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abstract

answer

an abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research

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adage

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a saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in methaphorical language

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allegory

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a story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical, or possibly an ethical meaning-values beyond themselves

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alliteration

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repetition of one or more initial consonants in lines of poetry or prose ("look before you leap" or "the furrow follows free")

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allusion

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reference to a person, place, or event-enhances meaning of idea

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ambiguity

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a vagueness of meaning-meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation

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anachronism

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"against time" person, scene, or event that fails to correspond with the era of the work (Aristotlee wearing a wristwatch)

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analogy

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a comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things

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annotation

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brief explanation or evaluation of a text

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antagonist

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character or force that, by opposing the protagonist produces tension/conflict

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antithesis

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contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences ("ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country"or "promised freedom but provided slavery")

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aphorism

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a short statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment,

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apostrophe

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a rhetorical device in which a speaker addresses a person or personified thing not present

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archetype

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perfectly typical example

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assonance

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repetition of two or more vowel sounds ("meet pete green")

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ballad

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simple narrative verse telling a story that is sung/recited

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bard

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a poet, in olden times telling heroic stories to musical accompaniment

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bathos

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use of insincere or overdone sentimentality

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bibliography

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works cited

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bildungsroman

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german word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal

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blank verse

answer

written in iambic pentameter, lines generally do not rhyme

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bombast

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inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects

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burlesque

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work of literature meant to ridicule a subject

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cacophony

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inharmonious sounds

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caesura

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pause somewhere in middle of verse, often marked by punctuation

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canon

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works considered more important in a nation literature or period; works widely read and studied

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caricature

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grotesque likeness of striking qualities in a person/thing

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catharsis

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cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy (Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth)

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classic

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withstood the test of time

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classicism

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deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient greek and roman culture, implies formality, simplicity, and restraint

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climax

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the high point in a story

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coming of age story

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young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood

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conceit

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develops a comparison which is exceedingly unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually, imaginative ("two lovers with the two legs of a draftsman's compass).

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connotation

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suggested or implied meaning of a phrase

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consonance

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repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or line of poetry

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couplet

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pair of rhyming lines

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heroic couplet

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two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter

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denotation

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dictionary definition of a word

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deus ex machina

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in literature the use of an artificial device or person to solve a problem ("god in machine")

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diction

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word choice

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Dionysian

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refers to a sensual, pleasure seeking impulse

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dramatic irony

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circumstance in which the audience knows more about a situation than a character

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elegy

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laments on the passing or death of something or someone of value

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ellipsis

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three periods ( . . .) indicates omission of words in a thought or quotation

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elliptical construction

answer

sentence containing a deliberate omission of words ("May was hot and June the same")

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empathy

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feeling of association or identification with an object or person

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end

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stopped-term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause indicated by a mark of punctuation

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enjambment

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in poetry, use of successive line with no punctuation or pause between them

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epic

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extended narrative poem telling the adventures of a hero that is generally larger than life (Odysseus or Homer's Iliad)

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epigram

answer

concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement

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euphony

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pleasing, harmonious sounds

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epithet

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adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing ("Death lies on her like an untimely frost. Upon the sweetest flower of all the field" from Romeo and Juliet).

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eponymous

answer

term for the title character of a work of literature

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euphemism

answer

mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term (pass away for the word die)

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expose

answer

piece of writing that revels weakness, faults ,frailties, or other short comings

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exposition

answer

background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of literature

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explication

answer

interpretation or analysis of a text

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extended metaphor

answer

a series of comparison between two unlikely objects

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fable

answer

short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people drawing useful lessons from human behavior

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falling action

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action in a play/story that occurs after the climax, often leads to conclusion and resolution of conflict

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farce

answer

comedy containing an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness

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figure of speech

answer

implies meaning

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foil

answer

a minor character whose personality or attitude contrasts with that of the main character

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foot

answer

a unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line

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frame

answer

structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative

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free verse

answer

without rhymed lines, rhythm, or fixed metrical feet

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Gothic novel

answer

novel in which supernatural horrors and atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action

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harangue

answer

forceful sermon or lecture

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hubris

answer

excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to death

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humanism

answer

a belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity

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hyperbole

answer

overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect

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idyll

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lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place

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image

answer

world or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched ,tasted, smelled, of felt

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in medias res

answer

Latin term for narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but at some other critical point

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indirect quotation

answer

rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but paraphrased

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irony

answer

mode of expression in which the intended meaning is opposite of what is stated

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kenning

answer

name of thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities ("ring giver" for king or "whale road" for ocean)

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lampoon

answer

mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation

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light verse

answer

variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse, sometimes with satirical thrust

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litotes

answer

form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to increase emphasis (He is not a bad dancer.)

