| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allegory | a work that functions on symbolic level |
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| allusion | reference from another work |
| ambiguity | communicating multiple meanings |
| anapest | metrical pattern of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable |
| antagonist | the force of character that oposes main character |
| apostrophe | direct address in poetry |
| aside | words spoken to be heard by audience but not other characters |
| attitude | speaker's, author's, or character's disposition towards a subject |
| aubade | love poem set at dawn to bid farewell to beloved |
| ballad | simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue and with general rhyme scheme of ABCD |
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter |
| cacophony | harsh and discordant sounds |
| caesura | break or pause withine line of poetry indicated by punctuation |
| catharsis | release of emotion by the audience of a tragedy |
| character | one who carries out action of plot (major, minor, static, dynamic) |
| climax | turning point of action, highest moment of tension |
| comic relief | inclusion of humor to contrast tragic elements |
| conflict | clash of opposing forces |
| connotation | associative, implied, or suggested meaning of word |
| convention | traditional aspect of literary work |
| couplet | two lines of rhymed poetry |
| dactyl | foot of poetry, stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables |
| denotation | literal, dictionary definition word |
| denouement | resolution of conflict and plot, conclusion |
| details | items or parts of a story |
| deus ex machine | "the god from the machine", appears at last moment and resolves loose ends of play |
| devices of sound | rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia |
| diction | word choice |
| didatic | explicitly instructive |
| digression | use of material unrelated to subject of a work |
| dramatic monologue | type of poem presenting conversation between speaker and implied listener |
| elegy | poem that laments dead or lost |
| enjambment | running on of line or stanza in poetry |
| epic | lengthy, elevated poem celebrating exploits of a hero |
| epigram | brief, witty poem; satiric commentary |
| euphemism | indirection to avoid offensive bluntness |
| euphony | pleasant sounds |
| exposition | background information |
| fable | simple, symbolic story usually with animals as characters |
| figurative language | enables writer to operate on levels other than literal |
| types of figurative language | metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, hyperbole, etc. |
| flashback | reference to past thoughts, events, or episodes |
| foot | metrical unit in poetry, syllabic measure of line (iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee) |
| foreshadowing | hints of future events |
| form | shape or structure of literary work |
| free verse | poetry without defined form, meter, or rhyme scheme |
| grotesque | characterized by distortions and incongruities |
| hyperbole | extreme exaggeration |
| iamb | metrical foot consisting of unaccented syllable followed by accented one |
| idyll | type of lyrical poem extolling virtues of ideal place or time |
| image | verbal approximation of sensory impression, concept, or emotion |
| imagery | total effect of related sensory images |
| impressionism | writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event, or concept |
| irony | contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected |
| jargon | specific language of profession or group |
| literal | not figurative, matter of fact, concrete |
| lyric poetry | characterized by emotion, personal feelings, brevity |
| lyrical | songlike; full of emotion, subjectivity, and imagination |
| metaphor | direct comparision between dissimilar things |
| metaphysical poetry | exploration of complex ideas through extended metaphors and paradox (John Donne) |
| meter | pattern of beats in poetry |
| metonomy | a representative term used for a larger idea |
| monologue | speech given by one character |
| motif | repetition or variations of image or idea to develop theme or characters |
| narrative poem | tells a story |
| narrator | speaker |
| octave | eight line stanza |
| ode | formal, lengthy poem celebrating particular subject |
| omniscient | all knowing |
| onomatopia | words that sound like the sound they represent |
| parable | story that operates on more than one level, usuall teaches a moral lesson |
| paradox | seemingly contradictory statement |
| parallel plot | secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot |
| parody | comic imitation that ridicules the original |
| pathos | appeal to pity |
| personification | assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects |
| plot | sequence of events |
| point of view | method of narration |
| protagonist | hero or main character, elicits audience sympathy |
| quatrain | four-line stanza |
| reliability | quality of characters eliciting trust from audience |
| resolution | conclusion of literary work |
| rhetorical question | does not expect explicit answer, arouses consideration |
| rhyme royal | iambic pentameter rhymed ababbcc |
| rhyme | duplication of final syllable sounds |
| rhythm | repetitive pattern of beats in poetry |
| romanticism | foundation in freedon, adventure, idealism, and escape |
| satire | presents a ridicule on society, criticizes the follies of mankind |
| sestet | six line stanza |
| sestina | highly structured poem with 39 lines, iambic pentameter, and repetitino of six words from first stanza in each of six stanzas |
| setting | time and place |
| simile | indirect comparison using "like" or "as" |
| soliloquy | speech to reveal inner thoughts |
| sonnet | 14 line poem with prescribed rhyme scheme, iambic pentameter |
| spondee | poetic foot with two accented syllables |
| stage directions | specific instructions of a playwright |
| stanza | unit of a poem similary in rhyme, meter and length to other units |
| stereotype | conventional pattern, expression, character, or idea |
| strategy | management of language for specific effect; planned placing of elements to achieve an effect |
| structure | organization and form |
| style | unique way an author presents his ideas |
| subplot | secondary plot that explores different ideas |
| syllogism | form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn; major premise, minor premise, conclusion |
| symbol | something that stands for something else |
| synecdoche | utilizes a part as a representative for the whole |
| syntax | grammatical structure |
| tercet | three line stanza |
| theme | underlying ideas illustrated in a work |
| thesis | theme, meaning, or position |
| tone | author's attitude toward subject |
| tragic hero | generally good person of exalted position who has a fatal flaw or commits error in judgement |
| understatement | ironic statement where one writes or says less than is intended |
| villanelle | highly structured poem consisting of six stanzas: five tercets and a quatrain; first and third line are repeated throughout |
| antithesis | figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words or ideas (balancing of one term against another for emphasis) |
| assonance | repetition of idenical or similar vowel sounds |
| consonance | repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words |
| end-stopped | a line with a pause at the end (end with punctuation) in a poem |
| extended metaphor | an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or entire poem |
| internal rhyme | rhyme that occurs within a line rather than at the end |
| mixed metaphors | the mingling of one metaphor with another immediately following with which the first is incongruous |
| Emma Wilson | The amazing creator of this amazing set of poetry terms :)) |
| oxymoron | a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression |
| parallelism | a single gramatical structure between a line or lines of poetry |
| pun | a play on words that are identical or similar in soundbut have sharply diverse meanings |
| refrain | a group of words forming a phrase or sentence and consisting of one or more lines repeated at intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza (hint: think song) |
| sarcasm | a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising somthing but is actually insulting it |
| scansion | a system for describing the meter of a poem by identifying the number and type of feet per line |
| terza rima | a three line stanza rhymed ABA, BCB, CDC etc. |
| Pathos | evokes feeligns of dignified pity and sympathy |
| Bombast | pretensious |
Combine with other sets
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