AP Literature and Composition Literary Terms

IB Literature and Composition Literary Terms

Please devour these terms and definitions so you know them well by the second six weeks. You will use these terms and understanding their effect in order to analyze literary fiction and to answer discussion questions, general oral questions, writing prompts, and in-class timed essays. The student who earns an “A” in class is one who frequently wields the terminology in an accurate manner. Additional terms will be added as we progress in our class studies.

act:  a major unit of action in a drama or play.  Each act can be further divided into smaller sections called scenes.

allegory: a story in which people, things and actions represent an idea about life; allegories often have a strong moral or lesson.

alliteration (a-LIT-uh-RAY-shuhn): the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (tongue twisters)

allusion (a-LOO-zhuhn):  a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature. Allusions are often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events.

 

analogy: a comparison of two or more like objects that suggests if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well.

 

anecdote:  a brief account of an interesting incident or event that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point.

antagonist (an-TAG-uh-nist):  see character

aside: an actor’s speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage. An aside is used to let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or she is thinking.

assonance:  repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry.

audience:  the particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing.  A writer considers his or her audience when deciding on a subject, a purpose for writing and the tone and style in which to write.

author: the writer of a book, article or other text.

author’s purpose:  an author’s purpose is his or her reason for creating a particular work.  The purpose can be to entertain, explain or inform, express an opinion, or to persuade.

autobiography: a form of nonfiction in which a person tells the story of his or her life.

ballad: is a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited.

 

biography:  the story of a person’s life that is written by someone else.

 

blank verse:  unrhymed iambic pentameter (see meter)

 

caesura: a pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry

cause and effect:  two events are related as cause and effect when one event brings about or causes the other.  The event that happens first is the cause; the one that follows is the effect.

character:  a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. Characters are extremely important because they are the medium through which a reader interacts with a piece of literature. Every character has his or her own personality, which a creative author uses to assist in forming the plot of a story or creating a mood.

                       

Terms Associated with Characterization:

1.      antagonist (an-TAG-uh-nist):  a character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character, or protagonist, in some way. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be a person. It could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge that prevents the main character from living “happily ever after."

2.      caricature: a picture or imitation of a person’s habits, physical appearance or mannerisms exaggerated in a comic or absurd way.

3.      foil: a character who serves as a contrast or a conflict to another character

4.      hero/heroine: a character whose actions are inspiring or noble; often the main character in a story.

5.      main characters:  the characters who are central to the plot of a story; main characters are usually dynamic and round.

6.      minor characters:  a less important character who interacts with the main characters, helping to move the plot along and providing background for the story.  Minor characters are usually static and flat.

7.      novel, play, story, or poem.  He or she may also be referred to as the "hero" of a work.

 

characterization:  all of the techniques that writers use to create characters. 

 

                        Terms Associated with Characterization:

1.      character trait:  a character’s personality; a trait is not a physical description of a character.

2.      direct characterization:  the author directly states a character’s traits or makes direct comments about a character’s nature.

3.      dynamic character:  a character who changes throughout the course of the story.

4.      flat character:  a character about whom little information is provided.

5.      indirect characterization:  the author does not directly state a character’s traits; instead the reader draws conclusions and discovers a character’s traits based upon clues provided by the author.

6.      round character:  is a character who is fully described by the author (several character traits, background information, etc.)

7.      static character:  a character who does not change or who changes very little in the course of a story.

 

chorus:  see refrain

 

chronological order:  the order in which events happen in time.

 

clarifying: the reader’s process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he or she understands.  By clarifying as they read, good readers are able to draw conclusions about what is suggested but not stated directly.

 

cliché: a type of figurative language containing an overused expression or a saying that is no longer considered original.

 

climax:  see plot

 

comedy:  a dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone and usually ends happily with a peaceful resolution of the main conflict.

 

comparison:  the process of identifying similarities.

 

concrete poetry: a type of poetry that uses its physical or visual form to present its message.

 

conflict:  the tension or problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces. 

                        Terms Associated With Conflict:

1.      central conflict:  the dominant or most important conflict in the story.

2.      external conflict:  the problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force. (ex:  person vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. nature, person vs. the supernatural, person vs. technology, etc.)

3.      internal conflict:  the problem or struggle that takes place in the main character’s mind (person vs. self).

