Literary Terms Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes.

Predicate nominative

The part of a sentence or clause containing a verb and stating something about the subject. (anne was A MONSTER)

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. ( WALLSTREET walked off with….)

Sestina

A verse form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each followed by an envoy of three lines, in which six end-words are repeated in a fixed order.

Epitaph

A short poem or statement in memory of someone who has died.

Invective

An insult/Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure.

Jargon

Words or expressions used by a particular profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.

Epigrams

A concise, witty, and satirical statement or poem.

Iambic pentameter

A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable.

Antecedent

A word that is before a pronoun and what it refers to. (JANET says she is allergic)

Paradox

A self-contradictory statement (trust me when I say trust no one)

Mixed Metaphor

A combination of two or more metaphors. (it’s not rocket surgery/that train has sailed)

Zeugma

A figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses. (He LOST his coat and his temper)

Caesura

A break between words within a metrical foot.

Parable

A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. (fairy tales)

Spondee

A foot consisting of two long (or stressed) syllables.

Blank Verse

Verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter.

Conceit

An extended metaphor comparing two very unalike things. (metaphysical: to lovers to two legs of a compass) (Petrarchan: eyes likes stars, cheeks like roses)

Doggerel

Trivial, poorly written verse

Litotes

Using words associated with poor quality to make a positive statement (he’s not bad at singing, It wasn’t a terrible day, i’m not unfamiliar)

Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet

• Structure: 14 lines, also in iambic pentameter

• Rhyme Scheme: ABBAABBA (octave) + CDECDE or CDCDCD (sestet)

• Volta: Typically after the eighth line, between the octave and sestet

• Themes: Idealized love, spiritual struggle, introspection

Shakespearean Sonnet

• Structure: 14 lines, written in iambic pentameter

• Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

• Structure Breakdown: 3 quatrains (4-line stanzas) + 1 couplet (2 lines)

• Volta (shift in thought): Often appears at the final couplet

• Themes: Love, beauty, time, mortality

Spensiarian

• Structure: 14 lines in iambic pentameter

• Rhyme Scheme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE

• Structure Breakdown: Like Shakespearean, but with interlocking quatrains

• Volta: Usually at the final couplet

lyric

short poem expressing thoughts/emotions with no full story

ode

celebrates or praises an idea/person/etc

ballad

narrative poem in quatrains, ABAB, typically dramatic theme

monologue

long speech by a single character TOWARDS OTHERS

soliloquy

character speaks ALONE on stage revealing inner thoughts, not meant to be heard by others

villanelle

• A 19-line poem with a specific structure: 5 tercets (3-line stanzas) + 1 quatrain (4-line stanza).

• Uses repetition: lines 1 and 3 repeat alternately throughout the poem and both appear in the final quatrain.

• Rhyme scheme: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA

elegy

A mournful, reflective poem, usually written to lament someone who has died.

dramatic monologue

A type of lyric poem where a single speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing their character through what they say (and how they say it

pastoral

A poem that idealizes rural life and nature, often portraying shepherds or simple country settings.

Synecdoche

part is used for a whole (as steel for sword/as thief for pickpocket)

antithesis

sharp contrast