AP Literature and Composition Literary Terms
IB Literature and Composition Literary Terms
Please devour these terms and definitions so you know them well
by the second six weeks. You will use these terms and understanding
their effect in order to analyze literary fiction and to answer
discussion questions, general oral questions, writing prompts, and
in-class timed essays. The student who earns an “A” in class is one
who frequently wields the terminology in an accurate manner.
Additional terms will be added as we progress in our class
studies.
act: a major unit of action in a drama or play. Each
act can be further divided into smaller sections called scenes.
allegory: a story in which people, things and actions represent
an idea about life; allegories often have a strong moral or
lesson.
alliteration (a-LIT-uh-RAY-shuhn): the repetition of consonant
sounds at the beginning of words (tongue twisters)
allusion (a-LOO-zhuhn): a reference in a literary work to
a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature.
Allusions are often indirect or brief references to well-known
characters or events.
analogy: a comparison of two or more like objects that suggests
if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike
in other ways as well.
anecdote: a brief account of an interesting incident or
event that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point.
antagonist (an-TAG-uh-nist): see character
aside: an actor’s speech, directed to the audience, that is not
supposed to be heard by other actors on stage. An aside is used to
let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or
she is thinking.
assonance: repetition of vowel sounds within a line of
poetry.
audience: the particular group of readers or viewers that
the writer is addressing. A writer considers his or her
audience when deciding on a subject, a purpose for writing and the
tone and style in which to write.
author: the writer of a book, article or other text.
author’s purpose: an author’s purpose is his or her reason
for creating a particular work. The purpose can be to
entertain, explain or inform, express an opinion, or to
persuade.
autobiography: a form of nonfiction in which a person tells the
story of his or her life.
ballad: is a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or
recited.
biography: the story of a person’s life that is written by
someone else.
blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter (see meter)
caesura: a pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry
cause and effect: two events are related as cause and
effect when one event brings about or causes the other. The
event that happens first is the cause; the one that follows is the
effect.
character: a person who is responsible for the thoughts
and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. Characters
are extremely important because they are the medium through which a
reader interacts with a piece of literature. Every character has
his or her own personality, which a creative author uses to assist
in forming the plot of a story or creating a mood.
Terms Associated with Characterization:
1. antagonist
(an-TAG-uh-nist): a character in a story or poem who
deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character, or
protagonist, in some way. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have
to be a person. It could be death, the devil, an illness, or any
challenge that prevents the main character from living “happily
ever after."
2. caricature: a picture or
imitation of a person’s habits, physical appearance or mannerisms
exaggerated in a comic or absurd way.
3. foil: a character who serves as
a contrast or a conflict to another character
4. hero/heroine: a character whose
actions are inspiring or noble; often the main character in a
story.
5. main characters: the
characters who are central to the plot of a story; main characters
are usually dynamic and round.
6. minor characters: a less
important character who interacts with the main characters, helping
to move the plot along and providing background for the
story. Minor characters are usually static and flat.
7. novel, play, story, or
poem. He or she may also be referred to as the "hero" of a
work.
characterization: all of the techniques that writers use
to create characters.
Terms Associated with Characterization:
1. character trait: a
character’s personality; a trait is not a physical description of a
character.
2. direct characterization:
the author directly states a character’s traits or makes direct
comments about a character’s nature.
3. dynamic character: a
character who changes throughout the course of the story.
4. flat character: a
character about whom little information is provided.
5. indirect characterization:
the author does not directly state a character’s traits;
instead the reader draws conclusions and discovers a character’s
traits based upon clues provided by the author.
6. round character: is a
character who is fully described by the author (several character
traits, background information, etc.)
7. static character: a
character who does not change or who changes very little in the
course of a story.
chorus: see refrain
chronological order: the order in which events happen in
time.
clarifying: the reader’s process of pausing occasionally while
reading to quickly review what he or she understands. By
clarifying as they read, good readers are able to draw conclusions
about what is suggested but not stated directly.
cliché: a type of figurative language containing an overused
expression or a saying that is no longer considered original.
climax: see plot
comedy: a dramatic work that is light and often humorous
in tone and usually ends happily with a peaceful resolution of the
main conflict.
comparison: the process of identifying similarities.
concrete poetry: a type of poetry that uses its physical or
visual form to present its message.
conflict: the tension or problem in the story; a struggle
between opposing forces.
Terms Associated With Conflict:
1. central conflict: the
dominant or most important conflict in the story.
2. external conflict: the
problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an
outside force. (ex: person vs. person, person vs. society,
person vs. nature, person vs. the supernatural, person vs.
technology, etc.)
3. internal conflict: the
problem or struggle that takes place in the main character’s mind
(person vs. self).
connecting: a reader’s process of relating the content of
a literary work to his or her own knowledge and experience.
connotation (KAH-nuh-TAE-shun): the idea and feeling associated
with a word as opposed to its dictionary definition or
denotation.
consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere
within a line of poetry. Alliteration is a specific type of
consonance.
context clues: hints or suggestions that may surround
unfamiliar words or phrases and clarify their meaning.
contrast: the process of pointing out differences between
things.
couplet (KUP-let): a rhymed pair of lines in a poem.
One of William Shakespeare’s trademarks was to end a sonnet with a
couplet, as in the poem “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s
Day”:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long as lives
this, and this gives life to thee.
denotation (DEE-no-TAE-shuhn) is the opposite
of connotation in that it is the exact or dictionary meaning
of a word.
denouement (day-noo-mon): see plot
dialect: a form of language that is spoken in a particular
place or by a particular group of people.
dialogue (di-UH-log): The conversation between characters in a
drama or narrative. A dialogue occurs in most works of
literature.
drama: a drama or play is a form of literature meant to be
performed by actors before an audience. In a drama, the
characters’ dialogue and actions tell the story. The written
form of a play is known as a script.
drawing conclusions: combining several pieces of
information to make an inference is called drawing a
conclusion.
dramatic monologue (dra-MA-tik mon'-O-lôg): a literary device
that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts
and feelings, those that are hidden throughout the course of the
story line, through a poem or a speech. This speech, where only one
character speaks, is recited while other characters are present
onstage. This monologue often comes during a climactic moment in a
work and often reveals hidden truths about a character, their
history and their relationships.
elegy (EL-e-je): a type of literature defined as a song or poem
that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has
died.
enjambment: in poetry, the running over of a line or thought
into the next of verse
epigram (ep-e-gram): a short poem or verse that seeks to
ridicule a thought or event, usually with witticism or sarcasm.
epic: a long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero
whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or
group.
epiphany: a sudden moment of understanding that causes a
character to change or to act in a certain way.
epitaph: a short poem or verse written in memory of someone
essay: a short work of nonfiction that deals with a single
subject.
