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allegory

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a literary work in which all or most of the characters, events, and settings stand for ideas of generalizations about life. usually have a moral or lesson.

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alliteration

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repetition of initial consonant sounds in words, as in these lines from Coleridge: "The fair breeze flew, the white foam flew, / The furrow followed free."

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allusion

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a reference to a well-known person, place, or situation from history or from art,, music, or another work of literature--for example, the characters Adam, Aron, and Cal in Steinbeck's East of Eden as a reference to Adam, Abel, and Cain in Genesis.

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analogy

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a comparison of two things that are alike in some ways.

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anecdote

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a short narrative about an interesting event, often used to make a point.

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antagonist

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a person or force working against the protagonist, or central character, in a literary work.

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anthropomorphism

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the assignment of human characteristics to animals, inanimate objects, or gods.

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aphorism

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a wise saying, usually short and to the point, as Hippocrates' "Life is short, art is long." Also known as an epigram or maxim.

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apostrophe

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a figure of speech in which a speaker addresses an abset person, an inanimate object, or an idea--for example, Byron's line "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean--roll!"

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archetype

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a symbol, image, plot pattern, or character type that occurs often in literature, such as the hero on a dangerous quest.

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assonance

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the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end with different consonant sounds, as in the first line of Poe's "Lenore": "Ah, broken in the golden bowl--the spirit flown forever!"

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atmosphere

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the dominant mood or feeling of a literary work.

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ballad

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a narrative song or poem.

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blank verse

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poetry or lines of dramatic verse written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

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cadence

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the rhythmic rise and fall of oral language.

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caesura

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a pause or break in the meter or rhythm of a line of verse, marked in prosody by a double vertical line (||), as in this example from Tennyson: "Ring out the old, || ring in the new, /Ring, happy bells, || across the snow."

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character

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a person portrayed in a literary work.

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characterization

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the methods--direct and indirect--used by a writer to reveal a character's personality.

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cliche

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a word or phrase that is so overused that it has lost its expressive power--for example, "I slept like a log."

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climax

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the point of highest emotional intensity or suspense in a literary work.

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conflict

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the struggle, internal or external, between opposing forces in a work of literature.

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connotation

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the suggested or implied meaning associated with a word beyond its dictionary definitions. They can be positive, neutral, or negative.

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consonance

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the repetition of final consonant sounds in words containing different vowels, as in "fresh cash" or "yard bird."

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couplet

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a stanza made up of two rhyming lines that follow the same rhythmic pattern.

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denotation

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the literal, or dictionary, meaning of a word.

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denouement

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the outcome, or resolution, of the plot.

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dialogue

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conversation between characters in a literary work.

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diction

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an author's choice of words, based on their effectiveness for the author's purpose.

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archaic

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old-fashioned words no longer in common use, such as forsooth.

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colloquialisms

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expressions usually accepted in informal situations, such as wicked awesome.

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dialect

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a variety of language used by people in a particular geographic area.

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jargon

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specialized language used in a particular profession or content area.

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profanity

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language that shows disrespect for others or something sacred.

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slang

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informal language used by a particular group among themselves.

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vulgarity

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language widely consider crude, disgusting, and offensive.

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drama

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a story intended to be performed before an audience by actors on a stage.

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dramatic monologue

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a form of dramatic poetry in which a speaker addresses a silent listener.

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dramatic poetry

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poetry in which characters are revealed through dialogue, monologue, and description.

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end rhyme

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rhyming of words at the end of lines

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enjambment

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the continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to another to complete meaning and grammatical structure (also called a run-on line).

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epic hero

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the larger-then-life central character in an epic--a long narrative poem about events of crucial importance to the history of a culture or nation.

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epigram

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a short, witty verse or saying. Also known as an aphorism or maxim.

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epigraph

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a quotation from another work that suggests the maid idea, or theme, of the work at hand.

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epilogue

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a concluding statement or section added to a work of literature.

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epiphany

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a sudden intuitive recognition of the essence or meaning of something.

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epitaph

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a brief statement commemorating a dead person, often inscribed on a gravestone.

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existentialism

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a philosophy that values human freedom and personal responsibility. Well-known existentialist writers include Jean-Paul Sartre, Soren Kierkegaard, Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, Franz Kafka, and Simone de Beauvoir.

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farce

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a type of comedy with ridiculous characters, events, or situations.

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fiction

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a narrative in which situations and characters are invented by the author.

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figurative language

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language used for descriptive effect rather than literal meaning and including at least one figure of speech.

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figure of speech

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a specific kind of figurative language, such as simile, personification, metaphor, or hyperbole.

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flashback

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a literary device in which the author interrupts the chronological order of a narrative to show something that happened in the past.

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flash-forward

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an interruption in the chronological sequence of a narrative to leap forward in time.

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foot

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the basic unit of measurement of a line of metrical poetry. Except for a spondee, it usually has one stressed syllable (/) and one or more unstressed syllable (ˇ). There are five basic descriptions.

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iambic

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unstressed, stressed ˇ/

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trochaic

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stressed, unstressed /ˇ

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anapestic

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unstressed, unstressed, stressed ˇˇ/

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dactylic

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stressed, unstressed, unstressed /ˇˇ

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spondaic

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stressed, stressed //

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foreshadowing

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a literary technique in which the author uses clues to prepare readers for events that will occur later.

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free verse

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verse that contains an irregular metrical pattern and line length; also called vers libre.

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genre

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a category or type of literature, defined by its style, form, and content. Examples include poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

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hero

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the chief character in a literary work, usually one with admirable qualities.

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heroic couplet

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a pair of rhymed lines in iambic pentameter that work together to make a point or express an idea.

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hubris

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the flaw that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero; the word comes from the Greek word hybris, meaning "excessive pride."

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hyperbole

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a figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis.

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imagery

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the use of words to create pictures in the reader's mind.

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imagism

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a movement in early twentieth-century poetry, which regarded the image as the essence of poetry.

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interior monologue

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a literary technique that records a character's memories, opinions, and emotions.

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internal rhyme

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rhyme that occurs within a line of verse.

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inversion

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reversal of the usual word order for variety or emphasis, as in Coleridge's lines "A damsel with a dulcimer/In a vision once I saw".

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irony

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the use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or expected meaning.

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dramatic irony

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the reader or the playgoer has information unknown

cset english literature and textual analysis: composition and rhetoric – Flashcards

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