Sinclair Literary Terms Page 18

Protagonist

a central character or hero with whom the audience tends to identify

Pseudonym

(also called pen name or nom de plume) a false name or alias used by writers

Pun

figure of speech which involves a play upon words, usually identical or similar in sound but have sharply different meanings; can be serious and well as humorous

Quatrain

a four-line stanza or unit of poetry with any combination of rhymes

Realism

refers to any efforts to offer an accurate and detailed portrayal of actual life and without idealization or exaggeration for effect (see also naturalism)

Refrain

a phrase or a group of lines that is repeated at significant moments within a poem, usually at the end of a stanza

Repetition

to repeat a sound, word, or phrase, formalized consonance of syllables, words, phrases, stanzas, metrical patterns, ideas, allusions, or shapes

Reversal

(also known as peripeteia) the sudden change in fortune in a story, play, or other narrative in which there is an observable change in direction. In a tragedy, this usually is a change from happiness and stability to the destruction and downfall of the protagonist

Resolution

how the conflict is resolved, and the story is ended

Rhetoric

the art of writing effectively; the language of a work and its style; words used to convince or sway a reader/audience; in essence, it refers to the art of making oneself understood

Rhetorical Question

a question asked for the sake of persuasive effect rather than a genuine request for information

Rhetorical Subject

language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject

Rhyme

correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially at the end of lines in poetry.

Eye Rhyme

a false rhyme where two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently

Internal Rhyme

a rhyme between two or more words within a single line of verse

Feminine Rhyme

a rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed (double rhyme)

Masculine Rhyme

a rhyme consisting of a single stressed syllable or ends on a stressed syllable

Slant Rhyme

imperfect rhyme that resembles a pure rhyme except for a slight variation, most often with a change in the sound of the vowel, as in noon/nine