Various Types of Essays
1. descriptive essay is one that
describes a particular subject.
2. expository essay is one whose
purpose is to explain and give information about a subject.
3. formal essay is highly
organized and thoroughly researched.
4. humorous essay is one whose
purpose is to amuse or entertain the reader.
5. informal essay is lighter in
tone and usually reflects the writer’s feelings and
personality.
6. narrative essay is an essay
that tells a story.
7. persuasive essay attempts to
convince a reader to adopt a particular option or course of
action.
evaluating: the process of judging the value of something
or someone. A work of literature can be evaluated in terms of
such criteria as entertainment, believability, originality, and
emotional power.
exaggeration: see hyperbole
exposition: see plot
extended metaphor: a figure of speech that compares two
essentially unlike things in great length.
external conflict: see conflict
fable: a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature.
Fables often feature animals as characters.
fact and opinion: a fact is a statement that can be
proved. An opinion, in contrast, is a statement that reflects the
writer’s or speaker’s belief, but which cannot be supported by
proof or evidence.
falling action: see plot
fantasy: a work of literature that contains at least one
fantastic or unreal element.
fiction: prose writing that tells an imaginary
story. Fiction includes both short stories and novels.
figurative language or figure of speech: expressions that
are not literally true. see simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
understatement, irony, oxymoron, cliché, metonymy
first person point of view: see point of view
flashback: an interruption of the chronological sequence
(as in a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence.
A flashback is a narrative technique that allows a writer to
present past events during current events, in order to provide
background for the current narration.
foil: see character
folklore: traditions, customs and stories that are passed
down within a culture. Folklore contains various types of
literature such as legends, folktales, myths, and fables.
folktale: a simple story that has been passed from
generation to generation by word of mouth. Folktales are told
primarily to entertain rather than to explain or teach a
lesson.
foot: a unit of meter within a line of poetry
foreshadowing: when the writer provides clues or hints that
suggest or predict future event in a story.
free verse: poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and
rhythm. Often used to capture the sounds and rhythms of
ordinary speech.
generalization: a broad statement about an entire
group.
genre (ZHAHN-ruh): a type or category of literature. The
four main literary genres include: fiction, nonfiction,
poetry, and drama. \
haiku: a traditional form of Japanese poetry, usually
dealing with nature. A haiku has three lines and describes a
single moment, feeling or thing. The first and third lines
contain five syllables and the second line contains seven
syllables.
hero or heroine: see character
heroic couplet or closed couplet: a couplet consisting of two
successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought.
historical fiction: fiction that explores a past time
period and may contain references to actual people and events of
the past.
horror fiction: fiction that contains mysterious and often
supernatural events to create a sense of terror.
humor: the quality that provokes laughter or
amusement. Writers create humor through exaggeration,
sarcasm, amusing descriptions, irony, and witty dialogue.
hyperbole (hi-per-bo-lee): a figure of speech in which the truth
is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect.
iambic pentameter: see meter
idiom: a phrase or expression that means something different
from what the words actually say (for example, using the phrase
“over his head” instead of “He doesn’t understand”).
imagery: the use of words and phrases that appeal to the
five senses. Writers use sensory details to help readers
imagine how things look, feel, smell, sound, and taste.
inference: is a logical guess based on evidence based on
evidence in the text.
internal conflict: see conflict
interview: a meeting in which one person asks another
about personal matters, professional matters or both.
irony (i-RAH-nee): a contrast between what is expected and
what actually exists or happens. Irony spices up a literary work by
adding unexpected twists and allowing the reader to become more
involved with the characters and plot.
There are many types of irony, including:
1. verbal irony: occurs when
the speaker means something totally different than what he or she
is saying and often times the opposite of what a character is
saying is true.
2. dramatic irony: occurs
when facts are not known to the characters in a work of literature
but are known by the audience.
3. cosmic irony: suggests
that some unknown force brings about dire and dreadful events.
4. irony of situation: the
difference between what is expected to happen and the way events
actually work out.
legend: a story handed down from the past about a specific
person, usually someone of heroic accomplishments.
limerick: a short humorous poem composed of five lines
that usually has the rhyme scheme aabba, created by two rhyming
couplets followed by a fifth line that rhymes with the first
couplet. A limerick typically has a sing-song rhythm.
literal meaning: the actual meaning of a word or phrase.
lyric (LEER-ick) poetry: a song-like poem written mainly to
express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker.
main character: see character
main idea: the most important point that a writer wishes
to express.
memoir: a specific type of autobiography; like
autobiography, a memoir is about the author’s personal experiences.
However, a memoir does not necessarily cover the author’s entire
life.
metaphor (met-AH-for): a type of figurative language in which a
comparison is made between two things that are essentially unalike
but may have one quality in common. Unlike a simile, a
metaphor does not contain an explicit word of comparison, such as
“like” or “as”.
meter: the regular pattern of accented and unaccented
syllables. Although all poems have rhythm, not all poems have
regular meter. Each unit of meter is known as a foot. The
conventional symbols used to identify accented and unaccented
syllables are: “/” to indicate an accented syllable; and an “X” or
a small symbol shaped like a “U” to indicate an unaccented symbol.
