21st Century Literature: Introduction to Literature and Traditional Genres

Fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering literary terms, poetic elements, stanza forms, feet, meters, sensory imagery, and key analyzed poems.

The word literature is derived from the Latin term __________, which comes from littera, meaning a written character or letter.

litteratura

In literature, the abbreviation SHE stands for __________.

Significant Human Experience

The quality of literature that appeals to our sense of beauty is called __________.

Artistry

The emotional power of literature that moves readers and stimulates feelings is known as __________.

Suggestiveness

The literary quality that stimulates our thoughts and helps us understand fundamental truths about human life is __________.

Intellectual Value

The literary quality that endures across time and remains meaningful through generations is __________.

Permanence

The acronym used to remember the six major qualities of literature is __________.

A-S-I-S-U-P

The three principal ingredients of literature are Subject, Form, and __________.

Point of View

The three levels of subject in a literary work are Particular, Generalization, and __________.

Theme

The word prose comes from the Latin word prosa, which means __________.

straightforward

A type of prose fiction that explains how the world or people came to be is a(n) __________.

Myth

A fictional story that uses animals or plants as characters to teach a message or virtue is a(n) __________.

Fable

A simple story designed to teach a moral or religious lesson is a(n) __________.

Parable

A fictional narrative that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel is called a(n) __________.

Novella

A life story written by another person is a biography, while a life story written by the person himself or herself is a(n) __________.

Autobiography

A factual personal account that focuses on particular experiences, events, or periods of the author's own life is a(n) __________.

Memoir

A melancholic poem lamenting someone's death that ends in consolation is called a(n) __________.

Elegy

The poetic form whose name means 'little song' and features a clarification or 'turn' of thought in its concluding lines is the __________.

Sonnet

A long narrative poem about a legendary hero, often featuring elevated language and supernatural intervention, is a(n) __________.

Epic

A dramatic speech where a character is alone on stage expressing private thoughts or feelings is a(n) __________.

Soliloquy

A stanza consisting of exactly $2$ lines is called a(n) __________.

Couplet

A stanza consisting of $4$ lines is called a(n) __________.

Quatrain

A stanza consisting of $6$ lines is designated as a(n) __________.

Sestet / Sextet

A stanza consisting of $8$ lines is designated as a(n) __________.

Octave / Octet

A metrical foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable ($\breve{\ }\acute{\ }$) is a(n) __________.

Iamb

A metrical foot with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable ($\acute{\ }\breve{\ }$) is a(n) __________.

Trochee

A metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable ($\breve{\ }\breve{\ }\acute{\ }$) is a(n) __________.

Anapest

A metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables ($\acute{\ }\breve{\ }\breve{\ }$) is a(n) __________.

Dactyl

A metrical foot composed of two consecutive stressed syllables ($\acute{\ }\acute{\ }$) is a(n) __________.

Spondee

A line of poetry containing $5$ metrical feet is called a(n) __________.

Pentameter

Words that look like they rhyme because of their spelling but have different pronunciations (e.g., 'good' and 'food') are known as __________.

Eye rhyme

The repetition of identical vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in poetry is called __________.

Assonance

The repetition of final consonant sounds preceded by different vowel sounds is called __________.

Consonance

The speaker or 'I' of a poem is called the __________, who is not automatically the poet.

Persona

The type of irony that occurs when the audience or reader knows something critical that the character does not know is __________.

Dramatic irony

Sensory imagery that appeals specifically to the sense of smell is classified as __________ imagery.

Olfactory

Sensory imagery that conveys physical movement is called __________ imagery.

Kinesthetic

Sensory imagery that appeals to internal feelings or emotions is termed __________ imagery.

Organic/Subjective

While __________ refers to the attitude of the speaker toward the subject, mood refers to the overall feeling created for the reader.

Tone

While theme is descriptive and explores what a story is about, a(n) __________ is prescriptive and tells the reader what lesson they should take away.

Morale

William Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 18' opens with the line, 'Shall I compare thee to a __________?'

summer's day

In J. Neil Garcia's poem 'The Conversion', the prominent symbol associated with the persona's traumatic forced conformity is the __________.

metal drum

The poem 'From Saudi With Love' was written by __________.

Ariel Dim Borlongan

In Tim Gillespie's 'Why Literature Matters', writer __________ influenced Gillespie by criticizing an overemphasis on form over human content.

Ralph Ellison