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exam

Terms

undefined, object
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negative capability
when one is in a state of uncertainty, mystery and doubt without any grasping for logic or reason
refrain
a word, phrase, line, or group of lines repeated regularly in a poem
romance
any movement that is set in an idealized world and that deals with heroic adventures and battles between good and evil
quatrain
usually a stanza or poem of four lines
alliteration
the repetition of similar aounds, usually consonants or consonat clusters in a group of words.
narrative poem
a poem that tells a story
kenning
an elaborate phrase that describes persons, things, or events in a metephorical and indirect way
heroic couplet
iambic pentameter couplet
incremental repetition
the repetition of a previous line or lines, but with a slight variation each time, that advances the narrative stanza by stanza
plot
the sequence of events or actions in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem
antagonist
A person or force apposing the protangonist in a narrative, a rival of the hero or heroine.
poetics of contraries
a theory that states that it is impossible to understand one concept unless you also understand it's opposite
hyperbole
a figure of speech using exaggeration or overstatment for special effect
denouement
the outcome of a plot
couplet
two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
motif
a recurring feature in a work of literature
verbal irony
the speaker says one thing and means another
exemplum
a tale, usually inserted into the text of a sermon, that illustrates a moral principle
catharsis
strong release of emotion from the audience (gasp)
emblematic image
a verbal picture or figure with a long tradtion of moral or religious meaning attached to it
iambic pentameter
a poetic line consisting of five verse feet with every other foot being stressed or unstressed
paradox
a statement that reveals a kind of truth slthough at first it seems to be self-contradictory and untrue
octave
an eight line poem or stanza
frame tale
a story within a story
romantic meditative ode
1) the description of a particular natural scene 2) an extended meditation which the scene stimulates universal situation or both; 3) the occurence of an insight a resolution or a decision, which signals a return to the scene originally described, but with a new perspective created by the intervening meditation
allegory
a tale in verse or prose in which characters, actions, or settings, represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.
imagery
words or phrases that create pictures, or images, in the readers mind
ode
a complex and often lengthy lyric poem written in a dignified formal style on some lofty or serious subject
situational irony
the writer shows a discrepancy between the expected results of some action or situation and it's actual results
aside
In drama, lines spoken by a character in an undertone or directly to the audience.
foreshadowing
the use of hints or clues in a narrative to sugest what will happen later
carpe diem tradition
a tradition literally meaning "seize the day"
epic
a long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated
climax
the point of greatest intensity, interest, or suspense in a narrative
in media res
a technique of plunging into the middle of a story and only later using a flashback to tell what has happened previously; "in the middle"
blank verse
verse written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
dramatic irony
when we as the reader know something the characters don't
ballad
a story told in verse and usually meant to be a song
apostrophe
A figure of speece in which an absent or a dead person, an abstract quality, or something, nonhuman is addressed directly.
metaphysical conceit
an especially unusual or intellectual comparisson
invocation
at the beginning of an epic a call to a muse, god, or spirit for inspiration
lyrics
a poem, usually a short one, that expresses a speaker's personal thoughts or feelings
iambic quatrameter
an eight syllable line that flucuates between unstressed and stressed syllables
double entendre
a phrase with two meanings; the first of which is straight forward, the other is humorous and sexual
meter
a generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry
bob and a wheel
a short line of one, two or three syllables followed by four rhymed lines
foil
a character who sets off another charcter by contrast
personification
a figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities
satire
a kind of writing that holds up to ridicule or contempt the weakness and wrong-doings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general
metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparisson between two things that are basically dissimilar
conflict
struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem
allusion
A reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expectts the reader to recognize and respond to.
caesura
a break or pause in a line of poetry
conceit
a kind of metaphor that makes a comparison between two startlingly different things
pastoral
a type of peom that deals in an idealized way with shepherds and rustic life comes from the Latin word for shepherd
protagonist
the central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem

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