Untitled Flashcards Set

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence or phrase beyond the end of a line, verse, or stanza without a pause or break.

Scansion

The analysis of a poem's meter, identifying its rhythm, syllabic patterns, and stress, usually denoted through symbols.

Metonymy

A figure of speech where something is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it.

Synesthesia

A literary device where one sense is described in terms of another.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity, usually at the end or middle of words.

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, often used to convey chaos or tension.

Euphony

Pleasing, harmonious sounds.

Iamb

A metrical foot consisting of two syllables, where the first is unstressed and the second is stressed.

Trochee

A metrical foot with two syllables, where the first is stressed and the second is unstressed.

Anapest

A metrical foot with three syllables, where the first two are unstressed and the third is stressed.

Dactyl

A metrical foot with three syllables, where the first is stressed and the next two are unstressed.

Spondee

A metrical foot consisting of two stressed syllables.

Masculine Rhyme

A rhyme where the final stressed syllable of the rhyme is at the end of the line.

Feminine Rhyme

A rhyme where the stress is on the second-to-last syllable of the rhyme.

Shakespearean Sonnet

A sonnet structure of three quatrains followed by a couplet, typically using iambic pentameter.

Italian Sonnet (Petrarchan)

A sonnet with an octave and a sestet, typically following a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA for the octave.

Sestina

A complex form of poetry with six stanzas of six lines each, followed by a three-line envoi.

Villanelle

A 19-line poem with a fixed rhyme and repeating lines.

Elegy

A poem or song written in honor of someone who has passed away.

Ode

A type of lyrical poem expressing praise or admiration for a subject.

Ballad

A narrative poem that tells a story of love, tragedy, or adventure.

Lyric

A short, personal poem expressing feelings or thoughts.

Dramatic Monologue

A type of poem where a single character speaks to a silent audience.

Epistle

A poem or work written in the form of a letter.

Aubade

A poem or song about the morning or about lovers parting at dawn.

Concrete Poetry

A type of poetry where the arrangement of the words is as important as the content.

Allegory

A narrative in which characters and events symbolize abstract ideas or moral qualities.

Anthropomorphism

The attribution of human characteristics to non-human entities.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of two opposite or contrasting ideas.

Aphorism

A brief statement expressing a general truth or principle.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device where two phrases are balanced against each other in reverse order.

In Media Res

A narrative technique where the story begins in the middle of an action.

Kenning

A figurative expression used in Old Norse and Old English poetry.

Stock Epithet

A descriptive phrase repeatedly used to characterize a person or thing.

Verisimilitude

The appearance of being true or real in a work of art or literature.

Third-Person Omniscient

A narrative point of view where the narrator knows all the thoughts and feelings of all characters.

Third-Person Subjective

A narrative point of view where the narrator has insight into the thoughts of one specific character.

Third-Person Objective

A narrative point of view where the narrator only reports what is observable.

Epistolary Narrative

A narrative told through a series of letters, diaries, or other forms of correspondence.

Catharsis

The emotional release or purging that the audience experiences after the climax of a tragedy.

Hamartia

A tragic flaw or error in judgment that leads to the protagonist's downfall.

Hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence, often leading to a character’s downfall.

Peripeteia

A sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, revealing inner feelings.

Beatnik

A member of the countercultural movement in the 1950s, focused on rejecting conventional society.

Bildungsroman

A coming-of-age novel focusing on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist.

Comedy of Manners

A type of comedy that satirizes the manners and affectations of a particular social class.

Fable

A short narrative that conveys a moral lesson, often featuring animals as characters.

Memoir

A nonfiction work that provides a personal account or story of a specific period in the author’s life.

Novella

A short novel or long short story, typically focusing on a single character or event.

Satire

A genre of literature that uses humor or ridicule to criticize or mock societal norms.