Literary Terms 1

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Cacophony

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grating, inharmonious sounds; harshness or discordancy of sound

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Consonance

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

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End-stopped

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

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Extended metaphor

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a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem

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Hyperbole

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overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect

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Octave

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group of eight lines of verse, especially the first eight lines of a sonnet in the Italian form

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Pastoral

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a work of literature dealing with rural life

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Prosody

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the grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry

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Volta

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turn (change in topic with poetry)

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Lyric poetry

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personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker’s thoughts and feelings about the subject

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Litotes

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a form of the understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity

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Villanelle

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a French verse calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of 19 lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes

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Metonymy

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a figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated

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Scan

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the act of determining the meter of a poetic line

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Caesura

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a pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often (but not always) marked by punctuation

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Heroic Couplet

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two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter and used widely in 18th century verse

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Verse

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

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Pathos

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the element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow

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Alliteration

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the repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose

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Ballad

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a simple narrative verse that tell a story that is sung or recited

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oxymoron

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a terms consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect.

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paradox

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a statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true

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parable

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

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Iambic pentameter

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a line with 5 feet of iambs, which is an unstressed and then a stressed syllable.

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synecdoche

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a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole (fifty masts for fifty ships) or the whole signifies the part (days for life).

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ode

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a lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject

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conceit

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a witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language

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euphony

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pleasing, harmonious sounds

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monometer

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one foot

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couplet

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a pair of rhyming lines in a poem

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Allusion

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a reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea

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Enjambment

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

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Sestet

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the last six lines of a sonnet in the Italian form

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Catharsis

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a cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy

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Denouement

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the resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction

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Canon

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the works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied

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Persona

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the role or façade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader, a viewer, or the world at large

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Pseudonym

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Also called “pen name” or “nom de plume,” a pseudonym is a false name or alias used by writers, such as Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), and George Orwell (Eric Blair).

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Rhetorical stance

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language that conveys a speaker’s attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject

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Subtext

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the implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work of literature

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Satire

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

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Analogy

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a comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things

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Apostrophe

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a locution (word or phrase) that addresses a person or personified thing not present

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Bombast

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inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects

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Periodic sentence

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a sentence that departs form the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main thought only at the end. In other words, the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support

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Naturalism

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

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Parable

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

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Stream of consciousness

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

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Trope

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

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Hubris

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the excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to their death

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Elegy

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a poem or prose that laments or meditates on the passing or death of something or someone of value

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Ode

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a lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject

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Harangue

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a forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade

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in medias res

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

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Aphorism

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a short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment

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Euphemism

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A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term; pass away is a euphemism for die

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Assonance

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the repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose

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Abstract

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an abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research

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Bathos

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the use of insincere or overdone sentimentality

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Expose

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A piece of writing that reveals weaknesses, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings

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Dionysian

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as distinguished from Apollonian, the word refers to sensual, pleasure-seeking impulses

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Maxim

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a saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth

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Lampoon

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a mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation

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Invective

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a direct verbal assault; a denunciation

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Verisimilitude

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

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Adage

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

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Montage

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a quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea

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Anachronism

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a person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set

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Epithet

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an adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing; sun-bright topaz, sun-lit lake, and sun-bright lake are examples

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Eponymous

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a term for the title character of a work of literature