English Midterm

Setting

The background against which the story takes place

Character

Developed through description, actions, thoughts and speech, direct statement from the writer, and/or opinions voiced by others

Plot

The pattern that results from the events in the story in the order in which they are presented

Theme

The central idea or the dominating thought, which results from the other elements contained in fiction

Style

This term refers to the unique way each author has of using all the elements of fiction

Tone

Attitude revealed towards a subject by the author

Irony

When what is done, said, or happens contrasts with that is expected

Symbolism

The literal use of an object, person, action, or other items that suggests a larger, perhaps more universal meaning

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses

Denotation

Dictionary definition of a word

Connotation

Emotions and ideas associated with a word

Allusion

Reference to something in history literature

Understatement

A statement which means less than what is intended

Hyperbole

A statement of gross exaggeration

Paradox

An apparent contradiction

Simile

A direct comparison of two essentially unlike things, using "like" or "as"

Metaphor

Comparison of two unlike things

Personification

Giving human characteristics to a creature, idea or object

Apostrophe

Direct address to an inanimate object or idea

Point of View

Vantage point from which the author presents the action of the story

Omniscient

Author has unlimited access to characters, knows all, sees all, tells all, as she or he pleases

Subjective

Third person narrations, through only one character, all details experienced by one person only, you get a view into the mind and emotional state of the character, and there is no interpretation by the author

Objective

Author becomes a camera, recording action without comment or interpretation; reader becomes spectator

First Person

The story is narrated and written from the "I" perspective

Second Person

The story is narrated and written from the "you" perspective

Third Person

The story is narrated and written from the "he/she/it/they" perspective

accent

The prominence or emphasis given to a syllable or word.

alliteration

The repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words.

anapest

A metrical foot of three syllables, two short (or unstressed) followed by one long (or stressed), as in seventeen and to the moon.

antithesis

A figure of speech in which words and phrases with opposite meanings are balanced against each other.

apostrophe

Words that are spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea.

assonance

The repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel sounds.

ballad

A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain.

ballade

A type of poem, usually with three stanzas of seven, eight, or ten lines and a shorter final stanza (or envoy) of four or five lines. All stanzas end with the same one-line refrain.

blank verse

Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.

classicism

The principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature.

conceit

A fanciful poetic image or metaphor that likens one thing to something else that is seemingly very different.

consonance

The repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words, as in lost and past or confess and dismiss.

couplet

In a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought.

dactyl

A metrical foot of three syllables, one long (or stressed) followed by two short (or unstressed), as in happily.

elegy

A poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and thoughtful.

epic

A long, serious poem that tells the story of a heroic figure

feminine rhyme

A rhyme that occurs in a final unstressed syllable: pleasure/leisure, longing/yearning

figure of speech

A verbal expression in which words or sounds are arranged in a particular way to achieve a particular effect

foot

Two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem

free verse (vers libre)

Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set meter

haiku

A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. They often
reflect on some aspect of nature.

heroic couplet

A stanza composed of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter

hexameter

A line of poetry that has six metrical feet

hyperbole

A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis

iamb

A metrical foot of two syllables, one short (or unstressed) and one long (or stressed)

iambic pentameter

A type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line

idyll (idyl)

Either a short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds or extraordinary events set in the distant past

lay

A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels called trouvères

limerick

A light, humorous poem of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba

lyric

A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet

masculine rhyme

A rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve

metaphor

A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected

meter

The arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of accented

metonymy

A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. For example, in the expression

narrative

Telling a story

ode

A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure

onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds

pastoral

A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way

pentameter

A line of poetry that has five metrical feet

personification

A figure of speech in which things or abstract ideas are given human attributes

poetry

A type of literature that is written in meter

quatrain

A stanza or poem of four lines

refrain

A line or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza

rhyme

The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words

rhyme royal

A type of poetry consisting of stanzas of seven lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme
ababbcc

romanticism

A movement during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that favored feeling over reason and placed great emphasis on the subjective, or personal, experience of the individual

scansion

The analysis of a poem's meter, usually by marking the stressed and unstressed
syllables in each line and then, based on the pattern of the stresses, dividing the line into feet.

senryu

A short Japanese poem that is similar to a haiku in structure but treats human beings rather than
nature, often in a humorous or satiric way

simile

A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as"

sonnet

A lyric poem that is 14 lines long

spondee

A metrical foot of two syllables, both of which are long (or stressed)

stanza

Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem

stress

The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables

synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part

tanka

A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven

terza rima

A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in three-line "tercets" with the rhyme scheme aba bcb cdc, etc.

tetrameter

A line of poetry that has four metrical feet

trochee

A metrical foot of two syllables, one long (or stressed) and one short (or unstressed)

trope

A figure of speech, such as metaphor or metonymy, in which words are not used in their literal (or actual) sense but in a figurative (or imaginative) sense

verse

A single metrical line of poetry, or poetry in general (as opposed to prose)

Drama

The literature, the actual script, including plot, character, thought, scene, and dialogue

Theatre

The actual production, containing the drama, all elements of production including actions, the space, and the audience

Theater

Used in journalist pursuits or when talking about a movie or a film

Classic Theatre Style

It is structured in the manner of Greek drama, with little physical violence. What violence there is takes place offstage. The mental agonies of the characters are in full view, but the action is confined to a single time and place. The dialogue is in an elevated tone and the staging is simple.

Romantic Theatre Style

Is one that appeals to the emotions, with no restraints on time and setting. As a result there is a lot of movement, several plot lines as well as interest in the battle between good and evil.

Realistic and Naturalist Theatre Style

Man is presented as he is, the product of his heredity and environment. The actions on stage are as they would be in real life. The dialogue reflects speech patterns of real people.

Comedy

In theatre shows movement from unhappiness to happiness and entertains rather than distresses the audience

High Comedy

This form includes social comedy, comedy of manners, or drawing room comedy, which is noted for being intellectual and sophisticated

Low Comedy

This includes farce and slapstick is anti-intellectual form of theater

Farce

Features many jokes and gags on broadly humorous situations

Slapstick Comedy

Relies on the physical assault of humor

Tragedy

The term applies to serious dramatic works in which things turn out badly for the chief character

Catharsis

A feeling of relief on the part of the audience that leads to a cleansing of the mind