lit terms test 50-100

imagery

anything that affects or appeals to the reader’s sense of sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell

in medias res

a work that begins in the middle of the story

interior monologue

literary technique that reveals a character’s unspoken thoughts or feelings

internal rhyme

a rhyme that is within the line, rather than at the end

inversion

a switch in normal word order, typically for emphasis or rhyme scheme

litotes

an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite

lyric poem

a fairly short or expressive poem that conveys the feelings and observations of a single speaker

meiosis

figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size than it really is

metamorphosis

a radical change in a character, either physical or emotional

metaphor

a figure of speech which compares two dissimilar things, asserting that one thing is another thing

meter

the rhythmical pattern of a poem

metonymy

figure of speech that replaces the name of something with a word or phrase closely associated with it

monologue

a long speech made by one person

myth

a story usually with superficial significance, that explains the origins of gods, heroes, or natural phenomena

narrative poem

a poem tat tells a story

near, off, or slant rhyme

a rhyme based on an imperfect or incomplete correspondence of end syllable sounds

octave

an eight-line stanza; the first eight lines of a sonnet, especially one structured as an Italian or Petrarchan sonnet

ode

usually a lyric poem of praise written in moderate length with a serious subject, an elevated style, and an elaborate stanza pattern

onomatopoeia

words that imitate sounds

oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines two contradictory words, placed side by side

paean

a hymn sung in Ancient Greece in invocation of or thanksgiving to a deity; any one of praise

parable

a short story illustrating a moral or religious lesson

paradox

two contradictory ideas that seemingly reveal a truth

parallelism

the repeated use of the same grammatical structure in a sentence or a series of sentences

parody

a comical imitation of a serious piece of literature with the intent of ridiculing the author or his work

epigram

a short, clever poem with a witty turn of thought

epigraph

a brief quotation found at the beginning of a literary work, reflective of theme

epiphany

a sudden flash of insight. a startling discovery and/or appearance; a dramatic realization

epistolary novel

a novel in letter form written by one or more of the characters. the novelist can use this technique to present varying first-person points of view and does not need a narrator

epistrophe

the repetition of words at the end of a line, phrase, or cause

epithet

a identifying expression like “Prince Charming” for Dorian Gray

essay

a short composition on a single topic expressing the view or interpretation of the writer on that topic

euphemism

substitution of an inoffensive word or phrase for another that would be harsh, offensive, or embarrassing

euphony

the quality of a pleasant or harmonious sound of a word or group of words as an intended effect

fallacy

a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument

farce

a kind of comedy that depends on exaggerated or improbable situations, physical disasters, and sexual innuendo to amuse the audience

figurative language

unlike literal expression, figurative language uses figures of speech such as metaphor, simile, metonymy, personification, and hyperbole

first person

POV with I, limited

flashback

interruption of a narrative by introduction of an earlier event or by an image of a past experience

flat character

a simple one-dimensional character who remains the same, and about whom little or nothing is revealed throughout the course of the work

foil

a character whose contrasting personal characteristics draw attention in order to enhance, contrast, with those of the main character

foot

the basic unit used in the scansion or measurement of metrical verse. usually one accented and one or two unaccented

foreshadowing

when the author gives hints of what is to come

free verse

poetry that does not have regular rhythm or rhyme

genre

the category into which a piece of writing can be classified

hamartia

a tragic flaw

heroic couplet

in poetry, a rhymed couplet written in iambic pentameter (5 ft each with one stressed syllable following an unstressed)

hubris

insolence, arrogance, or pridehy

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration for literary effect that is not meant to be interpreted literally

iambic pentameter

a five foot line made up of an unaccented followed by an accented syllable