 

connecting:  a reader’s process of relating the content of a literary work to his or her own knowledge and experience.

                       

connotation (KAH-nuh-TAE-shun): the idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary definition or denotation.

 

consonance:  the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry.  Alliteration is a specific type of consonance.

 

context clues:  hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases and clarify their meaning.

 

contrast:  the process of pointing out differences between things.

couplet (KUP-let):  a rhymed pair of lines in a poem.  One of William Shakespeare’s trademarks was to end a sonnet with a couplet, as in the poem “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long as lives this, and this gives life to thee.

denotation (DEE-no-TAE-shuhn) is the opposite of connotation in that it is the exact or dictionary meaning of a word.

denouement (day-noo-mon):  see plot

dialect:  a form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people.

dialogue (di-UH-log): The conversation between characters in a drama or narrative. A dialogue occurs in most works of literature.

drama:  a drama or play is a form of literature meant to be performed by actors before an audience.  In a drama, the characters’ dialogue and actions tell the story.  The written form of a play is known as a script.

drawing conclusions:  combining several pieces of information to make an inference is called drawing a conclusion.

dramatic monologue (dra-MA-tik mon'-O-lôg): a literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings, those that are hidden throughout the course of the story line, through a poem or a speech. This speech, where only one character speaks, is recited while other characters are present onstage. This monologue often comes during a climactic moment in a work and often reveals hidden truths about a character, their history and their relationships.

elegy (EL-e-je): a type of literature defined as a song or poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died.

 

enjambment: in poetry, the running over of a line or thought into the next of verse

 

epigram (ep-e-gram): a short poem or verse that seeks to ridicule a thought or event, usually with witticism or sarcasm.

 

epic:  a long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or group.

 

epiphany: a sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to change or to act in a certain way.

 

epitaph: a short poem or verse written in memory of someone

 

essay: a short work of nonfiction that deals with a single subject.

 

Various Types of Essays

 

1.      descriptive essay is one that describes a particular subject.

2.      expository essay is one whose purpose is to explain and give information about a subject.

3.      formal essay is highly organized and thoroughly researched.

4.      humorous essay is one whose purpose is to amuse or entertain the reader.

5.      informal essay is lighter in tone and usually reflects the writer’s feelings and personality.

6.      narrative essay is an essay that tells a story.

7.      persuasive essay attempts to convince a reader to adopt a particular option or course of action.

 

evaluating:  the process of judging the value of something or someone.  A work of literature can be evaluated in terms of such criteria as entertainment, believability, originality, and emotional power. 

 

exaggeration:  see hyperbole

 

exposition:  see plot

 

extended metaphor:  a figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things in great length. 

external conflict: see conflict

fable: a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature. Fables often feature animals as characters.

 

fact and opinion:  a fact is a statement that can be proved. An opinion, in contrast, is a statement that reflects the writer’s or speaker’s belief, but which cannot be supported by proof or evidence. 

 

falling action:  see plot

 

fantasy:  a work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element.

 

fiction:  prose writing that tells an imaginary story.  Fiction includes both short stories and novels.

 

figurative language or figure of speech:  expressions that are not literally true.  see simile, metaphor, hyperbole, understatement, irony, oxymoron, cliché, metonymy

 

first person point of view:  see point of view

flashback:  an interruption of the chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence. A flashback is a narrative technique that allows a writer to present past events during current events, in order to provide background for the current narration. 

foil: see character

folklore:  traditions, customs and stories that are passed down within a culture.  Folklore contains various types of literature such as legends, folktales, myths, and fables. 

folktale:  a simple story that has been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth.  Folktales are told primarily to entertain rather than to explain or teach a lesson.

foot: a unit of meter within a line of poetry

foreshadowing: when the writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict future event in a story.   

free verse:  poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm.  Often used to capture the sounds and rhythms of ordinary speech.

generalization:  a broad statement about an entire group.

 

genre (ZHAHN-ruh): a type or category of literature.  The four main literary genres include:  fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. \

haiku:  a traditional form of Japanese poetry, usually dealing with nature.  A haiku has three lines and describes a single moment, feeling or thing.  The first and third lines contain five syllables and the second line contains seven syllables.

 

hero or heroine: see character

 

heroic couplet or closed couplet: a couplet consisting of two successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought.