The metrical foot is the basic unit of meter. The most common
metrical feet and their patterns of stressed and unstressed
syllables are as follows:
· iamb: X /
· trochee: / X
· anapest: X X /
· dactyl: / X X
· spondee: / /
· pyrrhic: X X
The meter of a poem is determined by the predominant metrical
foot, and by the number of feet per line that predominates in the
poem. The following terms indicate the number of feet per line:
· monometer: one foot
per line
· dimeter: two feet
per line
· trimeter: three feet
per line
· tetrameter: four
feet per line
· pentameter: five
feet per line
· hexameter: six feet
per line
· heptameter: seven
feet per line
· octameter: eight
feet per line
A poem written in predominantly iambic meter, with five feet per
line, would be called "iambic pentameter." One written in primarily
trochaic meter, with four feet per line, would be "trochaic
tetrameter." One written in anapestic meter, with three feet per
line, would be "anapestic trimeter."
metonymy: the metaphorical substitution of one word or phrase
for another related word or phrase. Example: “The pen is mightier
than the sword.” The word “pen” is used in place of “words”
and the word “sword” is used to represent the idea of fighting or
war.
minor character: see character
mood: a mood or atmosphere is the feeling that a literary work
conveys to readers. Mood is created through the use of plot,
character, the author’s descriptions, etc.
moral: a lesson that a story teaches. A moral is often
stated directly at the end of a fable.
motif (moh-TEEF): a recurring object, concept, or structure in a
work of literature. A motif may also be two contrasting elements in
a work, such as good and evil. A motif is important because it
allows one to see main points and themes that the author is trying
to express, in order that one might be able to interpret the work
more accurately.
motivation: the reason why a character acts, feels or thinks in
a certain way.
myth (mith): a traditional story that attempts to explain how
the world was created or why the world is the way that it is. Myths
are stories that are passed on from generation to generation and
are of unknown authorship. Also see folklore.
narrative (na-RAH-tiv): any writing that tells a story. Most
novels and short stories are placed into the categories of
first-person and third-person narratives, which are based on who is
telling the story and from what perspective.
Terms that relate to "narrative”
1. narrative poetry: poetry that
tells a story. A narrative poem can come in many forms and styles,
both complex and simple, short or long, as long as it tells a
story. Like fiction, narrative poetry contains characters, settings
and plots.
2. narrator: one who tells a
story; the speaker or the “voice” of an oral or written work. The
narrator is not usually the same person as the author. The narrator
is the direct window into a piece of work. Who the author chooses
to narrate establishes the point of view in the story.
3. unreliable narrator: one who
gives his or her own understanding of a story, instead of the
explanation and interpretation the author wishes the audience to
obtain. This type of action tends to alter the audience’s opinion
of the conclusion.
narrative poem (nar-RAH-tiv po-EM): see narrative
narrator (nar-RAY-ter): see narrative
nonfiction: is prose writing that presents and explains ideas or
that tells about real people, places, objects or events. Some
examples of nonfiction include autobiographies, newspaper articles,
biographies, essays, etc.
novel: a work of fiction that is longer and more complex than a
short story. In a novel, setting, plot and characters are
usually developed in great detail.
ode: a lyric poem of some length, usually of serious or
meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal
structure.onomatopoeia: the use of words whose sound suggest
their meaning (ex. buzz, bang, hiss).opinion: see fact and
opinion
oral history: stories of people’s lives related by word of
mouth. These histories usually include both factual material
and personal reactions. oxymoron: a form of figurative
language combining contradictory words or ideas (ex. jumbo shrimp,
bittersweet).
paradox: a statement that seems to contradict itself but
is, nevertheless, true.
parallelism: the use of similar grammatical constructions
to express ideas that are related or equal in importance. For
example: The sun rises. The sun sets.
paraphrasing: the restatement of a text by readers in
their own words or in another form.
parody: a literary or artistic work that imitates the
characteristic style of an author’s work for comic effect or
ridicule.
personification {PER-son-E-fih-ka-shEn): a figure of speech
where animals, ideas or inanimate objects are given human
characteristics.
perspective: see point of view
persuasion: persuasive writing is meant to sway readers’
feelings, beliefs, or actions. Persuasion normally appeals to
both the mind and the emotions of readers.
play: see drama
plot: the sequence of related events that make up a
story.
Terms Associated with Plot
1. exposition: introduces
the characters and the conflicts they face.
2. inciting incident: occurs
after the exposition and introduces the central conflict within the
story.
3. rising action: following
the introduction of the central conflict; complications arise as
the characters struggle with the
conflict.
4. climax: the turning
point, point of maximum interest, and highest tension in the plot
of a story, play, or film. The climax usually occurs towards
the end of story after the reader has understood the conflict and
become emotionally involved with the characters. At the
climax, the conflict is resolved, and the outcome of the plot
becomes
clear.
5. falling action: the end
of the central conflict in a story, when the action starts to wind
down.
6. resolution or denouement:
occurs after the climax and is where conflicts are resolved and
loose ends are tied up.
7. subplot: an additional
minor plot that involves a secondary conflict in the story; the
subplot may or may not affect the main plot.
poetry: a type of literature in which ideas and feelings
are expressed in compact, imaginative, and often musical
language. Poets arrange words in ways designed to touch
readers’ senses, emotions, and minds. Most poems are written
in lines that may contain patterns of rhyme and rhythm. These
lines may in turn be grouped in stanzas. See narrative, epic,
ballad, lyric, haiku, limerick and concrete poetry.
point of view: perspective from which a story is told.
Understanding the point of view used in a work is critical to
understanding literature; it serves as the instrument to relay the
events of a story, and in some instances the feelings and motives
of the character(s).
Terms Associated with Point of
View:
1. first person point of
view: the person telling the story is one of the characters
in the story. It is the “I” point of view. It is the
most limited among the types because the narrator can only state
what he or she sees, feels, and hears. He or she cannot go
into the minds of the other characters.
2. second person point of
view: refers to the use of “you” in explanations or
arguments. It is not frequently used, but is appropriate in certain
circumstances. Most second person points of view occur within
instructions that are meant to be followed.
3. third person limited or third
person objective: the person telling the story is not one of
the characters in the story. He or she is an outside
observer. The reader can only know what one character learns
through interaction with other characters or through overheard
conversations. The narrator cannot supply the thoughts or
feelings of other characters in the
story.
4. third person omniscient:
the narrator is not a character in the story, but the events in the
story are seen through the eyes of more than one of the
characters. The narrator is considered to be “all knowing”
and cannot only see and hear everything that is happening to all
characters in the story, but can also enter their minds and tell
the reader what each is thinking and feeling. This is the least
limited point of view because the narrator has knowledge of all the
characters.
predicting: the process of gathering information and
combining it with the reader’s own knowledge to guess what might
occur in the story.
primary source: a first hand account of an event; primary
sources include: diaries, journals, letters, speeches, news
stories, photographs, and pieces of art.
propaganda: text that uses false or misleading information to
present a slanted point of view.
prose: the ordinary form of spoken and written language;
that is, language that lacks the special features of poetry.
