Lit Terms

abstract language

vocabulary that signifies a concept, quality, or abstract idea

absurdist drama

fiction that focuses on experiences of characters who can't find purpose in life, meaningless actions and events that question existing concepts

accentual meter

the key feature is the number of stressed syllables in each line, without regard to the unstressed syllables

accentual syllabic meter

a common metrical system in English verse using number of syllables in lines and pattern of stresses in each foot

adjectives

a word or phrase naming an attribute, added to or grammatically related to a noun to modify or describe it

allegories

As a literary device, an allegory is a metaphor whose vehicle may be a character, place or event, representing real-world issues and occurrences.

alliteration

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

allusions

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

Anagnorisis

turning point where the protagonist realizes truth of situation

analogy

a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification

anapestic foot

two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one

anapestic trimester

a poetic meter that has four anapestic metrical feet per line. Each foot has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable

anaphora

the use of a word referring to or replacing a word used earlier in a sentence, to avoid repetition

ancient Greek drama

dramas that consist of Ancient Greek lifestyle

antagonist

a noun or a pronoun that describes or equates with a nearby noun or pronoun

anthology citations

collection of works, organized around a central theme, that has been assembled by an editor or publisher

antihero

protagonist of a drama or narrative who is notably lacking in heroic qualities

antinovels

any experimental work of fiction that avoids the familiar conventions of the novel, and instead establishes its own conventions

antithesis

a figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with

aphorisms

a pithy observation that contains a general truth

apostrophe

an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person typically deceased or absent

Appositive

a noun followed by another noun to identify the first one

asides

dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience

assonance

in poetry, 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

atmosphere

the feeling, emotion, or mood a writer conveys to a reader through the description of setting and objects

author information

basic facts such as childhood, education, career, relationships, family and death

ballad meter

four-line stanzas usually rhyming abcb with the first and third lines carrying four accented syllables and the second and fourth carrying three

bibliographic information

what works the author used in writing the article or book, or they may list works that a reader might find useful

Bildungsroman

a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education

blank verse

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter

blocking of asides

The precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera

caesuras

Prosody. a break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle ofa verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line

catalectic foot (catalexis)

a metrically incomplete line of verse, lacking a syllable at the end or ending with an incomplete foot. One form of catalexis is headlessness, where the unstressed syllable is dropped from the beginning of the line.

catharsis in tragedy

is the purification and purgation of emotions—especially pity and fear—through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration

characterization

the creation or construction of a fictional character

chiasmus

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form

classical tragedy

A tragedy that is often times most serious, swaying the audience emotionally and ends with the protagonist's disaster in Ancient Greek

closed couplets

a pair of lines in which the end of the rhyme in the second line coincides with the end of the clause of sentence

closed form of poetry

consists of poems that follow patterns of lines, meter, rhymes, and stanzas

closet drama

drama that is intended to be read rather than acted out

colloquial language

words or expressions used in ordinary language by common people

comedy

professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh

common meter

a metrical pattern for hymns in which the stanzas have four lines containing eight and six syllables alternately rhyming abcb or abab

complete predicate

consists of the verb and all its modifiers, objects, and complements

complete subject

consists of the simple subject and all of its modifiers

complex sentences

contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause

compound sentences

two independent clauses formed into one using conjunctions

conceit, metaphysical

a specialized form of the metaphor which features an ingenious, often far-fetched, with a moving strong effect

concrete language

tangible, qualities or characteristics, things we know through our senses

conjunctions, coordinating

a conjunction placed between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences of equal rank

consonance

repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase

coordinated clauses

independent clause that is connected to another one of equal importance, often with a conjunction

coordinating conjunctions

connecting devices that include the infamous FANBOYS

coordination

uses coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, or punctuation to combine short independent clauses into a single sentence

cosmic irony

the idea that fate, destiny, or a god controls and toys with human hopes and expectations; also, the belief that the universe is so large and man is so small that the universe is indifferent to the plight of man

couplets

two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit

cumulative sentence

an independent clause followed by a series of subordinate constructions (phrases or clauses) that gather details about a person, place, event, or idea

curtal sonnet

an eleven-line (or, more accurately, ten-and-a-half-line) sonnet, but rather than the first eleven lines of a standard sonnet it consists of precisely 3/4 of the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet shrunk proportionally

dactylic feet

a long syllable followed by two short syllables, as determined by syllable weight. In accentual verse, often used in English, it is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

dactylic tetrameter

a line consisting of four dactylic feet. "Tetrameter" simply means four poetic feet. Each foot has a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

dependent clause

a clause that provides an independent clause with additional information, but which cannot stand alone as a sentence

detail selection and order

refers to the details that the author reveals for the purpose of adding to the desired dominant impression

dialogue

conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie

diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing

dimeter

a line of verse consisting of two metrical feet

direct discourse

the quoted words of a character given by the narrator

direct object

a noun phrase denoting a person or thing that is the recipient of the action of a transitive verb

direct satire

expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule

doggerel tragedy

a low, or trivial, form of verse, loosely constructed and often irregular, but effective because of its simple mnemonic rhyme and loping meter. It appears in most literatures as a form for comedy and satire

domestic tragedy

In English drama, a domestic tragedy is a tragedy in which the tragic protagonists are ordinary middle-class or lower-class individuals

double rhyme

if two of the syllables rhyme

drama

an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events or set of circumstances

dramatic irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect

dramatic monologue

a poem in the form of a speech or narrative by an imagined person, in which the speaker inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a particular situation or series of events

dramatic poetry

is any drama that is written in verse that is meant to be recited. It usually tells a story or refers to a situation

eighteenth

century drama-1700-1785, represented by John Dryden in tragedy and William Congreve and Richard Brinsley Sheridan in comedy

Elizabethan drama

1558-1603, represented by William Shakespeare in both tragedy and comedy and Christopher Marlowe and John Webster in tragedy

email, in order of works cited

include the name of the writer, the title of the message, a description of the message including who it was sent to, the date it was sent, and the method of delivery

endnotes, MLA style

same superscript number that goes before the works cited

end rhyme

rhymes that occur at the end of the poetic line

end

stopped lines-poetic device in which a pause comes at the end of a syntactic unit (sentence, clause or phrase)

English medieval drama

period between the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 15th century A.D

English (Shakespearean) sonnets

written in iambic pentameter and consisting of three quatrains and a final couplet with the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg

enjambments

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza

epic poetry (epics)

long, serious, poetic narrative about a significant event, often featuring a hero

epigrams

pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way

epiphany

the point in a work of literature where a character has a sudden insight or realization that changes his or her understanding

epistolary novels

written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used

equivoque

an expression capable of having more than one meaning; a pun

essay, understatement

make something less than it really is

exposition

a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory

extended metaphors

when an author exploits a single metaphor or analogy at length through multiple linked, tenors, and grounds throughout a poem or story

eye rhyme

in which words look on the page like perfect rhymes but have different pronunciations

fallacy, pathetic

personification that gives human emotions to inanimate objects of nature

falling meters

trochaic and dactylic feet, which end on an unstressed syllable

farce

a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations

feet, metrical

stressed and unstressed lines

feminine ending

a line of verse that ends with an unstressed syllable

fiction

literature in the form of prose, especially short stories and novels, that describes imaginary events and people

fictional narrator

a narrator who is controlling the perspective