 

historical fiction:  fiction that explores a past time period and may contain references to actual people and events of the past. 

 

horror fiction: fiction that contains mysterious and often supernatural events to create a sense of terror.

 

humor:  the quality that provokes laughter or amusement.  Writers create humor through exaggeration, sarcasm, amusing descriptions, irony, and witty dialogue.

 

hyperbole (hi-per-bo-lee): a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect.

iambic pentameter: see meter

idiom: a phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say (for example, using the phrase “over his head” instead of “He doesn’t understand”).

imagery:  the use of words and phrases that appeal to the five senses.  Writers use sensory details to help readers imagine how things look, feel, smell, sound, and taste.

 

inference:  is a logical guess based on evidence based on evidence in the text.

 

internal conflict:  see conflict

 

interview:  a meeting in which one person asks another about personal matters, professional matters or both.

 

irony (i-RAH-nee): a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens. Irony spices up a literary work by adding unexpected twists and allowing the reader to become more involved with the characters and plot.

There are many types of irony, including: 

1.      verbal irony:  occurs when the speaker means something totally different than what he or she is saying  and often times the opposite of what a character is saying is true.

2.      dramatic irony:  occurs when facts are not known to the characters in a work of literature but are known by the audience.

3.      cosmic irony:  suggests that some unknown force brings about dire and dreadful events.

4.      irony of situation: the difference between what is expected to happen and the way events actually work out.

legend: a story handed down from the past about a specific person, usually someone of heroic accomplishments.

 

limerick:  a short humorous poem composed of five lines that usually has the rhyme scheme aabba, created by two rhyming couplets followed by a fifth line that rhymes with the first couplet.  A limerick typically has a sing-song rhythm.

 

literal meaning: the actual meaning of a word or phrase.

 

lyric (LEER-ick) poetry: a song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker.    

main character:  see character

 

main idea:  the most important point that a writer wishes to express.

 

memoir:  a specific type of autobiography; like autobiography, a memoir is about the author’s personal experiences. However, a memoir does not necessarily cover the author’s entire life.

 

metaphor (met-AH-for): a type of figurative language in which a comparison is made between two things that are essentially unalike but may have one quality in common.  Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not contain an explicit word of comparison, such as “like” or “as”.

 

meter: the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables.  Although all poems have rhythm, not all poems have regular meter.  Each unit of meter is known as a foot. The conventional symbols used to identify accented and unaccented syllables are: “/” to indicate an accented syllable; and an “X” or a small symbol shaped like a “U” to indicate an unaccented symbol. The metrical foot is the basic unit of meter. The most common metrical feet and their patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables are as follows:

·        iamb: X /

·        trochee: / X

·        anapest: X X /

·        dactyl: / X X

·        spondee: / /

·        pyrrhic: X X

The meter of a poem is determined by the predominant metrical foot, and by the number of feet per line that predominates in the poem. The following terms indicate the number of feet per line:

·        monometer: one foot per line

·        dimeter: two feet per line

·        trimeter: three feet per line

·        tetrameter: four feet per line

·        pentameter: five feet per line

·        hexameter: six feet per line

·        heptameter: seven feet per line

·        octameter: eight feet per line

A poem written in predominantly iambic meter, with five feet per line, would be called "iambic pentameter." One written in primarily trochaic meter, with four feet per line, would be "trochaic tetrameter." One written in anapestic meter, with three feet per line, would be "anapestic trimeter."

 

metonymy: the metaphorical substitution of one word or phrase for another related word or phrase. Example: “The pen is mightier than the sword.”  The word “pen” is used in place of “words” and the word “sword” is used to represent the idea of fighting or war.

 

minor character: see character

mood: a mood or atmosphere is the feeling that a literary work conveys to readers.  Mood is created through the use of plot, character, the author’s descriptions, etc.

moral: a lesson that a story teaches.  A moral is often stated directly at the end of a fable.

motif (moh-TEEF): a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. A motif may also be two contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil. A motif is important because it allows one to see main points and themes that the author is trying to express, in order that one might be able to interpret the work more accurately.

motivation: the reason why a character acts, feels or thinks in a certain way.

myth (mith): a traditional story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the world is the way that it is. Myths are stories that are passed on from generation to generation and are of unknown authorship.  Also see folklore.

narrative (na-RAH-tiv): any writing that tells a story. Most novels and short stories are placed into the categories of first-person and third-person narratives, which are based on who is telling the story and from what perspective.

