Term
|
Definition
| the word or phrase to which a pronoun refers. It often precedes a pronoun in prose (but not necessarily in poetry) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an often disappointing, sudden end to an intense situation |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a protagonist who carries the action of the literary piece but does not embody the classic characteristics of courage, strength, and nobility |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a concept that is directly opposed to a previously presented idea |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a terse statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle; sometimes considered a folk proverb |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a rhetorical (not expecting an answer) figure of direct address to a person, object, or abstract entity |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| elevating someone to the level of a god |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people from all cultures because it occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a short speech or remark made by an actor to the audience rather than to the other caracters, who do not hear him or her. Shakespeare's characters often share their thoughts with us in this way. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the repeated use of a vowel sound |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the author's feelings toward the topic he or she is writing about. Attitude, often used interchangeably with "tone," is usually revealed through word choice. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a poem or song about lovers who must leave one another in the early hours of the morning |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a folk song or poem passed down orally that tells a story which may be derived from an actual incident or from legend or folklore. usually composed in four-line stanzas (quatrains) with the rhyme scheme abcb. Ballads often contain a refrain. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| unrhymed poetry of iambic pentameter (five feet of two syllables each-unstressed and stressed); favored technique of Shakespeare |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| harsh, discordant sounds, unpleasant to the ear; the sound of nails scratching a blackboard is cacophonous. Cacophony is used by poets for effect. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Latin for "seize the day"; frequent in 16th- and 17th- century court poetry. Expresses the idea that you only go around once; refers to the modern saying that "life is not a dress rehearsal" |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| of or relating to slang or regional dialect, used in familiar everyday conversation. In writing, an informal style that reflects the way people spoke in a distinct time and/or place. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| humor that provides a release of tension and breaks up a more serious episode |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a far-fetched comparison between two seemingly unlike things; an extended metaphor that gains appeal from its unusual or extraordinary comparison |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| associations a word calls to mind. House and home have the same denotation, or dictionary meaning-a place to live. But home connotes warmth and security; house does not. The more connotative a piece is, the less objective its interpretation becomes. Careful, close reading often reveals the writer's intent. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| same consonant sound in words with different vowel sounds |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a character with traits that are expected or traditional. Heroes are expected to be strong, adventurous, and un-afraid. Conventional female characters often yearn for a husband, or once married, stay at home and care for their children; conventional men are adventurers. If married, they tend to "wear the pants in the family." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| two successive rhyming lines of the same number of syllables, with matching cadence. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| foot of poetry with three syllables, one stressed and two short or unstressed |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the dictionary or literal meaning of a word of phrase |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the outcome or clarification at the end of a story or play; the winding down from climax to ending |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| literally, when the gods intervene at a story's end to resolve a seemingly impossible conflict. Refers to an unlikely or improbable coincidence; a cop-out ending |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The deliberate choice of a style of language for a desired effect or tone. Words chosen to achieve a particular effect that is formal, informal, or colloquial |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a didactic story, speech, essay or play is one in which the author's primary purpose is to instruct, teach or moralize |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an exaggeration or stretching of the truth to achieve a desired effect |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| In poetry, the running over of a sentence from one verse or stanza into the next without stopping at the end of the first |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a short, clever poem with a witty turn of thought |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A brief quotation found at the beginning of a literary work, reflective of theme |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A sudden flash of insight. A startling discovery and/or appearance; a dramatic realization |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a novel in letter form written by one or more of the characters. The novelist can use this technique to present varying first-person points of view and does not need a narrator. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A short composition on a single topic expressing the view or interpretation of the writer on that topic. The word comes from the French essayer ("to attempt," "to try"). It is one of the oldest prose forms. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Substitution of an inoffensive word or phrase for another that would be harsh, offensive, or embarrassing. A euphemism makes something sound better than it is but is usually more wordy than the original. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the quality of a pleasant or harmonious sound of a word or group of words as an intended effect. Often achieved through long vowels and some consonants, such as "sh." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A kind of comedy that depends on exaggerated or imprabable situations, physical disasters, and sexual innudendo to amuse the audience. Manuy situation comedies on television today might be called farces. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| unlike literal expression, figurative language uses figures of speech such as metaphor, simile, metonymy, personification, and hyperbole. Figurative language appeals to one's senses. Most poetry contains figurative language. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a character in the story tells the story, using the pronoun I. This is a limited point of view since the narrator can relate only events that he or she sees or is told about. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Interruption of a narrative by the introduction of an earlier event or by an image of a past experience |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A simple, one-dimensional character who remains the same, and about whom little or nothing is revealed throughout the course of the work. Flat characters may serve as symbols of types of people, similar to stereotypical characters. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a character whose contrasting personal characteristics draw attention to, enhance, or contrast with those of the main character. A character who, by displaying opposite traits, emphasizes certain aspects of another character. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| foreshadowing hints at what is to come. It is sometimes noticeable only in hindsight, but usually it is obvious enough to set the reader wondering. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| poetry that doesn't have regular rhythm or rhyme. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the category into which a piece of writing can be classified-poetry, prose, drama. Each genre has its own conventions and standards. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| In poetry, a rhymed couplet written in iambic pentameter (five feet, with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Insolence, arrogance, or pride. In Greek tragedy, the protagonist's hubris is usually the tragic flaw that leads to his or her downfall. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An extreme exaggeration for literary effect that is not meant to be interpreted literally. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a five-foot line made up of an unaccented followed by an accented syllable. It is the most common metric foot in English-language poetry. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| anything that affects or appeals to the reader's senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| in literature, a work that beginws in the middle of the story. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a literary technique used in poetry and prose that reveals a character's unspoken thoughts and feelings. An interior monologue may be presented directly by the character, or through a narrator. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A rhyme that is within the line, rather than at the end. The rhyming may also be within two lines, but again, each rhyming word will be within its line, rather than at the beginning or end. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a switch in the normal word order, often used for emphasis or for rhyme scheme. |
|
|
Term
| Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet |
|
Definition
| Fourteen-line poem divided into two parts: the first is eight lines (abbaabba) and the second is six (cdcdcd or cdecde). |
|
|
