Literary terms Flashcards
(73 cards)
1
Q
blank verse
A
unrhymed iambic pentameter
2
Q
free verse
A
unrhymed lines without regular rhythm
3
Q
end rhyme
A
rhyme occurring at the ends of verse lines; most common rhyme form
4
Q
internal rhyme
A
rhyme contained within a line of verse
5
Q
assonance
A
repetition of two or more vowel sounds within a line
6
Q
consonance
A
repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a line
7
Q
alliteration
A
the repetition of one or more initial sounds, usually consonants, in words
within a line
8
Q
onomatopoeia
A
the use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning
9
Q
euphony
A
the use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect
10
Q
cacophony
A
the use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect; opposite of
euphony
11
Q
metaphor
A
a direct comparison of two unlike objects by identification or substitution
12
Q
simile
A
a direct comparison of two unlike objects, using like or as
13
Q
conceit
A
an extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with powerful effect (It owes its roots to elaborate analogies in Petrarch.)
14
Q
personification
A
a figure of speech in which objects and animals have human qualities
15
Q
metonymy
A
the substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named, in place of the name itself
16
Q
synecdoche
A
a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole object or idea
17
Q
hyperbole
A
gross exaggeration for effect: overstatement
18
Q
irony
A
the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning
19
Q
verbal irony
A
meaning one thing and saying another
20
Q
dramatic irony
A
two levels of meaning - what the speaker says and what he/she means, and what the speaker says and the author means
21
Q
situational irony
A
when the reality of a situation differs from the anticipated or intended effect; when something unexpected occurs
22
Q
symbolism
A
the use of one object to suggest another, hidden object or idea
23
Q
imagery
A
the use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas by sensory description
24
Q
paradox
A
a statement which appears self-contradictory, but underlines a basis of truth
25
oxymoron
contradictory terms brought together to express a paradox for strong effect
26
understatement
diction in which the literal sense of what is said falls detectably short of (or “under”) the magnitude of what is being talked about
27
allusion
a reference to an outside fact, event, or other source
28
tone (of poetry)
the author's attitude toward his/her audience and subject (You must interpret form, rhyme, connotation, figurative language, and the like since you cannot hear vocal
inflection.)
29
theme (of poetry)
the author's major idea or meaning (What is the dominant purpose behind writing the poem? How does the poet achieve this purpose?)
30
dramatic situation (of poetry)
the circumstances of the speaker (Who is the speaker? To whom is he speaking? What are the circumstances? Does this situation contribute to the total meaning and impact of the poem?)
31
denotation
dictionary definition of a word
32
connotation
the force or impact carried by a term that goes beyond denotation
33
direct presentation
the narrator or the characters tell straight out what the characters are like
34
indirect presentation
the writer reveals the characters through their actions, through what they say to one another, and/or through their thoughts
35
flat characters
usually have only one or two predominant traits; they can be summed up in a sentence or two
36
round characters
comprehensive and many-sided; they have the three- dimensional quality of real people
37
stock characters
stereotypical figures who has recurred so often in fiction that we recognize them at once as a familiar type or role
38
static characters
remain essentially the same person from the beginning of the story to the end; they do NOT grow
39
dynamic characters
undergo some distinct change of character, personality, or outlook
40
foil
minor character whose situation or actions parallel those of a major character, and thus by contrast sets off or illuminates the major character; most often the contrast is complimentary to the major character
41
protagonist
central or main character, the character on whom the story focuses
42
conflict
```
a clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills
● Physical
● Mental
● Emotion
● Moral
```
43
first-person point of view
● the narrator is a character speaking in the first person
● his/her knowledge is limited to what he/she can see, hear, smell, taste and touch
● what he/she thinks or feels
● what he/she can interpret behavior he/she cannot see inside the characters’ minds and hearts
44
objective (or dramatic) point of view
● the narrator is a sort of “camera” speaking in the third person
● his/her knowledge is limited to what he/she can see and hear
● he/she cannot interpret behavior
