Poetic Terms

Allegory

A narrative made up of a network of symbols that work together to give the story a second meaning beneath the surface.

Allusion

A reference to history, literature, pop culture, or any other source that is not explained; the reader is intended to recognize the reference and use it to help understand the current text.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in words that are in close proximity to one another.

Analogy

A comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or illustration; the emphasis is on how the two things are alike.

Antagonist

The person or force that opposes the protagonist in a story; not necessarily the 'bad guy'.

Antihero

A main character who does not adhere to traditional ideas of a 'hero' in terms of virtue, courage, or motivation.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which an inanimate object (or absent person) is addressed as if it was present and able to respond.

Archetype

Actions, characters, and situations that occur frequently in literature and can be easily recognized by readers.

Aside

A dramatic device in which a character speaks lines to the audience or another character that are understood to not be heard by other characters onstage.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in accented or important words that are in close proximity to one another.

Ballad

A relatively short narrative poem written in stanzas; it often sounds like a song when read aloud.

Caesura

A pause created by punctuation in the middle of a line of poetry rather than at the end.

Caricature

A description that exaggerates a character’s unique trait or flaw to the point of ridiculousness.

Chronological Order

A type of plot structure in which events are narrated in the order they take place.

Cliché

A saying that has been overused to the point where it is no longer effective in conveying meaning.

Comedy

A type of drama that is often humorous, has a happy ending, and emphasizes human weakness and limitations.

Conflict

The problem a character faces that drives the action of a story; can be external or internal.

Consonance

The repetition of final consonant sounds in accented or important words that are close to one another.

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word; its literal meaning.

Dialect

Language specific to a particular group of people; may involve spelling, sounds, grammar, or vocabulary.

Diction

A writer’s choice of words; often described with an adjective.

Didactic

Writing that is intended to teach or preach, often used as a criticism.

Direct characterization

Describing a character in which an author explicitly identifies a character’s traits.

Double entendre

A word, phrase, or statement intended to be understood in two ways; one often has sexual connotations.

Dramatic monologue

A dramatic device in which a character delivers a speech to either the audience or other characters.

Dynamic character

A character who undergoes a significant change in personality or outlook over the course of a story.

Elegy

A mournful poem, often written for a funeral or as a lament for someone who has died.

En media res

A term that means 'in the middle of things'; used when a narrative begins in the middle of the story.

End-stopped line

A line of poetry in which there is punctuation at the end, indicating a pause.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden understanding or insight that may lead to significant change.

Euphemism

The use of mild, indirect, or vague words to describe something offensive or unpleasant.

Flashback

Scene from the past that interrupts the narrative of a story to provide key information.

Flat character

A character who has not been fully developed, demonstrating only one or two traits.

Figure of speech/Figurative language

Language that is not intended to be understood literally.

Foil character

A character with opposite traits to another character, often to enhance the understanding of the other character.

Foot

The basic unit of measurement in determining the meter of a poem.

Foreshadowing

A plot device in which the author presents clues about something that will happen later in the narrative.

Free verse

A poem with no set meter, rhyme scheme, or stanzaic form.

Hubris

Excessive pride that may lead to a character’s downfall.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for the purpose of humor or emphasis.

Iambic pentameter

A line of poetry made up of ten syllables divided into five iambs.

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses, such as sight or sound.

Incongruity

A comedic device in which there is a gap or something that does not quite fit.

Indirect characterization

Describing a character by showing their words or actions for readers to infer traits.

Irony

A mismatch between appearance and reality, expectations and fulfillment.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two things next to one another for the purpose of comparison and contrast.

Lyric poem

A poem expressing feelings and emotions, often short and not usually narrative.

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things in which the figurative term substitutes for the literal term.

Meter

Means of measuring and describing rhythmic language.

Metonymy

A type of figurative language in which something closely related is substituted for the thing actually meant.

Mood

The feelings evoked in readers through a poem’s diction and imagery.

Motif

A repeated image, idea, or symbol that helps to reveal a text’s theme.

Ode

A formal, often ceremonious, lyric poem written in praise of someone or something.

Onomatopoeia

A word used to imitate a sound.

Paradox

A seeming contradiction that is somehow true.

Parody

A comedic technique in which a writer imitates a genre or text in an exaggerated fashion.

Personification

A type of metaphor in which a nonhuman idea or object is given human qualities.

Plot

The sequence of events that makes up a story.

Point of view

The perspective from which a story is told.

Protagonist

The main character of a story.

Pun

A play on words.

Refrain

A repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines in a poem, usually repeated according to a set pattern.

Rhyme

The repetition of the accented vowel sound and any consonant sounds that follow it in two words.

Rhythm

The natural rise and fall of language, particularly in poetry.

Round character

A well-developed and complex character with many traits.

Run-on line

A line of poetry with no natural speech pause indicated by punctuation at its end.

Sarcasm

A bitter or unkind remark intended to hurt a person’s feelings.

Satire

Literature that mocks human foolishness, weakness, or wickedness for reform.

Setting

The time and place in which events of a story unfold.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using 'like,' 'as,' or a similar term.

Soliloquy

A dramatic device in which a character delivers a speech revealing their private thoughts.

Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter following a specific rhyme scheme.

Stanza

A grouping of lines in a poem.

Static character

A character who does not undergo any significant change in personality or character.

Stock character

A character that fits a common type and is easily recognizable.

Stream of consciousness

A method of narration presenting a character’s thoughts in a seemingly random order.

Subordinate character

A character whose role is important but smaller than that of the protagonist or antagonist.

Suspense

The quality of a story that makes a reader want to continue reading.

Symbol

An object that functions both literally and figuratively in a text.

Theme

The central insight about life a writer aims to convey.

Tone

The writer's or narrator's attitude toward the subject, reader, a character, or themselves.

Tragedy

Type of drama that tells the story of a main character who is good yet experiences downfall.

Tragic hero

The protagonist of a tragedy who is good but not perfect and has a flaw leading to downfall.

Understatement

Stating something that is less than the truth to evoke a response in the reader.

Villanelle

A nineteen-line poem with two rhyme sounds divided into five tercets and one quatrain.