5 steps to a 5 glossary terms
Terms
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- a work that functions on a symbolic level
- allegory
-
the repetition of initial consonant sounds
ex-"Peter Piper picked.. - alliteration
- a reference contained in a work
- allusion
-
a metrical pattern of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable
ex- da da DUM - anapest
- the force or character that opposes the main character
- antagonist
- direct address in poetry
- apostrophe
- words spoken by an actor inteded to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on stage.
- aside
- a love poem set at dawn which bids farewell to the beloved
- aubade
-
a simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue that is written in quatrains
ex- A B C D - ballad
- unrhymed iambic pentameter
- blank verse
- harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of literary work
- cacophony
- the release of emotion that the audience of tragedy experiences
- catharsis
-
one who carries out the action of the plot in literature.
ex- major, minor, static, dynamic - character
- the turning point of action or character in a literary work.
- climax
- the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work
- comic relief
-
a clash between opposing forces in a literary work
ex- man vs man, man vs nature, man vs God, man vs self - conflict
- the interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning.
- connotation
-
a traditional aspect of literary work
ex- soliloquy or tragic hero - convention
- two lines of rhyming poetry
- couplet
-
a foot of poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.
ex- DUM da da.. - dactyl
- the literal or dictionary meaning of a word
- denotation
- the conclusion or tying up of loose ends in a literary work.
- denouement
- "the god from the machine" who appears at the last moment and resolves the loose ends of a play.
- deus ex mechina
- the author's choice of words
- diction
- a type of poem that presents a conversation between a speaker and an implied listener.
- dramatic monologue
- a poem that laments the dead or a loss
- elegy
- a technique in poetry that involves the running on of a line or stanza
- enjambment
- a lengthy, elevated poem that celebrates the exploits of a hero
- epic
- a brief witty poem
- epigram
- the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work
- euphony
- background information presented in a literary work
- exposition
- a simple, symbolic story usually employing animals as characters.
- fable
- the body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one.
- figurative language
- a device that enables a writer to refer to past thoughts, events, episodes
- flashback
- a metrical unit in poetry
- foot
- hints of future events in a literary work
- foreshadowing
- the shape or structure of a literary work
- form
- poetry without a defined form, meter, or rhyme scheme
- free verse
- extreme exaggeration
- hyperbole
- a metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one
- iamb
- a type of lyric poem which extols the virtues of an ideal place or time
- idyll
- a verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion
- image
- the total effect of related sensory images in a work of literature
- imagery
- writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event, or concept.
- impressionism
- an unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was inteded or expected to happen
- irony
- a type of poetry characterized by emotion, personal feelings, and brevity
- lyric poetry
- a direct comparison between dissimilar things
- metaphor
- refers to the work of poets who explore highly complex, phylosophical ideas through extended metaphors and paradox
- metaphysical poetry
- a pattern of beats in poetry
- meter
- a figure of speech in shich a representative term is used for a larger idea
- metonymy
- a speech given by one character
- monologue
- the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work which is used to develop theme or characters
- motif
- a poem that tells a story
- narrative poem
- the speaker of a literary work
- narrator
- an eight-line stanza
- octave
- a formal, lengthy poem that celebrates a particualr subject
- ode
- words that sound like the sound they represent
- onomatopoeia
- an image of contradictory terms
- oxymoron
- a story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson
- parable
- a secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot
- parallel plot
- a comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original
- parody
- the aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience
- pathos
- the assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or concepts
- personification
- a sequece of events in a literary work
- plot
- the method of narration in a work
- point of view
- the hero or main character of a literary work
- protagonist
- a four-line stanza
- quatrain
- the denouement of a literary work
- resolution
- a question that does not expect an explicit answer
- rhetorical question
- the duplication of final syllable sounds in two or more lines
- rhyme
- the repetitive pattern of beats in poetry
- rhythm
- a style or movement of literature that has as its foundation an interest in freedom, adventure, idealism, and escape
- romanticism
- a mode of writing based on ridicule, which criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution
- satire
- a six-line stanza
- sestet
- a highly structured poetic form of 39 lines, written in iambic pentameter
- sestina
- setting
- the time and place of a literary work
- simile
- an indirect comparison that uses the words "like" or "as" to link the differing items in the comparison
- soliloquy
- a speech in a play which is used to reveal the character's inner thoughts to the audience
- sonnet
- a 14-line poem with a prescribed rhyme scheme in iambic pentameter.
- spondee
- a poetic foot consisting of two accented syllables
- stage directions
- the specific instructions a play-wright includes concerning sets, characterization, delivery, etc.
- stanza
- a unit of a poem, similar in rhyme, meter, and length to other units in the poem
- structure
- the organization and form of a work
- style
-
the unique way an author presents his ideas
(diction,syntax,imagery,structure and content) - subplot
- a secondary plot that explores ideas different from the main storyline
- symbol
- something in a literary work that stands for something else
- synecdoche
- a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole
- syntax
- the grammatical structure of prose and poetry
- tercet
- a three-line stanza
- theme
- the underlying ideas that the author illustrates through characterization, motifs, language, plot, etc.
- tone
- the author's attitude toward his subject
- tragic hero
- a basically good person of noble birth or exalted position who has a fatal flaw or commits an error in judgement which leads to his downfall. Muast have a moment of realization and live and suffer.
- understatement
- the opposite of exaggeration. it is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.
- villanelle
- a highly structured poetic form that comprises six stanzas (five tercets and a quatrain)