literary terms #1

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164 Terms

1
Anastrophe
The inversion of the usual order of words.
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2
Anaphora
A word or phrase is intentionally repeated in successive lines.
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3
Assonance
Repetition of a vowel sound.
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4
Aubade
Poem or music appropriate to the dawn or early morning.
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5
Augustan Age
A style of literature in Britain written in the first half of the 1700s to the 1740s; characterized by emulation of Roman forms, particularly the epistle and satire.
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6
Avant-garde
New and unusual or experimental ideas or works.
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7
Ballad
Poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas.
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8
Ballad Stanza
Four-line stanza with the first and third lines not rhyming, and the second and fourth lines rhyming.
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9
Baroque
Extravagant and complex writing style.
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10
Bathos
Anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood.
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11
Blank Verse
Verse without rhyme, especially iambic pentameter.
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12
Bucolic
Relating to the countryside and country life.
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13
Burlesque
An absurd or exaggerated imitation of something; a parody.
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14
Cacophony
Combination of words or sounds that are unpleasant to the ear, conveying chaos.
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15
Caesura
Break between words in a metrical foot; breath pause.
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16
Canon
An accepted principle or rule.
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17
Canto
Division or section within a long narrative poem.
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18
Affect
Relating to emotions and feelings.
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19
Alexandrine
A line of poetry containing six iambic feet.
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20
Allegory
A literary or visual work that can be interpreted to have a hidden meaning.
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21
Alliteration
The repetition of a letter or sound at the beginning of consecutive words.
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22
Allusion
Referencing a separate literary work as an artistic device in a literary work.
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23
Anachronism
A thing belonging to a separate time than it is depicted.
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24
Anadiplosis
A literary device where the ending word or phrase of one sentence is repeated at the beginning of the next sentence, adding emphasis.
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25
Analogy
A descriptive comparison between two things.
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26
Anapest
A foot of poetry consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable.
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27
Antithesis
One object or subject being the direct opposite of another.
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28
Aphorism
A concise observation that contains a universal truth.
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29
Apostrophe
Addressing an inanimate object or a person who is deceased.
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30
Archaism
The use of old-fashioned or archaic styles in literature.
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31
Archetype
A recurrent symbol or motif that is portrayed across literature.
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32
Aporia
An expression of doubt (real or pretended) for rhetorical effect.
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33
Asyndeton
Omission of the usual conjunctions between words or clauses.
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34
Auxesis
Listing things in order of importance.
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35
Brachylogia
Leaving out words to shorten an expression.
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36
Dialogical
When writing is characterized by the use of dialogue.
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37
Diction
The words or phrases an author chooses to use in speech or writing.
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38
Didactic
Designed or intended for teaching, typically involving moral lessons.
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39
Dimeter
A single line of verse containing two metrical feet.
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40
Diphthong
A gliding speech sound between two vowels in the same syllable.
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41
Dirge
A solemn, mournful piece of music, often accompanying a funeral.
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42
Dissonance
An inharmonious grouping of sounds that is harsh to the ear.
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43
Doggerel
A text that is irregular in measure, emphasizing comic or satirical effect.
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44
Double Entendre
A word or phrase with two possible interpretations, often sexual.
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45
Dramatic Monologue
A speech where a character reveals their situation through their own words.
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46
Eclogue
A short poem containing dialogue between shepherds.
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47
Elegy
A song or poem expressing sorrow, usually toward the dead.
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48
Elision
The omission or slurring over of a vowel or syllable in pronunciation.
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49
Ellipsis
The omission of necessary words understood within the context.
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50
Encomium
A reference to a person or idea, usually in prose poems.
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51
End-stopped
The end of a line where a pause is intended.
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52
English (Shakespearean) Sonnet
A sonnet with three quatrains ending in a couplet.
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53
Enjambment
A line ending that runs on to the next without punctuation.
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54
Enlightenment, The
A period of increased intellect in the late 17th to early 19th centuries.
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55
Epideictic
Poems used for public occasions, often funerals.
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56
Epigram
A short poem with wit and expression.
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57
Epigraph
A quote that indicates the theme of the writing.
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58
Epitaph
A writing describing a dead person's life.
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59
Epithalamion
A poem or song sung for the bride on the wedding night.
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60
Epithet
A descriptive phrase for a person or phrase.
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61
Eponymous
A term for something named after a person.
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62
Euphemism
Figurative language replacing harsh phrasing.
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63
Euphony
Words creating a pleasing sound with their use.
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64
Exordium
An introduction section of a piece of work.
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65
Explication
A close reading or analysis of written work.
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66
Homophone
Words pronounced the same but with different meanings.
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67
Hyperbaton
A rhetorical device changing the typical word order.
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68
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for emphasis, not meant literally.
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69
Iamb
A two-syllable metrical pattern of unstressed followed by stressed.
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70
Idiom
An expression with a figurative meaning different from the literal.
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71
Idyll
A short work depicting rural life or a pastoral scene.
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72
Imagery
Figurative language evoking sensory experience.
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73
Invocation
Addressing a deity to seek inspiration.
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74
Invective
Abusive language used to attack someone.
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75
Irony
A contradiction between appearance and reality.
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76
Isocolon
Repeats grammatical structures in phrases or sentences.
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77
Jeremiad
A literary work expressing deep lamentation, often societal critique.
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78
Kitsch
A literary device conveying irony, often characterized by bad taste.
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79
Lacuna
An absent part in a piece of writing.
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80
Lai
A medieval lyric poem in couplets, often set to music.
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81
Lampoon
A form of satire making fun of something by imitation.
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82
Latinate
English words derived from Latin.
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83
Leitmotif
A recurring theme or symbol with significance.
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84
Limerick
A five-line poem with a rhyme scheme of ABBA, often humorous.
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85
Literature
A body of written works on a subject matter.
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86
Lyric
A short poem expressing personal mood or feeling.
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87
Madrigal
A short lyric poem of love or pastoral life, often set to music.
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88
Malapropism
A confused use of a long word comically.
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89
Masculine Rhyme
Common rhyme between stressed syllables at verse lines' ends.
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90
Masque or Mask
An indoor performance combining poetry, music, and dance.
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91
Maxim
A short, memorable statement of a general principle.
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92
Meditation
Expresses author's reflections.
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93
Metaphor
Referring to something by a different word suggesting a common quality.
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94
Metaphysical Poets
17th-century English poets notable for intellectual and theological concepts.
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95
Meter
The pattern of measured sound-units in lines of verse.
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96
Mnemonic Device
Words or letters that assist memory.
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97
Mock-epic
A poem mimicking epic style for trivial events, satirizing its subject.
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98
Modernism
Experimental trends in early 20th-century literature.
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99
Monologue
An extended speech by one speaker.
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100
Motif
An element that elaborates into a broader theme.
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