Lyric Poetry
A poem designed to express emotions, feelings, or ideas. Most contemporary poems are this style
Stanza
A group of lines that form a unit, often set off by a space above or below
Enjambement
Line structure where the syntax of the line isn't completed at the line's end, but carries over to the next line
End-stop line
Line structure where the syntax of the line is completed at the line's end
Alliteration
The repetition of the initial consonant of words that are clustered together
Allusion
A reference to something well known (person, place, event, etc...)
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds between and within words that are clustered together
Connotation
What a word implies or suggests
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds at any point of words (not necessarily at the beginning)
Denotation
The literal meaning of a word
Imagery
Vivid or descriptive language to appeal to one or more senses (DOES NOT have to be visual)
Metaphor
A symbolic comparison made by directly stating one thing as another, or substituting one thing for the other
Simile
A comparison using like or as
Synecdoche
A type of metaphor in which part of something is used to represent the whole thing
Syntax
Grammatical structure
Tone
Attitude of the speaker, narrator, or author toward the subject
Agency
A person’s control over their own life; autonomy
Motif
A repeated element (key word, idea, phrase, symbol) that contributes to the greater meaning of the story
Contrast
The juxtaposition of opposing elements thereby highlighting the traits of one or both
Intersectionality
A convergence of different aspects of one’s identity that forms a unique identity with particular features/pressures/conflicts distinct from the individual identities that converge
Bildingsroman
A coming of age story; typically a young protagonist journeys out into the world and returns changed
Kunstlerroman
The story of the birth or development of the artist
Ode
A poem of praise that elevate the subject, and uses elevated language to do so
Refrain
A key word, phrase, or line that gets repeated throughout the poem
Free Verse
Poetry that does not have any fixed meter or rhyme scheme (though it might rhyme in places) or specific structural riles to follow (this becomes the dominant form of 20th century poetry)
Anaphora
A repeated word or phrase at the beginning of lines
Catalog
A list of items
Perspectivalism
The idea or belief that perspective influences understanding; different perspectives will understand things differently
Aesthetics
The stylistic choices an author makes
Couplet
A consecutive pair of rhymed lines
Enlightenment
A period of heavy emphasis on rational thought and empiricism
Direct Discourse
Dialogue, the narrator relates the character’s thoughts through the character’s own words
Indirect Discourse
The statement of what a person said without quoting the exact words, a relaying of thoughts
Free Indirect Discourse
When an author temporarily taps into a character’s mind to convey their thoughts or feelings
Juxtaposition
Placing two concepts or objects next to one another
Modernism
The rejection of Romantic idealism, responding to two historical changes: transformation to a more urban society and WWI, which challenged belief in human progress
Transcendentalism
An idealistic, anti-institution philosophy that values and believes in the individual and capability, and sees nature as restorative
Liminality
The space between clearly demarcated areas of identity and belonging
Metonymy
A type of metaphor in which something that is closely associated is used to represent it (ex: White House = presidency)
Romanticism
A philosophy that valued nature, beauty, emotion, and nostalgia, while still valuing the individual
Focalization
Point of view, the perspective from which the events of a story are witnessed
Personification
The attribution of human characteristics to something nonhuman