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loose sentence

answer

sentence that follows the customary word order of English

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lyric poetry

answer

personal, reflective poetry

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maxim

answer

a saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth

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melodrama

answer

literary form in which events are exaggerated in order to create an extreme emotion response

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metaphor

answer

figure of speech that compares unlike objects

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metaphysical poetry

answer

the work of poets, particularly those 17th century; uses elaborate conceits, very intellectual, expresses the complexities of love and life

question

meter

answer

pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry

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metonymy

answer

a figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else (The white house says...)

question

middle english

answer

the language spoken in England roughly between 1150-1500 AD

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mock epic

answer

parody of traditional epic form; treats a frivolous topic with extreme seriousness

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mode

answer

general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a work of literature

question

montage

answer

quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea

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mood

answer

the emotional tone in a work of literature

question

moral

answer

brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature

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motif

answer

phrase, idea, or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature

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muse

answer

one of the ancient Greek goddesses presiding over the arts; the imaginary source of inspiration for a artist or writer

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myth

answer

imaginary story that has become an accepted part of the cultural or religious tradition of a group or society

question

narrative

answer

form of verse or prose that tells a story

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naturalism

answer

often used as a synonym for realism; view of experience that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic

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non sequitur

answer

a statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before

question

novella

answer

work of fiction of roughly 20,000-50,000 words

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novel of manners

answer

novel focusing on and describing the social customs and habits of a particular social group (ex.: Pride and Prejudice)

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ode

answer

lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings

question

Old English

answer

the Anglo Saxon language spoken in what is now ngland from approximately 450-1150 A.D.

question

omniscient narrator

answer

narrator with unlimited awareness, understanding, and insight of characters, settings, background, and all other elements of a story

question

onomatopoeia

answer

the use of words who's sounds suggest meaning

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ottava rims

answer

8-line rhyming stanza of a poem

question

oxymoron

answer

term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect ("loud silence" "jumbo shrimp")

question

parble

answer

story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived

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paradox

answer

statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true

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parody

answer

imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject

question

paraphrase

answer

version of a work put into simpler, everyday terms

question

pastoral

answer

work of literature dealing with rural life

question

pathetic fallacy

answer

faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects

question

pathos

answer

element of literature that stimulates pity or sorrow

question

pentameter

answer

verse with 5 poetic feet per line

question

periodic sentence

answer

sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing the main thought only at the end; the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support (In spite of heavy snow and cold temperatures, the game continued.)

question

persona

answer

role or faced that a character assumes

question

personification

answer

figure of speech in which objects and animals are given human characteristics

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plot

answer

interrelationship among the events in a story

question

picaresque novel

answer

episodic novel about a rogue like wanderer who lives off his wits

question

protagonist

answer

main character in a work of literature

question

pseudonym

answer

"pen name"

question

pulp fiction

answer

novels written for mass consumption

question

pun

answer

humorous play on words

question

quatrain

answer

4-line poem or 4-line unit of longer poem

question

realism

answer

depiction of people, things, and events as they really are

question

rhetoric

answer

language of a work and its style

question

rhetorical stance

answer

language that conveys a speakers attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject

question

rhyme

answer

repetition of similar sounds at regular intervals

question

rhyme scheme

answer

pattern of rhymes within a given poem

question

roman a clef

answer

French for a novel in which historical events and actual people appear under the work of fiction

question

romance

answer

extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places

question

satire

answer

literary style used to poke fun at, attack or ridicule an idea for the purpose of inducing a change

question

scan

answer

act of determining the meter of a poetic line scansion

question

sentiment

answer

synonym for view or feeling

question

sentimental

answer

term that describes characters' excessive emotional response to experience; also nauseatingly nostalgic

question

setting

answer

total environment for the action in a novel or play

question

simile

answer

figurative comparison using the worlds like or as

question

sonnet

answer

popular form of verse with 14 lines and prescribed rhyme scheme (Shakespeare created Elizabethan sonnet; Petrarch created Italian sonnet)

question

stanza

answer

group of two or more lines in poetry that combine according to subject matter, rhyme, or other plan

question

stream of consciousness

answer

a style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind

question

subplot

answer

a subordinate or minor collection of events in a novel or play, usually connected to the main point

question

subtext

answer

implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work

question

symbolism

answer

use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object

question

synecdoche

answer

figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole (pigskin for football)

question

syntax

answer

organization of language into meaningful structure; pattern of words

question

theme

answer

the main idea or meaning

question

title character

answer

a character whose name appears in the title of the novel or play; eponymous character

question

tone

answer

author's attitude towards subject being written about

question

tragedy

answer

form of literature in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and a set of forces that cause the hero considerable anguish

question

trope

answer

generic name for a figure of speech such as image, symbol, simile, and metaphor

question

verbal irony

answer

discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written word

question

verse

answer

a synonym for poetry; group of lines in a song or poem; also a single line of poetry

question

verisimilitude

answer

similar to the truth; quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is

question

versification

answer

the structural form of a line of verse as revealed by the number of feet it contains

question

villanelle

answer

french verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of 19 lines and prescribed rhyming pattern

question

volta

answer

any shift or turning point in a work of prose or poetry; may mark a shift in point of view, tone, mood, or style; found in sonnets between the octave (first 8 lines) and sestet (final six lines)

AP English Literature and Composition: Barron’s Key Terminology – Flashcards

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