 

Terms that relate to "narrative”

1.      narrative poetry: poetry that tells a story. A narrative poem can come in many forms and styles, both complex and simple, short or long, as long as it tells a story. Like fiction, narrative poetry contains characters, settings and plots.

2.      narrator: one who tells a story; the speaker or the “voice” of an oral or written work. The narrator is not usually the same person as the author. The narrator is the direct window into a piece of work. Who the author chooses to narrate establishes the point of view in the story.

3.      unreliable narrator: one who gives his or her own understanding of a story, instead of the explanation and interpretation the author wishes the audience to obtain. This type of action tends to alter the audience’s opinion of the conclusion. 

narrative poem (nar-RAH-tiv po-EM): see narrative

narrator (nar-RAY-ter): see narrative 

nonfiction: is prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects or events.  Some examples of nonfiction include autobiographies, newspaper articles, biographies, essays, etc.

novel: a work of fiction that is longer and more complex than a short story.  In a novel, setting, plot and characters are usually developed in great detail.

ode: a lyric poem of some length, usually of serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal structure.onomatopoeia:  the use of words whose sound suggest their meaning (ex. buzz, bang, hiss).opinion:  see fact and opinion

oral history:  stories of people’s lives related by word of mouth.  These histories usually include both factual material and personal reactions.  oxymoron:  a form of figurative language combining contradictory words or ideas (ex. jumbo shrimp, bittersweet).

paradox:  a statement that seems to contradict itself but is, nevertheless, true.

parallelism:  the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance. For example:  The sun rises. The sun sets.

paraphrasing:  the restatement of a text by readers in their own words or in another form.

parody: a literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author’s work for comic effect or ridicule.

personification {PER-son-E-fih-ka-shEn): a figure of speech where animals, ideas or inanimate objects are given human characteristics.

perspective:  see point of view

persuasion:  persuasive writing is meant to sway readers’ feelings, beliefs, or actions.  Persuasion normally appeals to both the mind and the emotions of readers.

play:  see drama

plot:  the sequence of related events that make up a story.                                                                                            

Terms Associated with Plot

1.      exposition:  introduces the characters and the conflicts they face.

2.      inciting incident:  occurs after the exposition and introduces the central conflict within the story. 

3.      rising action:  following the introduction of the central conflict; complications arise as the characters struggle with the conflict.                                                                                                                                                                               

4.      climax:  the turning point, point of maximum interest, and highest tension in the plot of a story, play, or film.  The climax usually occurs towards the end of story after the reader has understood the conflict and become emotionally involved with the characters.  At the climax, the conflict is resolved, and the outcome of the plot becomes clear.                                           

5.      falling action:  the end of the central conflict in a story, when the action starts to wind down.                                 

6.      resolution or denouement:  occurs after the climax and is where conflicts are resolved and loose ends are tied up.

7.      subplot:  an additional minor plot that involves a secondary conflict in the story; the subplot may or may not affect the main plot.

poetry:  a type of literature in which ideas and feelings are expressed in compact, imaginative, and often musical language.  Poets arrange words in ways designed to touch readers’ senses, emotions, and minds.  Most poems are written in lines that may contain patterns of rhyme and rhythm.  These lines may in turn be grouped in stanzas.  See narrative, epic, ballad, lyric, haiku, limerick and concrete poetry.

point of view: perspective from which a story is told. Understanding the point of view used in a work is critical to understanding literature; it serves as the instrument to relay the events of a story, and in some instances the feelings and motives of the character(s). 

Terms Associated with Point of View:         

1.      first person point of view:  the person telling the story is one of the characters in the story.  It is the “I” point of view.  It is the most limited among the types because the narrator can only state what he or she sees, feels, and hears.  He or she cannot go into the minds of the other characters.

2.      second person point of view:  refers to the use of “you” in explanations or arguments. It is not frequently used, but is appropriate in certain circumstances.  Most second person points of view occur within instructions that are meant to be followed. 

3.      third person limited or third person objective:  the person telling the story is not one of the characters in the story.  He or she is an outside observer.  The reader can only know what one character learns through interaction with other characters or through overheard conversations.  The narrator cannot supply the thoughts or feelings of other characters in the story.       

