CLEP - Analyzing Literature

Poetry

Writing with rhythm and imagery.

Prose

Regular writing in sentences and paragraphs.

Drama

Writing meant for performance (plays).

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem.

Rhyme Scheme

Pattern of rhymes (ABAB, AABB).

Tone

Author’s attitude toward the subject.

Syntax

Word order in sentences.

Verse

A line of poetry.

Internal Rhyme

Rhymes within a line.

End Rhyme

Rhymes at line endings.

Slant Rhyme

Partial/imperfect rhyme.

Masculine Rhyme

Rhyme on one stressed syllable.

Feminine Rhyme

Rhyme on two syllables.

Rhyme

Matching sounds in words.

Free Verse

No set rhyme or meter.

Blank Verse

No rhyme, but regular meter.

Iambic Pentameter

10 syllables, unstressed stressed pattern.

Meter

Pattern of stressed/unstressed syllables.

Anapest

da-da-DUM pattern.

Trochee

DUM-da pattern.

Form

Structure of a poem.

Closed Form

Follows strict rules.

Open Form

No strict rules.

Concrete Form

Shape matches the poem’s subject.

Sonnet

14 line poem with set pattern.

Octave

8 line stanza.

Sestet

6 line stanza.

Quatrain

4 line stanza.

Couplet

2 line stanza.

Epic

Long poem about heroic events.

Ballad

Story poem, often musical.