Andracki Lit Terms 1-20

anapest

a type of meter in which two unstressed syllables are followed by a stressed syllable (u u /)

anecdote

the unelaborated narration of a single, usually interesting or amusing, incident designed to make the reader laugh or brood over the topic presented

assonance

the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds - especially in stressed syllables - in a sequence of nearby words

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter (i.e., unrhymed lines of ten syllables each with the even-numbered syllables bearing the accents); it is considered the most "natural" verse form for dramatic works, since it supposedly is the verse form most close to natural rhythms of English speech

canon

the entire body of literature traditionally thought to be suitable for admiration and study (i.e., both traditional and modern "classics")

dactyl

a metrical foot, or a beat in a line, containing three syllables in which first one is accented followed by second and third unaccented syllables (accented/unaccented/unaccented)

diction

the kinds of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language that constitute any work of literature

doggerel

a technical term for bad poetry, usually characterized by irregular verse, forced rhyme and/or overly sentimental tones; it is sometimes the result of a bad poet, it is sometimes created by successful poets for comic effect

dumb show

a common device in Elizabethan drama, this is an episode of pantomime introduced into a spoken play

English or Shakespearean sonnet

a lyric poem consisting of a single stanza of fourteen iambic pentameter lines linked by an intricate rhyme scheme (abab cdcd efef gg; variation = Spenserian sonnet: abab bcbc cdcd ee); each poem contains 3 quatrains and a concluding couplet; each poem has a "volta" (specific turn); in the poem the poet explores a single feeling, thought or strong emotion

iamb

a metrical foot, or a beat in a line, containing two syllables in which first one is unaccented followed by a second accented syllable (unaccented/accented)

Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet

a lyric poem consisting of a single stanza or fourteen iambic pentameter lines linked by an intricate rhyme scheme; an octave rhyming abbaabba + a sestet rhyming cdecde (or similar)

hubris

excessive pride or self-confidence. In classical Greek tragedy, this was often a fatal shortcoming that brought about the fall of the tragic hero. Typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of his or her mortality.

Oedipal complex

Freud's theory of the repressed but continuing presence in the adult's unconscious of the male infant's desire to possess his mother and to have his rival, the father, out of the way

pentameter

a line in verse or poetry that has five strong metrical feet or beats

pun

a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings (e.g., "A horse is a very stable animal"; "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.")

scansion

the results of going through and marking a poem line by line, analyzing the component feet, and also indicating where any major pauses in the phrasing fall within a line

simile

a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two distinctly different things with the help of the words "like" or "as"

syntax

the study of the way that sequences of words are ordered into phrases, clauses, and sentences (that is, how words are used to form a sentence (hint: Yoda's is unusual: "Powerful you have become")

epiphany

that moment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness, or a feeling of knowledge after perceiving a commonplace object; after this moment, events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story