4.      third person omniscient:  the narrator is not a character in the story, but the events in the story are seen through the eyes of more than one of the characters.  The narrator is considered to be “all knowing” and cannot only see and hear everything that is happening to all characters in the story, but can also enter their minds and tell the reader what each is thinking and feeling. This is the least limited point of view because the narrator has knowledge of all the characters.           

predicting:  the process of gathering information and combining it with the reader’s own knowledge to guess what might occur in the story.

primary source:  a first hand account of an event; primary sources include: diaries, journals, letters, speeches, news stories, photographs, and pieces of art.

propaganda: text that uses false or misleading information to present a slanted point of view.

prose:  the ordinary form of spoken and written language; that is, language that lacks the special features of poetry.  Examples of prose include:  essays, stories, articles, speeches, etc. 

protagonist (pro-TAG-eh-nist)  see character

questioning:  the process of raising questions while reading in an effort to understand characters and events.

realistic fiction:  imaginative writing set in the real, modern world.  The characters act like real people who use ordinary human abilities to cope with problems and conflicts typical of modern life. 

 

refrain:  repetition in literature of one or more lines at regular intervals; sometimes called the chorus.

 

repetition:  a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect or emphasis.

 

resolution:  see plot

 

rhyme (rime): repetition of an identical or similarly accented sound or sounds in a work.  Rhyme gives poems flow and rhythm, helping the lyricist tell a story and convey a mood.

 

                                    Some Terms Associated with Rhyme:

1.            end or terminal rhymes:  words that rhyme at the end of a verse-line.

2.            eye rhymes: are words that when written appear to rhyme, but when spoken do not (ex:  dog/fog, cough/enough/bough, etc).

3.            internal rhyme:  rhyme found within a line of poetry (alliteration, assonance, and consonance). 

4.            slant rhyme (slänt rime) is also known as near rhyme, half rhyme, off rhyme, imperfect rhyme, oblique rhyme, or pararhyme. A distinctive system or pattern of metrical structure and verse composition in which two words have only their final consonant sounds and no preceding vowel or consonant sounds in common. Instead of perfect or identical sounds or rhyme, it is the repetition of near or similar sounds or the pairing of accented and unaccented sounds that if both were accented would be perfect rhymes (stopped and wept, parable and shell). Alliteration, assonance, and consonance are accepted as slant rhyme due to their usage of sound combinations (spilled and spoiled, chitter and chatter).

 

 

rhyme scheme: the pattern of end rhyme used in a poem, generally indicated by matching lowercase letters to show which lines rhyme. The letter "a" notes the first line, and all other lines rhyming with the first line. The first line that does not rhyme with the first, or "a" line, and all others that rhyme with this line, is noted by the letter "b", and so on. The rhyme scheme may follow a fixed pattern (as in a sonnet) or may be arranged freely according to the poet's requirements.

 

rhythm (see also meter):  refers to the pattern of flow of sounds created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.  The accented or stressed syllables are marked with:

                                                stressed or accented syllables:  /

                                                unstressed or unaccented syllables:  X or U

 

rising action:  see plot

sarcasm: the use of praise to mock someone or something; the use of mockery or verbal irony

 

satire:  a literary technique in which ideas or customs are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society.

 

scanning:  the process of searching through writing for a particular fact or piece of information.

 

scene:  a section in a play presenting events that occur in one place at one time.

 

science fiction:  prose writing in which a writer explores unexpected possibilities of the past or the future by using scientific data and theories as well as his or her imagination. 

 

secondary source: a secondary source presents information compiled from or based on other sources.

 

sensory details:  words and phrases that help readers see, hear, taste, feel, or smell what an author is describing.

 

sequence:  the order in which events occur or in which ideas are presented.

setting (set-ting): the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a story occurs. Settings include the background, atmosphere or environment in which characters live and move, and usually include physical characteristics of the surroundings.

Settings enables the reader to better envision how a story unfolds by relating necessary physical details of a piece of literature.

 

short story:  brief work of fiction that generally focuses on one or two main characters who face a single problem or conflict.

 

simile (sim-EH-lee): a simile is a type of figurative language that makes a comparison between two otherwise unlike objects or ideas by connecting them with the words "like" or "as."