Examples of prose include: essays, stories, articles,
speeches, etc.
protagonist (pro-TAG-eh-nist) see character
questioning: the process of raising questions while
reading in an effort to understand characters and events.
realistic fiction: imaginative writing set in the real,
modern world. The characters act like real people who use
ordinary human abilities to cope with problems and conflicts
typical of modern life.
refrain: repetition in literature of one or more lines at
regular intervals; sometimes called the chorus.
repetition: a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or
line is repeated for effect or emphasis.
resolution: see plot
rhyme (rime): repetition of an identical or similarly accented
sound or sounds in a work. Rhyme gives poems flow and rhythm,
helping the lyricist tell a story and convey a mood.
Some Terms Associated with Rhyme:
1.
end or terminal rhymes: words that rhyme at the end of a
verse-line.
2.
eye rhymes: are words that when written appear to rhyme, but when
spoken do not (ex: dog/fog, cough/enough/bough, etc).
3.
internal rhyme: rhyme found within a line of poetry
(alliteration, assonance, and consonance).
4.
slant rhyme (slänt rime) is also known as near rhyme, half rhyme,
off rhyme, imperfect rhyme, oblique rhyme, or pararhyme. A
distinctive system or pattern of metrical structure and verse
composition in which two words have only their final consonant
sounds and no preceding vowel or consonant sounds in common.
Instead of perfect or identical sounds or rhyme, it is the
repetition of near or similar sounds or the pairing of accented and
unaccented sounds that if both were accented would be perfect
rhymes (stopped and wept, parable and shell). Alliteration,
assonance, and consonance are accepted as slant rhyme due to their
usage of sound combinations (spilled and spoiled, chitter and
chatter).
rhyme scheme: the pattern of end rhyme used in a poem, generally
indicated by matching lowercase letters to show which lines rhyme.
The letter "a" notes the first line, and all other lines rhyming
with the first line. The first line that does not rhyme with the
first, or "a" line, and all others that rhyme with this line, is
noted by the letter "b", and so on. The rhyme scheme may follow a
fixed pattern (as in a sonnet) or may be arranged freely according
to the poet's requirements.
rhythm (see also meter): refers to the pattern of flow of
sounds created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of poetry. The accented or stressed
syllables are marked with:
stressed or accented syllables: /
unstressed or unaccented syllables: X or U
rising action: see plot
sarcasm: the use of praise to mock someone or something; the use
of mockery or verbal irony
satire: a literary technique in which ideas or customs are
ridiculed for the purpose of improving society.
scanning: the process of searching through writing for a
particular fact or piece of information.
scene: a section in a play presenting events that occur in
one place at one time.
science fiction: prose writing in which a writer explores
unexpected possibilities of the past or the future by using
scientific data and theories as well as his or her
imagination.
secondary source: a secondary source presents information
compiled from or based on other sources.
sensory details: words and phrases that help readers see,
hear, taste, feel, or smell what an author is describing.
sequence: the order in which events occur or in which
ideas are presented.
setting (set-ting): the time, place, physical details, and
circumstances in which a story occurs. Settings include the
background, atmosphere or environment in which characters live and
move, and usually include physical characteristics of the
surroundings.
Settings enables the reader to better envision how a story
unfolds by relating necessary physical details of a piece of
literature.
short story: brief work of fiction that generally focuses
on one or two main characters who face a single problem or
conflict.
simile (sim-EH-lee): a simile is a type of figurative language
that makes a comparison between two otherwise unlike objects or
ideas by connecting them with the words "like" or "as."
soliloquy: a speech delivered by a character who is alone on the
stage.
sonnet (sonn-IT): a sonnet is a distinctive poetic style that
uses a system or pattern of metrical structure and verse
composition usually consisting of fourteen lines, arranged in a set
rhyme scheme or pattern. There are two main styles of sonnet, the
Italian sonnet and the English sonnet.
1. The Italian or Petrarchan
sonnet is usually written in iambic pentameter. It consists first
of an octave, or eight lines, which asks a question or states a
problem or proposition and follows the rhyme scheme a-b-b-a,
a-b-b-a. The sestet, or last six lines, offers an answer, or a
resolution to the proposed problem, and follows the rhyme scheme
c-d-e-c-d-e.
2. In the English or Shakespearean
sonnet the octave and sestet were replaced by three quatrains, each
having its own independent rhyme scheme typically rhyming every
other line, and ending with a rhyme couplet. Instead of the
Italianic break between the octave and the sestet, the break comes
between the twelfth and thirteenth lines. The ending couplet is
often the main thought change of the poem, and has an epigrammatic
ending. It follows the rhyme scheme a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f,
g-g.
sound devices: see alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme
and rhythm.
speaker: the voice that talks to the reader in a poem, as the
narrator does in a work of fiction. The speaker in the poem
is not necessarily the poet.
speech: a talk given in public.
stage directions: the instructions to the actors, director and
stage crew in the script of a play.
stanza: a grouping of two or more lines within a poem. A
stanza is comparable to a paragraph in prose. Some common stanza
forms
include:
· two line stanza:
couplet
· three line stanza:
triplet or tercet
· four line stanza:
quatrain
· five line stanza:
cinquain or quintet
· six line stanza:
sestet or sextet
· seven line stanza:
septet
· eight line stanza:
octave
· fourteen line
stanza: sonnet
static character: see character
stereotype: a broad generalization or an oversimplified view
that disregards individual differences.
story mapping: a visual organizer that helps a reader understand
a work of literature by tracking setting, characters, events and
conflicts.
style: how a writer says something; many elements contribute to
style, including word choice, sentence length, tone and figurative
language
subplot: see plot
summarizing: the process of briefly recounting the main ideas of
a piece of writing in a person’s own words, while omitting
unimportant details.
suspense: a feeling of growing tension and excitement.
