Literary Terms

kenning

a compound expression in Old English and Old Norse poetry with metaphorical meaning

kenning example

oar-steed = ship

alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

alliteration example

sheep should shower in a shed

consonance

the recurrence of similar sounds, especially consonants, in close proximity

consonance example

mike likes his new bike

assonance

the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible

assonance example

the rain in spain falls mainly on the plain

caesura

• (in Greek and Latin verse) a break between words within a metrical foot

• (in modern verse) a pause near the middle of a line.

caesura example

"And begin to pay tribute. That was one good king"

allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

allusion example

To my dog, our neighborhood park is the Garden of Eden

• (references the Bible)

foreshadowing

be a warning or indication of (a future event)

foreshadowing example

“It was a dark and stormy night”

• signals trouble, danger, and mayhem.

litote

ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary

litote example

you won't be sorry, meaning you'll be glad

metaphor

a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable

metaphor example

the exam was a piece of cake

epithet

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned

epithet example

a scornful eye

paronym

a word which is a derivative of another and has a related meaning

paronym example

“wisdom” → “wise”

frame tale

a narrative that frames or surrounds another story or set of stories

frame tale example

The Canterbury Tales

allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

allegory examples

The Canterbury Tales characters are allegorical because they give the reader insight into the hypocrisy that is part of everyday life

medieval romance

deals with love or heroic adventures both in prose or verse form

medieval romance example

the wife of bath’s tale

aside

a remark or passage in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play

monologue

long speech made by one actor in a play, film, etc, especially when alone

soliloquy

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play