Lit Terms 2

Here are the lit terms! dm or text me in the gc if I made any mistakes or there is something you think I should change for the good of the cohort!

allegory

allegory

A story illustrating an idea or a moral principle in which objects and/or characters take on symbolic meanings

alliteration

the use in close succession of repeated (two or more) initial consonant sounds, creating a literary effect, such as mood, foreshadowing, or imagery

allusion

a reference, explicit or implicit, to something in literature or history; the author expects the reader will know the reference

antithesis

a device that utilizes repetition of a word or phrase at the BEGINNING of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases; used to emphasize an idea

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . .”

apostrophe

a poetic phrase or speech made by a character that is addressed to a subject that is not literally present in the literary work (dead and inanimate objects count as well)

archetype

characters (and sometimes images, symbols, for themes) that symbolically embody the universal meanings and basic human experiences, independent of time or place, can be classified by this term

this functions as a device that intends to create more complex characterization

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

conceit

an extended metaphor or simile that is complicated and imaginative, comparing  comparing something physical with something abstract; this type of comparison is often observed in metaphysical poetry

“No man is an island” by Donne

endstopped line

a poetic device that creates in a line of poetry a pause at the end of a unit of thought; it is sometimes expressed by punctuation mark; opposite of enjambment

ex:

“Starting here, what do you want to remember?

How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?

. . .

sound from outside fills the air?”

enjambed line

a poetic device that preserves the flow of a complete thought from one line of poetry into the next without pause before reaching completion; opposite of end-stopped line

exemplum

a short tale, narrative, or anecdote developed in the late Middle Ages to explain a doctrine or to emphasize a moral point; generally in the forms of legends, folktales, and fables; an exemplum clarifies and proves a point

figurative language

language that relies on figures of speech (such as simile, personification, imagery, and others) and is not understood literally; must be interpreted for intended effect; opposite of literal language

foreshadowing

the use of words, phrases, conditions, and events which function as hints as the work unfolds; hints often refer to something that will happen without revealing the details or spoiling the suspense; often noticed by strong readers but sometimes not realized until later in the text as the reader thinks back

free verse

poetry that is not controlled by patterns, such as meter or rhythm and does not rhyme in fixed form; different from blank verse in that it has rhythm but not rhyme

hubris

extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character, which ultimately brings about his downfall

imagery

groups of words (both literal and figurative) used by authors to create a sensory recognition (see, smell, hear, taste, touch) by the reader

irony (situational)

an event or condition in which incongruity exists between actual circumstances and those that would seem appropriate, or between what is anticipated and what actually comes to pass

literal language

language that can be understood in its actual sense; the opposite is figurative language

narrative

a story, report or tale of related events presented to listeners or readers, in words arranged in a logical sequence. A story is taken as a synonym of narrative; told by a narrator.

onomatopoeia

A literary device wherein the sound of a word echoes the sound it represents. The words "splash," "knock," and "roar" are examples

personification

The term itself refers to an umbrella of devices, all of which attribute to non-human things the characteristics of humans

satire

a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society, by using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule with intention to change/improve humanity

theme

the author’s central message about life in a piece of literary fiction; usually implied rather than directly stated; should be expressed academically as a complete sentence

vernacular

the language or everyday ordinary people rather than scholarly languages, such as Latin