Writers create suspense by raising questions in readers’ minds
about what might happen.
symbolism: using something specific to stand for something else,
especially an idea. A symbol is a person, place, object or action
that for something beyond itself. For example, a dove may represent
peace. The dove can be seen and peace cannot.
synecdoche: a literary technique in which the whole is
represented by naming one of its parts (genus named for species),
or vice versa (species named for genus). Example: “You've got to
come take a look at my new set of wheels.” The vehicle here is
represented by its parts, or wheels.
tall tale: a humorously exaggerated story about impossible
events.
theme: a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated
throughout a literary work. A theme is a thought or idea the author
presents to the reader about life or human nature. Generally, a
theme has to be extracted as the reader explores the passages of a
work. The author utilizes the characters, plot, and other literary
devices to assist the reader in this endeavor. The author often
intertwines the theme throughout the work, and the full impact is
slowly realized as the reader processes the text. The ability to
recognize a theme is important because it allows the reader to
understand part of the author’s purpose in writing the book.
third person point of view: see point of view.
tone: the writer’s attitude or feeling about his or her
subject.
tragedy: a dramatic work that presents the downfall of a
dignified character or characters who are involved in historically
or socially significant events. The events in a tragic plot
are set in motion by a decision that is often an error in judgment.
Succeeding events inevitably lead to a disastrous conclusion,
usually death.
trait: see characterization.
understatement: a statement that is restrained in ironic
contrast to what might have been said; the opposite of hyperbole.
Understatement is usually used for a humorous effect.
unreliable narrator: see narrative
urban legend: a contemporary story that is told in many rumored
versions that have little basis in fact.
voice: an author or narrator’s distinctive style or manner of
expression. Voice can reveal much about the author or
narrator’s personality.
Disclaimer: Please note that the above document is not entirely
my original work product.
IB English Poetry Terms
Listed and defined below are literary terms that you will need
to know in order to discuss and write about works of poetry.
You are already familiar with many of these.
l. alliteration- the repetition of identical or similar
consonant sounds, normally at the
beginnings of words. Gnus never know pneumonia is an example
of alliteration since, despite the spellings, all four words begin
with the n sound.
2. allusion- a reference in a work of literature to something
outside the work, especially to a well-known historical or literary
event, person, or work. When T.S. Eliot writes, "To have
squeezed the universe into a ball" in "The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock," he is alluding to the lines "Let us roll our strength
and all/ Our sweetness up into one ball" in Marvell's "To His Coy
Mistress."
3. antithesis- a figure of speech characterized by strongly
contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas, as in Man
proposes; God disposes. Antithesis is a balancing of one term
against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness. The
second line of the following couplet by Alexander Pope is an
example of antithesis:
The hungry judges soon the sentence sign,
And wretches hang that jury-men may dine.
4. apostrophe- a figure of speech in which someone (usually, but
not always absent), some abstract quality, or a nonexistent
personage is directly addressed as though present. Following
are two examples of apostrophe:
Papa Above!
Regard a Mouse.
-Emily Dickinson
Milton! Thou shouldst be living in this hour;
England hath need of thee . . ..
-William Wordsworth
5. assonance- the repetition of identical or similar vowel
sounds. A land laid waste with all its young men slain
repeats the same a sound in laid, waste, and slain.
6. ballad meter- a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet
in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four.
O mother, mother make my bed.
O make it soft and narrow.
Since my love died for me today,
I’ll die for him tomorrow.
7. blank verse- unrhymed iambic pentameter. Blank verse is
the meter of most of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as that of
Miltons’ Paradise Lost.
8. cacophony- a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or
tones. It may be an unconscious flaw in the poets’ music,
resulting in harshness of sound or difficulty of articulation, or
it may be used consciously for effect, as Browning and Eliot often
use it.
9. caesura- a pause, usually near the middle of a line of verse,
usually indicated by the sense of the line, and often greater than
the normal pause. For example, one would naturally pause
after human in the following line from Alexander Pope:
To err is human, to forgive divine.
10. conceit- an ingenious and fanciful notion or conception,
usually expressed through an elaborate analogy, and pointing to a
striking parallel between two seemingly dissimilar things. A
conceit may be a brief metaphor, but it also may form the framework
of an entire poem. A famous example of a conceit occurs in
John Donne’s poem A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, in which he
compares his soul and his wife’s to legs of a mathematical
compass.
11. consonance- the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a
group of words. The term usually refers to words in which the
ending consonants are the same but the vowels that precede them are
different. Consonance is found in the following pairs of
words: add and read, bill and ball, and born and burn.
12. couplet- a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the
same.
13. devices of sound- the techniques of deploying the sound of
words, especially in poetry. Among devices of sound are
rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia.
The devices are used for many reasons, including to create a
general effect of pleasant or of discordant sound, to imitate
another sound, or to reflect a meaning.
14. diction- the use of words in a literary work. Diction
may be described as formal (the level of usage common in serious
books and formal discourse), informal (the level of usage found in
the relaxed but polite conversation of cultivated people),
colloquial (the everyday usage of a group, possibly including terms
and constructions accepted in that group but not universally
acceptable), or slang (a group of newly coined words which are not
acceptable for formal usage as yet).
15. didactic poem- a poem which is intended primarily to teach a
lesson. The distinction between didactic poetry and
non-didactic poetry is difficult to make and usually involves a
subjective judgement of the author’s purpose on the part of the
critic or the reader. Alexander Pope’s Essay on Criticism is
a good example of didactic poetry.
16. dramatic poem- a poem which employs a dramatic form or some
element or elements of dramatic techniques as a means of achieving
poetic ends. The dramatic monologue is an example.
17. elegy- a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet’s
meditations upon death or another solemn theme. Examples
include Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard;
Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s In Memoriam; and Walt Whitman’s When Lilacs
Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.
18. end-stopped- a line with a pause at the end. Lines
that end with a period, a comma, a colon, a semicolon, an
exclamation point, or a question mark are end-stopped lines.
True ease in writing comes from Art, not Chance,
As those move easiest who have learn’d to dance.
19. enjambment- the continuation of the sense and grammatical
construction from one line of poetry to the next. Milton’s
Paradise Lost is notable for its use of enjambment, as seen in the
following lines:
. . . .Or if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flow’d
Fast by the oracle of God, . . . .
20. extended metaphor- an implied analogy, or comparison, which
is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem. In The
Bait, John Donne compares a beautiful woman to fish bait and men to
fish who want to be caught by the woman. Since he carries
these comparisons all the way through the poem, these are
considered extended metaphors.
21. euphony- a style in which combinations of words pleasant to
the ear predominate. Its opposite is cacophony. The
following lines from John Keats’ Endymion are euphonious:
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
22. eye rhyme- rhyme that appears correct from spelling, but is
half-rhyme or slant rhyme from the pronunciation. Examples
include watch and match, and love and move.