● he/she can not see inside the characters’ minds and hearts
45
omniscient point of view
● the narrator is a third person not involved in the story
● his/her knowledge is unlimited
● he/she can interpret behavior, and comment on the significance of the story
● he/she can see inside the characters’ minds and hearts
46
third-person limited point of view
● a third person not involved in the story
● his/her knowledge is limited to what he/she can see, hear, smell, taste and touch; what he/she thinks or feels; and what he/she can interpret behavior
● he/she cannot see inside the characters’ minds and hearts
47
imagery
the use of language to represent or evoke sensory experience
a. Visual (sight)
b. Auditory (sound)
c. Olfactory (smell)
d. Gustatory (taste)
e. Tactile (touch)
f. Organic (internal sensation)
g. Kinesthetic (motion)
48
simile
explicit comparison that uses like, as, than, similar to, resembles, seems, and similar diction
Has two parts: literal and figurative
49
metaphor
an implicit comparison between two things that are essentially unlike
Like the simile, the metaphor has a literal part and a figurative part
50
The literal term is named directly, and the figurative term is named directly (metaphor)
EXAMPLE: “Sorrow is my own yard” – Sorrow the literal term is named, yard the figurative term is named {“The Widow’s Lament in Springtime” – William Carlos Williams}
51
The literal term is named directly, but the figurative term is implied (metaphor)
EXAMPLE: “Leaves got up in a coil and hissed” – Leaves the literal term is named, snake the figurative term is implied by “got up in a coil and hissed” {“Bereft” – Robert Frost}
52
The literal term is implied, but the figurative term is named directly (metaphor)
EXAMPLE: “It fills with Alabaster Wool/The Wrinkles of the Road—” – It the literal term is implied [snow], Wool the figurative term is named {“It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” – Emily Dickinson}
53
The literal term is implied, and the figurative term is implied
EXAMPLE: “It sifts from Leaden Sieves—” – It the literal term is unnamed [snow], flour the figurative term is implied by “sifts” {“It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” – Emily Dickinson}
54
personification
attributes human qualities to an animal, an object, or a concept A kind of metaphor that also has literal and figurative parts
55
apostrophe
he speaker addresses someone absent or dead or something nonhuman as though it were alive and present and could reply
Closely associated with personification
56
metonymy
EXAMPLES: “Friends, Romans, countrymen/Lend me your ears” – Antony uses ears to represent listening since ears are closely related to (essential to) listening. {Julius Caesar – William Shakespeare}
“The pen is mightier than the sword” – The speaker uses pen to stand for persuasive writing since the pen is the instrument of writing. He uses sword to represent the armed might of armies a sword is closely associated with an army.
57
enjambment
the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break
58
meter
regularized rhythm language in which the accents are arranged to occur at apparently equal intervals of time.
a. Metrical language is called verse or poetry
b. Non-metrical language is called prose.
59
metric foot
the basic metrical unit, normally consists of one accented syllable plus one or two unaccented syllables, though occasionally there may be no unaccented syllables, and very rarely there may be three
60
iamb
unstressed-stressed
| ta - DUH
61
iambic pentameter
five feet of iambs in a line
| ta - DUH ta - DUH ta - DUH ta - DUH ta - DUH
62
stanza
the third unit of measurement, consists of a group of lines whose metrical pattern is repeated throughout the poet
63
line
the secondary unit of measurement; it is measured by naming the number of feet in it
64
couplet
two rhymed lines
65
quatrain
four lines with a rhyme scheme
66
sestet
six lines with a rhyme scheme
67
octave
eight lines with a rhyme scheme
68
Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet
an octave using two rhymes arranged abbaabba and a sestet using any arrangement of either two or three rimes; the division between the two usually indicates a division in thought and often is indicated with a space
69
Spenserian sonnet
sonnet in which the lines are grouped into three interlocked quatrains and a couplet and the rhyme scheme is abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee
70
Shakespearean (English) sonnet
three quatrains and a closing couplet, riming abab cdcd efef gg; the units frequently correspond to divisions of thought
71
Miltonic sonnet
uses the Petrarchan (Italian) rhyme scheme for both octave and sestet but eliminates the division between the octave and sestet
72
trochee
stressed-unstressed
DUH-ta
(opposite of an iamb)
73
trochaic tetrameter
four feet of trochees in a line
| DUH-ta DUH-ta DUH-ta DUH-ta
