| Term | Definition |
|---|
| stress | emphasis on particular syllable |
| rhythm | pattern of repeated sounds or stress |
| foot | unit of rhythm in verse |
| meter | re-occurrence of rhythmic patterns |
| iambic | a foot with one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable as in the word "afraid" |
| trochaic | a foot with one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable, as in the word "heather" |
| counterpoint | In one line, you have 2 different types of meters and it switches in the middle of the line from one to another (ex. iambic and trochaic) |
| sprung rhythm | All feet begin with a stressed syllable and contain a varying number of unstressed syllables. |
| caesura | A pause, or break, in the middle of a line of poetry. |
| internal rhyme | rhyme between a word within a line and another word either at the end of the same line or within another line |
| dialect | Language, particularly the speech habits, of a particular social class, region, or group. A dialect may vary from the standard form of a language in grammar, in pronunciation, and in the use of certain expressions. |
| conceit | an unusual and surprising comparison between two very differing things. This special kind of metaphor or complicated analogy is often the basis for a whole poem. |
| pastoral | The quality of literary works that deal with the pleasures of a simple, rural life or with escape to a simpler place and time. |
| naturalism | A literary movement among writers at the end of the 19th century and during the early decades of the 20th century. The Naturalists depicted life in its grimmer details and tended to view people as hopeless victims of immutable natural laws. |
| aestheticism | late 19th-century European arts movement which centered on the doctrine that art exists for the sake of its beauty alone, and that it need serve no political, didactic, or other purpose |
| elegy | A solemn and formal lyric poem about death. It may mourn a particular person or reflect on a serious or tragic theme, such as the passing of youth, beauty, or a way of life. |
| dramatic monologue | A poem in which an imaginary character speaks to a silent listener. During the monologue, the speaker reveals his or her personality, usually at a moment of crisis. |
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