English Literature Vocabulary – Flashcards
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allegory
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a work that functions on a symbolic level
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alliteration
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Repetition of initial consonant sounds
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allusion
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a reference contained in a work
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anapest
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a metrical pattern of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable
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apostrophe
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direct address in poetry
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aside
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words spoken by an actor intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on stage
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aubade
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a love poem set at dawn which bids farewell to the beloved
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ballad
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a simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue that is written in quatrains, generally with a rhyme scheme of abcd
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blank verse
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unrhymed iambic pentameter. Most of Shakespeare's plays are in this form
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cacophony
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harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of a literary work
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caesura
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a break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by pronunciation and used to emphasize meaning
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catharsis
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According to Aristotle, the release of emotion that the audience of a tragedy experiences
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character
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one who carries out the action of the plot in literature. Major, minor, static, and dynamic are types of character
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climax
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the turning point of action or character in a literary work, usually the highest moment of tension.
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comic relief
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the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event.
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conflict
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a clash between opposing forces in a literary work, such as man vs man, man vs nature, man vs God, man vs self
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connotation
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interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning
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convention
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a traditional aspect of a literary work, such as soliloquy in a Shakespearean play or a tragic hero in a Greek tragedy
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couplet
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two lines of rhyming poetry; often used by Shakespeare to conclude a scene or an important passage
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dactyl
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a foot of poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
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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 conclusion or tying up of loose ends in a literary work; the resolution of the conflict and plot
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deus ex machina
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a Greek inventio, literally "the god from the machine" who appears at the last moment and resolves the loose ends of a play. Today, refers to anyone, usually of some stature, who untangles, resolves, or revelas the key to the plot of a work.
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diction
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the author's choice of words
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dramatic monologue
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a type of poem that presents a conversation between a speaker and an implied listener
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elegy
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a poem that laments the dead or a loss
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enjambment
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a technique in poetry that involves the running on of a line or stanza
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epic
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a lengthy, elevated poem that celebrates the exploits of a hero
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epigram
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a brief witty poem
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euphony
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the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work
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exposition
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background information presented in a literary work
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fable
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a simple, symbolic story usually employing animals as characters
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figurative language
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the body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one. Includes metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, hyperbole.
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flashback
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a device that enables a writer to refer to past thoughts, events, episodes
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foot
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a metrical unit in poetry; a syllabic measure of a line; iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee
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foreshadowing
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hints of future events in a literary work
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form
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the shape or structure of a literary work
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free verse
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poetry without a defined form, meter, or rhyme scheme
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hyperbole
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extreme exaggeration
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iamb
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a metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one
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idyll
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a type of lyric poem which extols the virtues of an ideal place or time
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image
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a verbal approximation of related sensory images in a work of literature
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impressionism
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writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event, or concept
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irony
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an unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected to happen.
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lyric poetry
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a type of poetry characterized by emotion, personal feelings, and brevity
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magical realism
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a type of literature that explores narratives by and about characters who inhabit and experience their reality differently from what we term the objective world
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metaphor
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a direct comparison between dissimilar things
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metaphysical poetry
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refers to the works of poets like John Donne who explore highly complex, philosophical ideas through extended metaphors and paradox
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meter
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a pattern of beats in poetry
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metonymy
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a figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea
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monologue
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a speech given by one character
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motif
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the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work which is used to develop theme or characters
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narrative poem
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a poem that tells a story
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narrator
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the speaker of a literary work
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octave
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an eight-line stanza, usually combined with a sestet in a Petrarchan sonnet
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ode
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a formal, lengthy poem that celebrates a particular subject
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onomatopoeia
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words that sound like the sound they represent (hiss, gurgle, bang)
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oxymoron
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an image of contradictory terms
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parable
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a story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson
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parallel plot
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a secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot
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parody
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a comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original
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pathos
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the aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience
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personification
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the assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or concepts
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plot
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a sequence of events in a literary work
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point of view
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the method of narration in a work
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protagonist
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the hero or main character of a literary work the character the audience sympathizes with
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quatrain
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a four line stanza
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resolution
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the denouement of a literary work
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rhetorical question
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a question that does not expect an explicit answer
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rhyme/rime
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the duplication of final syllable sounds in two or more lines
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rhyme scheme
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the annotation of the pattern of the rhyme
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rhythm
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the repetitive pattern of beats in poetry
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romanticism
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a style or movement of literature that has its foundation an interest in freedom, adventure, idealism, and escape
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satire
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a mode of writing based on ridicule, which criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution
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scansion
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analysis of a poem's rhyme and meter
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sestet
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a six-line stanza, usually paired with an octave to form a Petrarchan sonnet
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sestina
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a highly structured poetic line of 39 lines, written in iambic pentameter
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setting
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the time and place of a literary work
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simile
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an indirect comparison that uses the word, "like or "as" to link the differing items in comparison
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soliloquy
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a speech in a play which is used to reveal the character's inner thoughts to the audience
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sonnet
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a 14 line poem with a prescribed rhyme scheme in iambic pentameter
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spondee
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a poetic foot consisting of two accented syllables
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stage directions
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the specific instructions of a playwright
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stanza
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a unit of poem
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structure
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the organization and form of a work
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style
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the unique way an author presents his ideas
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subplot
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a secondary plot that explores ideas different from the main storyline
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subtext
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implied meaning of a work or section of a work
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symbol
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something in a literary work that stands for something else
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synecdoche
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a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole
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syntax
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the grammatical structure of prose and poetry
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tercet
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a three-line stanza
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theme
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the underlying ideas that the author illustrates
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tone
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the author's attitude toward his subject
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tragic hero
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a basically good person of noble birth or exalted position who has a fatal flaw
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trochee
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a single meterical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by one unaccented
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understatement
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the opposite of exaggeration
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villanelle
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a highly structured poetic form that comprises six stanzas: five tercets and a quatrain. The poem repeats the first and third lines throughout
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paradox
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a set of seemingly contradictory elements which nevertheless reflects an underlying truth
