Literary Terms List #5

Carpe Diem

An invitation or plea to enjoy youth and life quickly, before the onset of dull maturity or death

Machiavehllian

a character type who will manipulate people for his own delight

Faustian

an archetype of a person who is prepared to sell his soul to the devil in return for some time of gain

Shakespearean Sonnet

characterized by three quatrains and a couplet

blazon

A description of a woman’s beauty in the form of a list of her best physical features

Parody

a humorous imitation

Conceit

un unexpected comparison between two apparently dissimilar things ideas

Motif 

an object or idea that repeats throughout a work; less than a symbol

ambiguity

The capacity of words and sentences to have double, multiple, or uncertain meaning

Juxtaposition

placing items side by side to highlight similarities or differences

Byronic Hero

A brooding solitary, who seeks exotic ravel and wild nature to reflect his superhuman passions. Often conceals a secret for which he feels great guilt, seeking him apart from society in some way. Generally fascinating to an ingenue for whom he develops a great passion

Petrarchan sonnet

characterized structurally by an octave volta, and sestet

aubade

A song or salute at dawn, usually by a lover lamenting parting at daybreak

hamartia

an error in judgement which a tragic hero makes and which leads to his downfall