| Term | Definition |
|---|
| context | the matter that surrounds the word or text in question lending its significance, even irony. Accurate analysis of a word or portion of a text depends upon a full understanding of this. |
| continuous form | the form of a poem in which the lines follow each other without form or grouping, the only breaks being dictated by units of meaning |
| convention | Standard or traditional ways of saying things in literary works, employed to achieve certain expected effects. |
| couplet | 2 successive lines, usually in the same meter, linked by time |
| crisis | When the conflict reaches a turning point, the opposing forces in the story meet and the conflict becomes most intense |
| decorum | The requirement that individual characters, the character's actions, and the style of speech should be matched to each other and to the genre in which they appear |
| denouement | From the french for "unknotting" this is the final unraveling of the plot, preventing the solution, explanation, or outcome. Also known as falling action. |
| dialogue | A conversation that is often used to reveal characters and to advance the plot. |
| didactic fiction | Fiction having as a primary purpose to teach or to preach. |
| dirge | A brief funeral hymn or song. |
| dissonance | The combination of harsh or jarring sounds, especially in poetry. |
| doggerel | Bad verse characterized by cliches and irregular meter. |
| double rhyme | A rhyme in which the repeated vowel is the second to last syllable in the words involved. |
| drama | Any work designed to be presented by actors on a stage. |
| dramatic monologue | A poem representing itself as a speech made by one person to a silent listener, usually not the reader. |
| elegy | A poem of lamentation of the dead. |
| end rhyme | Rhymes that occur at the end of lines. |
| end-stopped line | A line that ends naturally with a speech pause, usually marked by a punctuation. |
| envoy (envoi) | The brief stanza that ends a poem such as a ballad or sestina. |
| epic | A narrative poem that celebrates the achievements of heroes and heroines. |
| epigram | The most condensed and concentrated form of poetry. |
| epistolary novel | A novel presented in the form of letters written by one or more of the characters. This allows multiple points of view. |
| epitaph | Burial inscription, often in verse. |
| ethos | An ethical appeal. |
| explication | Commentary revealing the meaning of the work. |
| exposition | Sets the scene, introduces and identifies the characters, and establishes the situation at the beginning of a story or play. |
Combine with other sets
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