anecdote: a short, single episode tale that’s often humorous antagonist: the chief opposition to the work’s heroic figure antithesis: placing two things or concepts into direct opposition aphorism: a short, popular saying apostrophe: a direct address to someone or something that isn’t present aside: an actor directly addressing the audience, usually in a humorous way atmosphere: the "feeling" or sensation that a setting or situation produces ballad: a song-like poem with 8-6 or 8-8 meter that will tell a short story blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter caesura: a mid-split in a line of poetry, causing the reader to pause caricature: the imitation of a person, often with humorous exaggeration climax: the highest, most dramatic point in the plot, centering on a confrontation comic relief: a humorous incident or situation placed within a period of tension conceit: an extended metaphor dealing with two “very” dissimilar things connotation: the literal or actual dictionary meaning of words or phrases couplet: a pair of rhyming lines denotation: the implied or suggested meaning of words or phrases denouement: another word fro plot resolution, bringing to an end dialect: the unique way a language is spoken by a given culture or group diction: the means of expressing oneself (formal or informal) drama: literature intended to be performed on stage dramatic audience: the actors on stage who are present for a dramatic monologue dramatic monologue:when an actor directly addresses an internal audience dynamic character: one who undergo personality changes when motivated elegy: a formal funeral speech epigram: a short, wise saying, often including bits of wisdom epiphany: a sudden discovery of something of great emotional importance epitaph (or epigraph): an inscription on a statue or grave marker epithet: a nickname, usually with a humorous implication exemplum: a short story intended to teach a moral or lesson exposition: the first part of a plot where important elements are introduced expressionism: artistic movement stressing feeling more than reality extended metaphor: multiple comparisons of dissimilar things fable: a tale with animal characters intended to teach a lesson fantasy: dealing strictly with imagination and departing from reality farce: a drama intended to mock--much like a satire flashback: element of plot that sends the action back into the past foil: a minor character used to highlight features of the main character folk lore:literature that applies to a specific race or culture free verse:poetry that has form, but no rhyme or meter gothic:artistic elements traced back to ancient Germanic culture heroic couplet: a pair of rhyming lines, using iambic pentameter and an end stop hyperbole:extreme exaggeration, usually for humorous effect iambic pentameter: lines that alternate 10 unaccented and accented syllables imagery:words or phrases that create mental pictures for the senses incongruity:a detail or development that fails to fit the expected pattern internal rhyme:random rhyme sets that fall within a pre-existing pattern inversion:the reverse of expectations or “turning something around” irony:an unexpected result or surprise kenning:Anglo-Saxon compound words to extend vocabulary lyric poem:verse that deals with thoughts and feelings, not plot metaphor:an implied comparison or two dissimilar things (“A” is “B”) metaphysical:dealing with philosophy and the meaning of life meter:poetic sound pattern using accented and unaccented syllables metonymy:substituting the part for the whole mock epic:a heroic adventure of a foolish main character monologue:first person point of view spoken directly at an audience mood:the reader’s reaction to an author’s degree of seriousness motif:a thematic trend or pattern in various works of art motivation:the reason behind a character’s actions narration:the point of view for the story teller, first or third narrative poem:a poem that tells a story with a distinct plot line naturalism:art that avoids interpretation and deals with basic reality neoclassicism:a post-renaissance return to the classics octave:a verse section of eight lines with a set rhyme scheme ode:a poem that is written as a song of praise omniscient p.o.v..:narrator knows past, future, and character’s thoughts onomatopoeia:a word that is an exact representation of a sound ottava rima:stanzas of eight lines with a pattern of A B A B A B C C oxymoron:a figure of speech that combines opposites paradox:something that seems contradictory but is really true parody:a humorous imitation of another literary work pastoral:related to the beauty and simplicity of nature pathos:used to evoke great sympathy on the part of the audience personification:giving human qualities to animals or things protagonist:the central character who gains an audiences’ sympathy quatrain:a set of four lines with a rhyme pattern of A B A B or A B B A rhyme scheme:end rhyme in a poem that is established in a pattern romance:a heroic adventure with elements of knighthood and chivalry romanticism:literature that focuses on the individual, not on social views run-on line:lines of poetry that don’t abruptly stop on rhyming words satire:literature that mocks elements within one’s society sestet:a verse section of six lines with a set rhyme scheme simile:a comparison or two dissimilar things, using “like” or “as” (“A” is like “B”) slant rhyme:rhyming words that don’t exactly match in sound, but are similar soliloquy:a speech by a character alone on stage, thinking aloud stanza:a section of a poem forming a block of lines static character:one who fails to change, even when there’s reasonable motivation stereotype:a person or thing considered to be a “typical” example of others stream of consciousness::plot format using thought patterns in place of time suspense:tension developed as a plot approaches the climax symbol:a thing used to represent something else on two levels of meaning synecdoche:where a part is used to stand for the whole terza rima:third rhyme stanza-- A B A B C B C D C theme:the central or controlling idea of a literary work tone:an author’s degree of seriousness resulting in mood tragedy:drama focusing on the downfall of a heroic character tribute:a work intended to honor or praise its subject vernacular:a given vocabulary of a subject, group, or culture |