section 2 vocab 23-45

Dactyl

In poetry, a metrical pattern consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

denoument

That part of the drama which follows the climax and leads to the resolution

diction

An author's choice of words

didactic literature

Literature designed explicitly to instruct

dramatic monologue

In literature, the occurrences of a single speaker saying something to a silent audience.

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Elegy

\n A lyric poem lamenting death

epic

In literature generally, a major work dealing with an important theme

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Euphemism

A mild word of phrase which substitutes for another which would be undesirable because it is too direct, unpleasant, or offensive

exposition

In drama, the presentation of essential information regarding what has occurred prior to the beginning of the play

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fable

A brief tale designed to illustrate a moral lesson

farce

A type of comedy based on a humorous situation such as a bank robber who mistakenly wanders into a police station to hide

figurative language

In literature, a way of saying one thing and meaning something else

Figure of speech

An example of figurative language that states something that is not literally true in order to create an effect

flashback

A reference to an event which took place prior to the beginning of a story or a play

foil

A character in a play who sets off the main character or other characters by comparison

feet/foot in poetry

The basic unit of measurement in a line of poetry

free verse

Unrhymed poetry with lines of varying lengths, and containing no specific metrical pattern

genre

a literary type or form

tone

Expresses the author's attitude toward his or her subject

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iamb

A metrical pattern of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

oxymoron

A combination of contradictory terms

ode

A poem of praise of something divine or expressing some noble idea

spondee

A metrical pattern characterized by two or more successively-placed accented syllables