23. feminine rhyme- a rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and
one unstressed, as waken and forsaken and audition and
rendition. Feminine rhyme is sometimes called double
rhyme.
24. figurative language- writing that uses figures of speech (as
opposed to literal language or that which is actual or specifically
denoted) such as metaphor, irony, and simile. Figurative
language uses words to mean something other than their literal
meaning. The black bat night has flown is figurative, with
the metaphor comparing night and bat. Night is over says the
same thing without figurative language.
25. free verse- poetry which is not written in a traditional
meter but is still rhythmical. The poetry of Walt Whitman is
perhaps the best-known example of free verse.
26. heroic couplet- two end-stopped iambic pentameter lines
rhymed aa, bb, cc with the thought usually completed in the
two-line unit. See the following example from Alexander
Pope’s Rape of the Lock:
But when to mischief mortals bend their will,
How soon they find fit instruments of ill!
27. hyperbole- a deliberate, extravagant, and often
outrageous exaggeration. It may be used for either serious or
comic effect. Macbeth is using hyperbole in the following
lines:
. . ..No; this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.
28. imagery- the images of a literary work; the sensory details
of a work; the figurative language of a work. Imagery has
several definitions, but the two that are paramount are the visual
auditory, or tactile images evoked by the words of a literary work
or the images that figurative language evokes. When an IB
question asks you to discuss imagery, you should look especially
carefully at the sensory details and the metaphors and similes of a
passage. Some diction is also imagery, but not all diction
evokes sensory responses.
29. irony- the contrast between actual meaning and the
suggestion of another meaning. Verbal irony is a figure of
speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words which carry
the opposite meaning. Irony is likely to be confused with
sarcasm, but it differs from sarcasm in that it is usually lighter,
less harsh in its wording though in effect probably more cutting
because of its indirectness. The ability to recognize irony
is one of the surer tests of intelligence and sophistication.
Among the devices by which irony is achieved are hyperbole and
understatement.
30. internal rhyme- rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than
at the end. The following lines contain internal rhyme:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore
While I nodded, nearly napping. . suddenly there came a tapping . .
. .
31. lyric poem- any short poem that presents a single speaker
who expresses thoughts and feelings. Love lyrics are common,
but lyric poems have also been written on subjects as different as
religion and reading. Sonnets and odes are lyric poems.
32. masculine rhyme- rhyme that falls on the stressed and
concluding syllables of the rhyme-words. Examples include
keep and sleep, glow and no, and spell and impel.
33. metaphor- a figurative use of language in which a comparison
is expressed without the use of a comparative term like as, like,
or than. A simile would say, night is like a black bat; a
metaphor would say, the black bat night.
34. meter- the repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line
of poetry. The meter of a poem emphasizes the musical quality
of the language and often relates directly to the subject matter of
the poem. Each unit of meter is known as a foot.
35. metonymy- a figure of speech which is characterized by the
substitution of a term naming an object closely associated with the
word in mind for the word itself. In this way we commonly
speak of the king as the crown, an object closely associated with
kingship.
36. mixed metaphors- the mingling of one metaphor with another
immediately following with which the first is incongruous.
Lloyd George is reported to have said, I smell a rat. I see
it floating in the air. I shall nip it in the bud.
37. narrative poem- a non-dramatic poem which tells a story or
presents a narrative, whether simple or complex, long or
short. Epics and ballads are examples of narrative poems.
38. octave- an eight-line stanza. Most commonly, octave
refers to the first division of an Italian sonnet.
39. onomatopoeia- the use of words whose sound suggests their
meaning. Examples are buzz, hiss, or honk.
40. oxymoron- a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary
terms into a single expression. This combination usually
serves the purpose of shocking the reader into awareness.
Examples include wise fool, sad joy, and eloquent silence.
41. paradox- a situation or action or feeling that appears to be
contradictory but on inspection turns out to be true or at least to
make sense. The following lines from one of John Donne’s Holy
Sonnets include paradoxes:
Take me to you, imprison me, for I
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
42. parallelism- a similar grammatical structure within a line
or lines of poetry. Parallelism is characteristic of Asian
poetry, being notably present in the Psalms, and it seems to be the
controlling principle of the poetry of Walt Whitman, as in the
following lines:
. . . .Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres
to
connect them.
Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor
hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
43. paraphrase- a restatement of an ideas in such a way as to
retain the meaning while changing the diction and form. A
paraphrase is often an amplification of the original for the
purpose of clarity.
44. personification- a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate
objects or abstract ideas human characteristics.
45. poetic foot- a group of syllables in verse usually
consisting of one accented syllable and one or two unaccented
syllables associated with it. The most common type of feet
are as follows:
iambic u /
trochaic / u
anapestic u u /
dactylic / u u
pyrrhic u u
spondaic / /
The following poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrates all of
these feet except the pyrrhic foot:
Trochee trips from long to short.
From long to long in solemn sort
Slow Spondee stalks; strong foot! yet ill able
Ever to come up with Dactyl trisyllable.
Iambics march from short to long;
With a leap and a bound the swift Anapests throng.
46. pun- a play on words that are identical or similar in sound
but have sharply diverse meanings. Puns can have serious as
well as humorous uses. An example is Thomas Hood’s:" They
went and told the sexton and the sexton tolled the bell.
47. quatrain- a four-line stanza with any combination of
rhymes.
48. refrain- a group of words forming a phrase or sentence and
consisting of one or more lines repeated at intervals in a poem,
usually at the end of a stanza.
49. rhyme- close similarity or identity of sound between
accented syllables occupying corresponding positions in two or more
lines of verse. For a true rhyme, the vowels in the accented
syllables must be preceded by different consonants, such as fan and
ran.
50. rhyme royal- a seven-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhymed
ababbcc, used by Chaucer and other medieval poets.
51. rhythm- the recurrence of stressed and unstressed
syllables. The presence of rhythmic patterns lends both
pleasure and heightened emotional response to the listener or
reader.
52. sarcasm- a type of irony in which a person appears to be
praising something but is actually insulting it. Its purpose
is to injure or to hurt.
53. satire- writing that seeks to arouse a reader’s disapproval
of an object by ridicule. Satire is usually comedy that
exposes errors with an eye to correct vice and folly. Satire
is often found in the poetry of Alexander Pope.
