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Poetic Terms Flashcards

(70 cards)

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1
Q

Allegory

A

Figurative illustration of truths or generalizations about human conducts by use of symbolic fictional figures and actions.

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2
Q

Anadiplosis

A

Repetition of prominent (usually final) word of w phrase/clause at the beginning of the next, often with extended meaning. Ex) his hands were folded- folded in prayer.

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3
Q

Anapest

A

2 short unaccented syl, one long accented syl. Ex.( intervene

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4
Q

Anaphora

A

Repetition of word or phrase at begin of successive phrases.

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5
Q

Aphorism

A

Brief statement containing important truth or fundamental principle.

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6
Q

Asyndeton

A

Omission of conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words/phrases. Ex.) see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

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7
Q

Aubade

A

Dawn or lovers parting at dawn.

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8
Q

Bathos

A

Descent from lofty/elaborate to commonplace, often used in poetry for effect.

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9
Q

Blank verse

A

Poetry written without rhymes, but which retain a set metric pattern.

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10
Q

Caesura

A

Break/pause in the middle of a line of verse.

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11
Q

Chiasmus

A

Inverted paralleled phrases. Ex.) do not eat to live, but live to eat.

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12
Q

Conceit

A

Elaborate metaphor, often strained/far fetched.

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13
Q

Consonance

A

Pleasing combo of sounds; also rep of consonance at end of lines (boat, night).

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14
Q

Couplet

A

2 successive lines of poetry

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15
Q

Dactyl

A

3 syls, first long and accented, next two short and unaccented.

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16
Q

Denotation

A

Literal dictionary meanings of a word

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17
Q

Dimeter

A

Line of verse containing two metric feet.

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18
Q

Elegy

A

Poem of lament over someone dead. Or reflective sad poem.

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19
Q

Ellipsis

A

Omission of word …

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20
Q

Encomium

A

Speech of high praise

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21
Q

Enjambment

A

Continuation of sense and grammatical construction beyond the end of a line.

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22
Q

Epistrophe

A

Rep of words at end of successive phrases or verses.

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23
Q

Fable

A

Story that teaches moral lesson

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24
Q

Feminine rhyme

A

Rhyme occurring on unaccented final syl.

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25
Foot
Unit of rhythm or meter.
26
Hamartia
Tragic Hero's error of judgement or fatal flaw.
27
Heptameter
Line of verse consisting of 7 metric feet.
28
Hyperbole
Deliberate overstatement (I'd give my arm for a slice of pizza).
29
Iamb
Most common metric foot in English, German, and Russian verse. 2 syls, short unaccented followed by long accented.
30
Idyl
Pastoral poem, picturesque.
31
In median res
Beginning story at crucial point in the middle of a series of events.
32
Interior monologue
External events conveyed indirectly through fictional character's monologue of thought.
33
Litotes
Understatement in which affirmative is expressed by double negative (not happy).
34
Lyric verse
One of the main groups of poetry (others being narrative and dramatic). Melodic imagery.
35
Masculine rhyme
Rhyme with accented final syl.
36
Metaphysical
Of/relating to group of 17 century poets. Intellectual/ philosophical style, extended metaphors comparing very dissimilar things.
37
Meter
Measure of rhythmic quantity. Groups of syllables at regular intervals in a line of poetry.
38
Metonymy
Substituting one noun to another associated with it (he drank the cup).
39
Mock epic
Satire; treats trivial subject like classic epic
40
Motif
Thematic element recurring frequently in literature
41
Octave
Stanza of 8 lines
42
Ode
Type of lyric or melic verse , usually irregular, long
43
Paean
Hymn of praise/joy
44
Parallelism
Repetition of structural similarities in passages closely connected for rhetorical effect
45
Pathetic fallacy
Personification of nature for eloquent effect (cruel wind)
46
Persona
Speaker/voice of literary work
47
Poetics
Literary study or criticism of poetic theory/practice
48
Polysyndeton
Repetition of conjunctions in close succession (we have men and arms and planes and bombs)
49
Prose
Ordinary language people use in speaking or writing
50
Prosody
Structure of poetry.
51
Quatrain
4 lines of verse, rhyme scheme of abab or abcb
52
Scan
To mark off lines of poetry into rhythmic units for visual representation of their metric structure.
53
Sestina
6 line stanzas; end word of each line repeating in rotating order.
54
Sonnet
14 lines of 5 foot iambic verse.
55
Spondee
2 long or equally accented syls together. (Bread box)
56
Stanza forms
Number of lines in a stanzaic unit (couplet , tercet, quatrain, etc)
57
Synecdoche
Part stands for whole, or whole for part.
58
Synesthesia
Words normally used to describe one sense used to describe another sense (sweet smile).
59
Tercet
3 lines of verse
60
Terza Rima
Verse form consisting of tercets
61
Tetra meter
Line of verse containing 4 metric feet
62
Trochee
Long accented syl followed by short unaccented syl
63
Trope
Intentional use of a word or expression figuratively.
64
Verse paragraph
Line groupings of various length (stanzas are equal length)
65
Verset
Short verse, especially one from a sacred book
66
Versification
Art of writing verses
67
Villanelle
Fixed form poem, five 3-line stanzas followed by a quatrain and only having two rhymes.
68
Volta
Place at which distinct turn of thought occurs. Usually in sonnet.
69
Zuegma
Figure of speech; single word used in the same grammatical relationship with two or more other words.
70
Alexandrine
Iambic line of 12 syllables, or six feet. Standard line in French poetry.

Poetic Terms (3 decks)

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