irony
audience knows something character doesn’t
irony of situation
discrepency between purpose and result
italian sonnet
sonnet of octave and sestet, octave asks question and sestet resolves it
kenning
extended metaphor
masque
theatrical entertainment, 16th century with songs, dances, colorful spectacles, lyrical poetry
metaphor
figure of speech comparing two unlike words without comparative words
metaphysical conceit
metaphor that is extended because the two things are startlingly different
meter
regular pattern of rhythm
mock epic
work where something trivial is treated like an epic humorously
allegory
a tale in verse or prose in which characters represent abstract ideas or moral qualities
alliteration
repitition of initial consonant sounds in a line
allusion
reference to history, bible, art, or literature
analogy
comparison between two objects to show similarities
anapest
poetic foot of two unstressed followed by one stressed
antagonist
person opposing the protagonist, creates conflict
appositive
noun or pronoun that explains a noun or a pronoun
antithesis
the balancing of two contrasting thoughts, words, or phrases
apostrophe
a poetic device in which an author directly addresses a person, place, or thing as if it was present
aside
speech intended only for audience
assonance
repitition of vowel sounds in a line of poetry
autobiography
an account of a person’s life written by that person
ballad
a poem that tells a story, four lines, second and fourth rhyme
folk ballad
unknown author
biography
a written account of another person’s life
blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter
ode
a serious dignified lyric poem written for a special occasion in honor of a particular person, place, or abstract idea
onomatopoeia
the use of a word who’s sound suggests it’s meaning
oxymoron
a figure of speech that depends on a paradoxical contrast between two startlingly different things
paradox
a statement that is true in fact, although it seems to contradict itself
parrallelism
repetition of phrases that are similar in structure or meaning
personification
a figure of speech in which something non-human is given human characteristics
protagonist
central character who faces the conflict
psalm
a sacred song or lyric
octave
first eight lines of a sonnet
quatrain
a poetic stanza of four lines
refrain
a phrase repeated at intervals especially at the end of a poem
satire
writing that ridicules weaknesses and wrongdoings of individuals, seeks to change the reader’s mind through the force of laughter
sestet
six lines of a poem
simile
figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared through the use of a comparative word
soliloquy
a speech in a work in which a character alone onstage reveals his innermost thoughts and conflicts as if he were thinking aloud
sonnet
a poem of 14 lines in iambic pentameter
spring rythm
a variable poetic meter in which a stressed syllable is combined with any number of unstressed syllables
stream of consciousness
style of writing that imitiates the character’s thoughts as if they were thinking aloud
style
word choice, arrangement of words, relationship of the sentences to one another
symbol
a word that is used to stand for an idea
symbolism
a philosophy applied to literature in which the author avoids direct statements working through symbols which suggest the meaning and establish the mood
syntax
way in which words are put to form constituents or phrases
terzarina
verse form consisting of three line stanzas, the middle line rhymes with the first and third of the next rhyme, interlocking rhyme
tetrameter
poetic line of four feet
tragedy
protagonist doesn’t solve his problem
contemporary tragedy
protagonist falls lower and learns nothing
classic tragedy
protagonist learns and grows
trimeter
metrical line of three feet
trochee
poetic foot of stressed and unstressed
villanelle
intricately patterned poem, three line stanzas except for last (four lines), first and third line form refrain that is repeated and ends poem, whole poem has two lines
