Vocab 4 Flashcards
diction
style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words
elegy
a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
in medias res
going into the middle of a narrative; without preamble.
parable
a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson
situational irony
occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead.
double entendre
a word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually risqué or indecent.
epistolary novel
a novel written as a series of documents
inverted syntax
ccurs when lines do not follow traditional sentence patterns, for example when the subject and verb or the object and subject are reversed.
paradox
a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.
terza rima
a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme
dramatic irony
understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play
litotes
ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (e.g., you won’t be sorry, meaning you’ll be glad ).
pun
a form of word play that suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.
verbal irony
rony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.
compunction
a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad.