54. scansion- a system for describing the meter of a poem by
identifying the number and the type(s) of feet per line.
Following are the most common types of meter:
monometer
one foot per line
dimeter
two feet per line
trimeter
three feet per line
tetrameter
four feet per line
pentameter
five feet per line
hexameter
six feet per line
heptameter
seven feet per line
octameter
eight feet per line
Using these terms, then, a line consisting of five iambic feet
is called iambic pentameter, while a line consisting of four
anapestic feet is called anapestic tetrameter.
In order to determine the meter of a poem, the lines are
scanned, or marked to indicate stressed and unstressed syllables
which are then divided into feet. The following line has been
scanned:
u
/
u
/ u
/ u
/
u /
And still she slept an az
ure- lid ded sleep
55. sestet- a six-line stanza. Most commonly, sestet
refers to the second division of an Italian sonnet.
56. simile- a directly expressed comparison; a figure of speech
comparing two objects, usually with like, as, or than. It is easier
to recognize a simile than a metaphor because the comparison is
explicit: my love is like a fever; my love is deeper than a well.
(The plural of simile is similes not similies.)
57. sonnet- normally a fourteen-line iambic pentameter
poem. The conventional Italian, or Petrarchan sonnet is
rhymed abba, abba, cde, cde; the English, or Shakespearean, sonnet
is rhymed abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
58. stanza- usually a repeated grouping of three or more lines
with the same meter and rhyme scheme.
59. strategy (or rhetorical strategy)- the management of
language for a specific effect. The strategy or rhetorical
strategy of a poem is the planned placing of elements to achieve an
effect. The rhetorical strategy of most love poems is
deployed to convince the loved one to return to the speaker’s
love. By appealing to the loved one’s sympathy, or by
flattery, or by threat, the lover attempts to persuade the loved
one to love in return.
60. structure- the arrangement of materials within a work; the
relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical
divisions of a work. The most common units of structure in a
poem are the line and stanza.
61. style- the mode of expression in language; the
characteristic manner of expression of an author. Many
elements contribute to style, and if a question calls for a
discussion of style or of stylistic techniques, you can discuss
diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail,
sound effects, and tone, using the ones that are appropriate.
62. symbol- something that is simultaneously itself and a sign
of something else. For example, winter, darkness, and cold
are real things, but in literature they are also likely to be used
as symbols of death.
63. synecdoche- a form of metaphor which in mentioning a part
signifies the whole. For example, we refer to foot soldiers
for infantry and field hands for manual laborers who work in
agriculture.
64. syntax- the ordering of words into patterns or
sentences. If a poet shifts words from the usual word order,
you know you are dealing with an older style of poetry or a poet
who wants to shift emphasis onto a particular word.
65. tercet- a stanza of three lines in which each line ends with
the same rhyme.
66. terza rima- a three-line stanza rhymed aba, bcb, cdc,etc.
Dante’s Divine Comedy is written in terza rima.
67. theme- the main thought expressed by a work. In
poetry, it is the abstract concept which is made concrete through
its representation in person, action, and image in the work.
68. tone- the manner in which an author expresses his or her
attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning.
(Remember that the voice need not be that of the poet.) Tone
is described by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly
endless. Often a single adjective will be enough, and tone
may change from stanza to stanza or even line to line. Tone
is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery,
irony, symbol, syntax, and style.
69. understatement- the opposite of hyperbole. It is a
kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much
less than it really is. For example, Macbeth, having been
nearly hysterical after killing Duncan, tells Lenox, “Twas a rough
night.”
70. villanelle- a nineteen-line poem divided into five tercets
and a final quatrain. The villanelle uses only two rhymes
which are repeated as follows: aba, aba, aba, aba, aba,
abaa. Line 1 is repeated entirely to form lines 6, 12, and
18, and line 3 is repeated entirely to form lines 9, 15, and 19;
thus, eight of the nineteen lines are refrain. Dylan Thomas’s
poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night is an example of a
villanelle. LITERARY TERMS DRAMA
(stage direction)
ALARUM
a loud disturbance or conflict.
(stage direction)
ASIDE
a part of an actor’s lines supposedly not heard by others on the
stage and intended only for the audience
(stage direction)
EXEUNT
used as a stage direction in a printed play to indicate that a
group of characters leave the stage.
(stage direction)
FLOURISH/SENNET
A fanfare (of horns, trumpets, etc.) to announce the entrance or
exit of a person of distinction.
(stage direction)
RETIRE/WITHDRAW
seeks seclusion; moves back or away without actually exiting the
stage; recedes.
(stage direction)
WITHIN
an inner position, place, or area close to, but not actually on,
the stage.
(stage direction)
ADVANCES
Moves forward; moves against another.
(stage direction)
BELOW
an archaic stage direction used in 16th century plays to denote
the relative position of an actor to one "above.”
ANTAGONIST
the opponent or adversary of the hero or protagonist of a
drama.
APRON
the area of the stage extending beyond the proscenium.
BEAR BAITING/BULL BAITING
an immensely popular contest in which trained bulldogs attacked
a tethered bear, bull or, less frequently, a pony or an ape.
BLANK VERSE
unrhymed verse, especially the unrhymed iambic pentameter most
frequently used in English dramatic, epic, and reflective
verse.
BURLESQUE
(chiefly British) refers to a satirical play or parody on some
contemporary theme.
BUSKER
itinerant open-air street players such as jugglers, conjurers or
acrobats. May have derived from the term “buskin, “which referred
to the long boot worn by actors in Greek tragedy, and gradually
came to mean any itinerant performer.
CATHARSIS
in Aristotle’s Poetics, the “purging” or “cleansing “of terror
and pity, which the audience develops during the
climax of a tragedy.
COUPLET
a pair of lines of meter in poetry; it usually consists of two
lines that rhyme and have the same meter.
CUCKOLD
the husband of an unfaithful wife (can also be used as a verb);
the cuckold grows horns.
DENOUEMENT
the final scene or scenes in a play devoted to tying up the
loose ends after the climax(although the word originally meant "the
untying").
