Lit Exam 3 - terms

verse

this term has two major meanings - refers to any single line of poetry or any composition written in separate lines of more or less regular rhythm, in contrast to prose

paraphrase

the restatement in one's own words of what one understands a poem to say or suggest. Similar to a summary, although not as brief or simple

summary

a brief condensation of the main idea or plot of a work. similar to paraphrase, but less detailed

subject

the main topic of a work, whatever the work is "about"

theme

generally recurring subject or idea noticeably evident in a literary work.

lyric poem

a short poem expressing the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker. Often written in the first person, it traditionally has a songlike immediacy and emotional force

narrative poem

a poem that tells a story - ballads and epics are two common forms of narrative poetry

dramatic monologue

a poem written as a speech made by a character at some decisive moment. The speaker is usually addressing a silent listener

didactic poem

a poem intended to teach a moral lesson or impart a body of knowledge

tone

the mood or manner of expression in a literary work, which conveys an attitude toward the work's subject, which may be playful, sarcastic, ironic, sad, solemn, or any other possible attitude.

satiric poetry

poetry that blends criticism with humor to convey a message, usually through the use of irony and a tone of detached amusement, withering contempt, and implied superiority

persona

latin for "mask." A fictitious character created by an author to be the speaker of a literary work

diction

work choice or vocabulary. refers to the class of words that an author chooses as appropriate for a particular work

concrete diction

words that specifically name or describe things or persons - refer to what we can immediately perceive with our senses

abstract diction

words that express general ideas or concepts

poetic diction

strictly speaking, this diction means any language deemed suitable for verse, but the term generally refers to elevated language intended for poetry rather than common use

allusion

a brief, sometimes indirect, reference in a text to a person, place, or thing.

dialect

a particular variety of language spoken by an identifiable regional group or social class

denotation

the literal, dictionary meaning of a word

connotation

an association or additional meaning that a word, image, or phrase may carry, apart from its literal denotation

image

a word or series of words that refers to any sensory experience (usually sight). Direct or literal recreation of physical experience that adds immediacy to literary language.

imagery

the collective set of images in a poem or other literary work

haiku

japanese verse form that has three unrhymed lines of 5-7-5 syllables.

simile

a comparison of two things, indicated by some connective, usually like, as or than, or a verb such as resembles

metaphor

a statement that one things is something else, which, in a literal sense, it is not.

implied metaphor

metaphor that uses neither connectives nor the verb to be

personification

the endowing of a thing, an animal, or an abstract term with human characteristics - dramatizes the nonhuman world

stanza

from the italian meaning "stopping-place" or "room." A recurring pattern of two or more lines of verse, poetry's equivalent to the paragraph in prose.

rime scheme

any recurrent pattern of rime within an individual poem - usually described by using lowercase letters to represent each end rime.

stress

an emphasis, or accent, placed on a syllable in speech.

rhythm

the recurring pattern of stressed and pauses in a poem - a fixed one is called meter

prosody

the study of metrical structures in poetry

scansion

a practice used to describe rhythmic patterns in a poem by separating the metrical feet, counting the syllables, marking the accents, and indicating the cesuras

cesura

a light but definite pause within a line of verse. often appear near the middle of a line, but their placement may be varied for rhythmic effect

run-on line

a line of verse that does not end in a full pause, often indicated by a mark of punctuation

end-stopped line

a line of verse that ends in a full pause, often indicated by a mark of punctuation

foot

the basic unit of measurement in metrical poetry. Each separate meter is identified by the pattern and order of stressed and unstressed syllables in its ________

iamb

a metrical foot in verse in which an unaccented syllable is followed by an accented one. The iambic measure is the most common meter used in English poetry

iambic pentameter

the most common meter in English verse, five iambic feet per line. Many fixed forms employ this meter

anapest

a metrical foot in verse in which two unstressed syllables are followed by a stressed syllable

trochee

a metrical foot in which a stressed syllable is followed by an unstressed one

dactyl

a metrical foot in which one stressed syllable is followed by two unstressed ones. common in classical greek and latin

spondee

a metrical foot of verse consisting of two stressed syllables

accentual meter

verse meter based on the number of stresses per line, not the number of syllables

form

in a general sense, ________ is the means by which a literary work expresses its content - in poetry, it usually describes the design of the poem

fixed form

a traditional verse form requiring certain predetermined elements of structure - for example, a stanza pattern, set meter, or predetermined line length

closed form

a generic term that describes poetry written in a pattern of meter, rime, lines, or stanzas

open form

verse that has no set scheme - no regular meter, rime or stanzaic pattern. aka free verse

blank verse

this type of verse contains five iambic feet per line (iambic pentameter) and is unrimed

couplet

a two-line stanza in poetry, usually rimed and with lines of equal length

closed couplet

two rimed lines of iambic pentameter that usually contain an independent and complete thought or statement (also heroic couplet)

tercet

three line stanza

quatrain

four line stanza - most common stanza form in english

epic

a long narrative poem tracing the adventures of a popular hero

epigram

a very short, comic poem, often turning at the end with some sharp wit

sonnet

a fixed form of fourteen lines, traditionally written in iambic pentameter and rimed throughout

italian sonnet

sonnet with an octet and a sestet

english sonnet

aka Shakespearean sonnet - three quatrains and a concluding couplet

free verse

poetry whose lines follow no consistent meter. It may be rimed, but usually is not

acrostic

verse in which certain letters such as the first in each line form a word or message