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Literary Terms
a glossary of literary terms
62
English
10th Grade
12/15/2007

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Term
abstract word
Definition
intangible idea or quality, such as hope or bitterness
Term
concrete word
Definition
refers to something real-something which can be touched, seen, heard, tasted, or felt-such as table, smoke, fire, chocolate
Term
alliteration
Definition
the repetition of sounds, usually consonant sounds at the beginnings of words in the same line or in successive line. For exampple:
- the fair breeze blew, the white foam flew
Term
allusion
Definition
reference to a presumably amiliar person, object, place or event, or to a literary, historical work etc, which the writer expects will be recognized by his readers
Term
apostrophe
Definition
the direct adress to a deceased or absent person as if that person were alive and present, or to an animal or thing, or an abstract idea or quality as if it could understand the speaker.
often used with personification

example
-busy old fool, unruly sun
Term
assonance
Definition
repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants

example
- the clIffs of England stand,
GlImmering and vast, out In the tranguIl bay
Term
atmosphere
Definition
pervasive emotional element or influence
Term
ballad
Definition
relatively short poem that tells a store

folk ballad: meant to sing
literary ballad: meant to be read
Term
ballad stanza
Definition
most common stanza used in ballads; quatrain (4 lines) with second and fourth line rhyming
Term
blank verse
Definition
unrhymed poetry, in which each line usually has 10 syllables, 5 are stressed
Term
character
Definition
peron in a play, story, novel, poem
Term
characterization
Definition
creation of a literary character by such methods as description of physical appearance, presentation of thoughs and actions, and dialogue
Term
colloquial speech
Definition
manner of speaking that is characteristic of informal conversation
Term
conflict
Definition
clash of opposing forces
Term
connotation
Definition
association or suggestion which a world calls to mind in addition to its literal meanings
Term
context
Definition
for a word, the other words surrounding it and having an effect on its meaning or use
Term
couplet
Definition
two successive lines, usually rhymed, which form a single unit of verse
Term
denotation
Definition
the literal or dictionary meaning of a word
Term
dialect
Definition
the characteristic or distinctive speech of a particular group or the inhabitants of a certain geographical region
Term
dramatic monologue
Definition
type of poem in which a speaker addresses a listener who do not answer, it reveals his or her character by commenting on a crucial problem or conflict
Term
dramatic poetry
Definition
poetry in which one or more characters speak to other characters who may o may not answer

dramatic monologue is one type of dramatic poetry
Term
elegy
Definition
poem mourning the deathof an individual
Term
epic
Definition
long story-poem which relates the deeds of a heroic character
Term
figurative language
Definition
language that is not meant to be interpreted on a strict, literal leve because it would make no sense if it were. the "meaning" of a figurative phrase is communicated byits connotation.
Term
figure of speech
Definition
word or phrase which describes something in a way that is not literally true, but may be meaningful in a deepper sense
Term
foot
Definition
unit used in measuring lines of poetry to determine meter
Term
free verse
Definition
poetry that does not have a stric or fixed rhythmic pattern or equal line lengths, and which does not rhyme
Term
irony
Definition
in its simplest form, irony is a figure of speech in which the writer says something in such a way that its opposite meaning is implied
Term
light verse
Definition
verse which is primarily humorous or entertaining
Term
lyric
Definition
poem whose sole purpose is the expression of an individual
s emotions or attitudes, usually short and musical
Term
metaphor
Definition
figure of speech in which one thing is compared indirectly to another essentially dissimilar thing, without the use of "like" or "as"
Term
meter
Definition
organized rhythmic pattern created by the repetition of the same foot, or group of stressed and unstressed syllables, throughout the poem
Term
Mood
Definition
the overall emotional atmosphere or feeling in a literary work
Term
moral
Definition
an ethical or practical lesson, usually illustrated by a story
Term
narrative poem
Definition
poem that tells a story, whether briefy as in the ballad or at length as in the epic
Term
narrator
Definition
one who tells or narrates a story
Term
ode
Definition
lyric poem which is lofty and dignified in subject matter and style
Term
onomatopoeia
Definition
the use of words whose sounds imitate natural sounds. For example: bang, neigh, cluck
Term
paradox
Definition
seemingly self-contradictory statement which nevertheless reveals some truth. for example: the child is father of the man
Term
parody
Definition
the conscious, exaggerated imitation of a literary style or individual work with the intentionof achieving humor through distortion
Term
personification
Definition
figure of speech in which the writer attributes human qualities to animal, inanimate objects, or ideas
Term
poetic inversion
Definition
words arranged in such a way that they reverse in some manner the normal word order of a sentence
Term
point of view
Definition
the standpoint form which a literary work is written, usually influences the way the writer presents a subject
Term
quatrain
Definition
four-line stanza
Term
refrain
Definition
group of wods, a line, or a group of lines repeated throughout a poem, usually at the end of each stanza
Term
rhyme
Definition
the repetition of two or more words reasonably close to each other in which the last vowel sound and the last consonant sound are the same
example
-tune/soon, he/me
Term
rhyme scheme
Definition
the pattern in which end rhyme occurs throughout a stanza or an entire poem
Term
rhythm
Definition
in poetry, the recurrence or repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a regular pattern or manner
Term
satire
Definition
the use of ridicule, sarcasm, wit, or irony in order to expose, set right, or destroy a vice or folly
Term
scansion
Definition
the method of determining the meter of a poem, when one "scans" a line, one counts the number and determines the type of poetic feet in that line
Term
setting
Definition
the physical background of a work
Term
simile
Definition
figure of speech in which the comparison between two unlike things is expressed directly, usually by means of "like" or "as"
Term
sonnet
Definition
lyric poem of fourteen lines usually written in rhymed iambic pentmameter
Term
speaker
Definition
the person whose voice we "hear" in the poem
Term
stanza
Definition
group of lines that constitutes a division in a poem, there is a space before the first line and after the last line of each group
Term
symbol
Definition
in a poem, generally a figure of speech in which an object, person, place, event, or quality is chosen to stand for something other than itself- something which is not directly mentioned or compared in the poem
Term
theme
Definition
the central idea or one of the main ideas underlying a literary work
Term
tone
Definition
the poet's or speaker's attitude toward his or her subject or audience. tone corresponds to tone in speaking, the tone of a poem might be angry, humorous, ironic, tender, etc
Term
type
Definition
character who embodies the characteristics of a group or class rather than a strong individual personality
Term
verse
Definition
work consisting of metrical or rhythmical lines made up of a specified number of feet. verse may also be used as a synonym for poetry
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