DEUS EX MACHINA
Literally, the god from the machine. Refers to the character
(usually a god) in classical Greek tragedy who enters the play from
the heavens at the end of the drama to resolve or explain the
conflict. This actor was
usually lowered by means of a crane-like device known as a
mechane. The term has come to mean any arbitrary means of plot
resolution
FALSE PROSCENIUM
also known as the inner proscenium, this is a temporary
structure used to reduce the opening of the permanent proscenium.
Particularly useful for touring companies, where the troupe has
to
play on a variety of stage sizes.
FARCE
highly comic, lighthearted, gleefully contrived drama, usually
involving stock situations(such as mistaken identity or discovered
lovers ‘trysts), punctuated with broad physical stunts and
pratfalls.
FOURTH WALL
the imaginary fourth wall that is removed from box set to enable
the audience to see the action on stage. The term now applies to
the “wall “separating audience and performers on any type of stage
or even film and television. Thus, the term “breaking the fourth
wall “refers to an actor speaking directly to the audience.
HAMARTIA
the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the
protagonist in a tragedy; “tragic flaw.”
HARLEQUIN
perhaps the best-known stock character to have originated from
the Commedia dell'Arte. Originally a sharp-
witted servant in Italy, he became a simpleton in France and a
lackadaisical lover in the British Theater. Best recognized by his
tight-fitting suit of silk diamonds in contrasting colors.
HUBRIS
(also spelled hybris) excessive pride or self-confidence;
arrogance
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
the most common meter in English verse; it consists of a line
ten syllables long that is accented on every second beat.
JONGLEUR
itinerant entertainers of the medieval period in Europe. The
term embraces ballad-singers, acrobats, jugglers, and animal
trainers.
JOURNEYMAN
in Elizabethan theater, members of a company who both acted and
held an ownership interest in the
company. Journeymen worked under a master in much the same
manner as they had in medieval guilds.
MACHIAVEL
a type of stage villain found in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama;
a broad category of ruthless schemers, atheists, and poisoners
.
MASQUE
form of entertainment during the late middle ages, Renaissance
through the Reformation, which combined poetry, music, scenery and
elaborate costumes. Like mystery plays and pageants, masques
constitute a connection between classical theater and modern
theater. Masques grew out of folk ritual in which guests
would visit a nobleman or king and deliver gifts on some special
occasion or holiday. In masques during the 17th Century, it was not
unusual for royalty to participate in masques an oft-cited example
being Louis XIV's portrayal of the Sun-King in the Ballet Nuit
.
MUSES there were nine muses in Greek mythology --the daughters
of Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Three of these were
particularly connected with theater: Melpomene, the muse of
tragedy; Terpischore, the muse of dancing; and Thalia, the muse of
comedy.
PATHOS
“passion,”in Greek; also “suffering.”The word refers to the
depths of feeling evoked by tragedy;
it is at the root of our words “sympathy” and “empathy,”which
also describe the effect of drama on audience emotions.
PLAY-WITHIN-THE-PLAY
a play that is “presented “by characters who are already in a
play; like “The Murder of Gonzago,” which is presented by “players
“in Hamlet.
Many plays are in part about actors and
plays and contain such plays-within-plays; these include Anton
Chekhov's Seagull, Jean Anouilh's Rehearsal, and Shakespeare's
Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew.
PROSCENIUM ARCH
the arch that frames a stage, separating it from the
auditorium.
PROTAGONIST
the leading actor of a play, who is often set in conflict with
an antagonist. The term derivesfrom ancient Greek theater in which
it described the first actor to speak. Originally, Greek theater
consisted of one principal actor and a chorus. As two and then
three actors were added, they were referred to as the Protagonist,
Deuteragonist, and Tritagonist.
SOLILOQUY
an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself
or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers
present (often used as a device in drama to disclose a character’s
innermost thoughts).
SUBPLOT
a secondary plot in a play, usually related to the main plot by
play's end. The Gloucester plot in King Lear
and the Laertes plot in Hamlet are examples.
SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF
the goal of any theater company in presenting or performing a
play is to cause the audience to suspend
their disbelief, or to momentarily forget that what they are
watching is a performance, but is, in an emotional sense,
“real.”
TABLEAU
a “frozen moment “onstage, with the actors immobile, usually
employed at the end of a scene, as the curtain falls or the lights
dim.
THREE UNITIES
unities of time, place and action, the three elements of drama
introduced into French dramatic literature is actually based on a
misinterpretation of Aristotle's Poetics. They demanded that a play
should consist of one action, represented as occurring in not more
than 24 hours, and always in the same place. According to
The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, Aristotle “insists
only on the unity of action, merely mentions the unity of time, and
says nothing about the unity of place. “The influence of
Shakespeare in England was such that the three unities were never
adopted as a rule of dramatic construction.
VERISIMILITUDE
the appearance of truth. The value that players strive for in
their attempt to suspend the audience's disbelief. This is not to
be confused with realism or naturalism, for the depiction of truth
can
take form even in symbolic works.
STUDY GUIDE: Rhetorical Devices & Figures of Speech
Elements of Sound
Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Onomatopoeia
Euphony
Cacophony
Elements of Rhythm
Meter
Unmetered rhyme
Rhyme scheme
Scansion
Masculine rhyme
Slant rhyme
Lyric
Troche
Trochaic
Iamb
Iambic
Iambic trimeter
Iambic pentameter
Dactyl
Dactylic
Anapest
Anapestic
Spondaic
Spondee
Structural Moves/Choices
Parallel structure
Chiasmus
Caesura
Enjambment
Ellipsis
Repetition
Anaphora
Litotes
Poetic Structural Elements
Couplet
Epic couplet
Heroic couplet
Quatrain
Cinquain
Sestet
Tercet
Terza rima
3 quatrains + 1 couplet
4 tercets + 1 couplet
1 sestet + 1 octave
1 octave + 1 sestet
7 couplets
Free verse
Blank verse
Open verse
Run-on verse
Carry-over verse
Verse italiano
Genres/Conventions
Epitaph
Elegy
Eulogy
Epigram
Epithet
Villanelle
Sestina
Shakespearean Sonnet
Petrarchan Sonnet
Keatsean Sonnet
Sonnet
Apostrophe
Ballad
Ode
Epic
Pastoral
Allegory
Fable
Parable
Tall tale
Novella
Poema larga
Didactic
Figures of Speech
Paradox
Metaphor
Conceit
Allusion
Simile
Synecdoche
Metonymy
NOTES:
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