Lit Terms #2

elegy

a poem (or song) of mourning, usually over the death of an individual

end rhyme

when the pattern of rhymes happens at the end of each line of poetry

epic

long narrative poem describing the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the culture from which it originated

epigram

short, witty statement in prose or verse

epigraph

quotation or motto at the beginning of a chapter, book, story, or poem that makes some point about the work

epitaph

an inscription on a gravestone or a short poem written in memory of someone who died

epithet

descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something, such as 'fair weather friend' or 'Catherine the Great'

essay

a prose work, usually short, that deals with a subject in a limited way and expresses a particular point of view

exposition

the kind of writing that is intended primarily to present information

fable

a brief story that is told to present a moral or practical lesson

falling action

all the events that follow the climax of the story and lead to the resolution/end of the story

farce

a type of comedy based on farfetched humorous situations, often with ridiculous or stereotyped characters

figurative language

language that is not intended to be interpreted in a literal sense

figure of speech

a single word or a single phrase or a single expression that is not meant to be interpreted literally

flashback

a scene in a story that interrupts the action to show something that happened earlier

foil

a character who sets off another character by contrast

folklore

traditional songs, myths, legends, fables, dances, proverbs, or riddles passed down orally from generation to generation and makes up the culture it came from

folktale

an anonymous story passed down within a culture orally from generation to generation based on imaginative things or people

foot

a unit used to measure the meter, or rhythmic pattern of beats, in a line of poetry.

foreshadowing

the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come

form

the structure and organization of literary work, as distinct from its content which is what the work is about

forms of discourse

a classification of writing into types according to the writer's main purpose

free verse

unrhymed verse that has either no metrical pattern or an irregular pattern

gothic

a term that describes the use in fiction of grotesque gloomy settings and mysterious, violent, and supernatural occurrences to create suspense and awe

haiku

a Japanese poem consisting of three lines and 17 syllables in the order of 5-7-5.

Harlem Renaissance

a flowering of black writing, art, and music in the 1920s in New York City

hyperbole

a figure of speech using exaggeration, or overstatement, for special effect

iamb

a poetic foot consisting of an unstressed then stressed syllable

iambic pentameter

the beat consists of five feet of unstressed then stressed syllables making ten syllables in the line of poetry

imagery

words or phrases that create pictures or images in the reader's mind

imagism

a movement of poetry to express an object with clarity using clear, precise, and sharp language

incongruity

the joining of opposites to create an unexpected situation

internal rhyme

a rhyme that happens within one line of poetry

inversion

the reversal of the usual order of words for dramatic effect

irony

a contrast between what is stated and what is meant, or between what is expected and what actually happens