Literary terms English 4 unit 1

(goes w/beowulf vocab)

alliteration

the repitition of the first consonance used for sound effect Ex: pollie’s pink pumps

Aullsion

a reference to other literature which the author beleives the reader is familiar with Ex: the Bible, Shakespear

Archetype

A character, action, or situation that occurs over and over through literature Ex: hero v. villan

assonance

the repetition of a sound of a vowel (not rhyming) Ex: penitence, reticence

epic

a quest or story on a grand scaleepic hero

epic hero

this main character represents the values of his society

Kenning

a mini metaphor that is found in Anglo- saxton poetry, and it’s usually two hyphenated words.

caesura

A pause within a line- can be made by a physical space or a comma.

in media res

into the middle of a narrative

litereary epics

A long narrative poem that usually deals with important subjecct matter like events of cultural significance

muse

A person or personafied who is the source of insparation for a creative artist

Elevated style

to use very formal, dignified language to give an air of particular importance to a subject or character

folk epic

long heroic narratives which recount the adventures of tribal heroes

monomyth

the common template of a story; hero goes on an adventure, crisis, resolution