Studied by 22 people
Transcendentalism
movement of writers that promotes intuitive, spiritual thinking over scientific based thinking; appreciation of nature; spiritual perfection
dark romantics
sub-genre of Romanticism; fascination with the supernatural
aphorism
A short, memorable statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle. Often used to convey wisdom or provoke thought.
catalog
a systematic list or inventory of items, often with vivid descriptions and categorization, used to enhance imagery, rhythm, and thematic exploration within a poem.
Iambic Pentameter
each line has five pairs of syllables; each pair has unstressed and stressed syllable; "The Psalm of Life” and Thanatopsis
meter
the repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry
rhythm
the pattern or flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
scansion
the analysis of a poem's meter, which involves identifying and marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. It helps to determine the rhythmic pattern and structure of a poem.
metric foot
a unit that has one stressed syllable and either one or two unstressed syllables
simile
a figure of speech that compares two things that have something in common, using words like or as
personification
a figure of speech in which an object, animal, or idea is given human characteristics
imagery
the author's use of description and vivid language by appealing to the senses
speaker
the voice of the poem / the narrator
stanza
a well-defined group of several lines of poetry having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme
blank verse
poetry that doesn’t rhyme, but uses meter (iambic pentameter)
rhyme scheme
a poet's deliberate pattern of lines that rhyme with other lines in a poem or a stanza
elements of romanticism
Values Imagination/Intuition over reason (shift from rationalism)
Profound love of Nature
Focus on the Individual over society
5 I’s: Individuality, Intuition, Inspiration, Imagination, and Idealism
allegory
An extended metaphor in which the characters, places, and objects in a narrative carry figurative meaning
omniscient narrator
the all-knowing voice in a story
characterization
the revealing of a character’s significant traits throughout literary work
situational irony
opposite of what is expected actually happens
stock character
a stereotypical character easily recognized by audiences from reoccurring appearences in literature
static/flat character
character with no personality and no change view or ideals throughout the story; only there to serve the plot
symbol
a person, object, place, event, or action that suggests more than its literal meaning
Faust Legend
a guy who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for unlimited knowledge and riches
Parable
a short tale that illustrates a universal truth
dynamic/round character
a literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude (ex: Ebenezer Scrooge)
theme/ moral message
an element of moral content, something to be conveyed by the author to the reader, and the meaning contained in a work
tone
conveys the author’s attitude toward the subject, speaker, or audience
mood
the emotional undertone that an author conveys in a work
single effect
a felt sense, where a particular emotion is created in the reader
elements of transcendentalism
Each individual has potential for spiritual perfection
Commune with nature/follow your “inner light”
If each indiv. achieves perfection, then the world will be perfect
Don’t let the world (day-to-day) get in the way.
Brook Farm
an attempted Transcendentalist Utopia (A perfect town); one of many experiments in communal living that took place in the United States during the first half of the 19th century
rhetoric
language designed to motivate, persuade, or inform
emotional appeal
“Pathos”; to attempt to persuade the audience by evoking certain emotions
logical appeal
to attempt to persuade an audience through the use of logic, reason, data, and facts
paradox
a statement that appears to contradict itself, but upon further rumination, either reveals a deeper meaning or actually makes sense
inductive reasoning
drawing conclusions by going from specific facts to general statements
deductive reasoning
logical drawing of conclusions from general ideas to specific
metaphor
a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison
repitition
a literary device in which a word or phrase is used multiple times
catalog
a collection of people, objects, ideas, and other elements in list form within poetry or prose
parallelism
a poetic technique where writers repeat grammatically similar words or parts of a sentence
free verse
doesn’t use consistent meter, rhyme, or any rhythmic pattern
slant rhyme
a rhyming scheme with words that sound similar but not exactly the same
style/ experimental structure
the way in which an author uses language to convey their ideas and create a unique voice and tone; might break away from the traditional norms of poetry