 

soliloquy: a speech delivered by a character who is alone on the stage. 

sonnet (sonn-IT): a sonnet is a distinctive poetic style that uses a system or pattern of metrical structure and verse composition usually consisting of fourteen lines, arranged in a set rhyme scheme or pattern. There are two main styles of sonnet, the Italian sonnet and the English sonnet.

1.      The Italian or Petrarchan sonnet is usually written in iambic pentameter. It consists first of an octave, or eight lines, which asks a question or states a problem or proposition and follows the rhyme scheme a-b-b-a, a-b-b-a. The sestet, or last six lines, offers an answer, or a resolution to the proposed problem, and follows the rhyme scheme c-d-e-c-d-e.

2.      In the English or Shakespearean sonnet the octave and sestet were replaced by three quatrains, each having its own independent rhyme scheme typically rhyming every other line, and ending with a rhyme couplet. Instead of the Italianic break between the octave and the sestet, the break comes between the twelfth and thirteenth lines. The ending couplet is often the main thought change of the poem, and has an epigrammatic ending. It follows the rhyme scheme a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g.

sound devices: see alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme and rhythm.

speaker: the voice that talks to the reader in a poem, as the narrator does in a work of fiction.  The speaker in the poem is not necessarily the poet.

speech: a talk given in public.

stage directions: the instructions to the actors, director and stage crew in the script of a play.

stanza: a grouping of two or more lines within a poem.  A stanza is comparable to a paragraph in prose. Some common stanza forms include:                                                                                                                                                   

·        two line stanza: couplet

·        three line stanza: triplet or tercet

·        four line stanza: quatrain

·        five line stanza: cinquain or quintet

·        six line stanza: sestet or sextet

·        seven line stanza: septet

·        eight line stanza: octave

·        fourteen line stanza: sonnet

 

static character: see character

stereotype: a broad generalization or an oversimplified view that disregards individual differences.

story mapping: a visual organizer that helps a reader understand a work of literature by tracking setting, characters, events and conflicts.

style: how a writer says something; many elements contribute to style, including word choice, sentence length, tone and figurative language

subplot: see plot

summarizing: the process of briefly recounting the main ideas of a piece of writing in a person’s own words, while omitting unimportant details.

suspense: a feeling of growing tension and excitement.  Writers create suspense by raising questions in readers’ minds about what might happen.

symbolism: using something specific to stand for something else, especially an idea. A symbol is a person, place, object or action that for something beyond itself. For example, a dove may represent peace. The dove can be seen and peace cannot.

synecdoche: a literary technique in which the whole is represented by naming one of its parts (genus named for species), or vice versa (species named for genus). Example: “You've got to come take a look at my new set of wheels.” The vehicle here is represented by its parts, or wheels.  

tall tale: a humorously exaggerated story about impossible events.

theme: a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. A theme is a thought or idea the author presents to the reader about life or human nature. Generally, a theme has to be extracted as the reader explores the passages of a work. The author utilizes the characters, plot, and other literary devices to assist the reader in this endeavor. The author often intertwines the theme throughout the work, and the full impact is slowly realized as the reader processes the text. The ability to recognize a theme is important because it allows the reader to understand part of the author’s purpose in writing the book.

 

third person point of view: see point of view.

 

tone: the writer’s attitude or feeling  about his or her subject.

 

tragedy: a dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character or characters who are involved in historically or socially significant events.  The events in a tragic plot are set in motion by a decision that is often an error in judgment. Succeeding events inevitably lead to a disastrous conclusion, usually death.

 

trait: see characterization.

understatement: a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said; the opposite of hyperbole. Understatement is usually used for a humorous effect.

unreliable narrator: see narrative

 

urban legend: a contemporary story that is told in many rumored versions that have little basis in fact.

voice: an author or narrator’s distinctive style or manner of expression.  Voice can reveal much about the author or narrator’s personality.

Disclaimer: Please note that the above document is not entirely my original work product.

IB English Poetry Terms

Listed and defined below are literary terms that you will need to know in order to discuss and write about works of poetry.  You are already familiar with many of these.

l. alliteration- the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds, normally at the                     beginnings of words.  Gnus never know pneumonia is an example of alliteration since, despite the spellings, all four words begin with the n sound.

2. allusion- a reference in a work of literature to something outside the work, especially to a well-known historical or literary event, person, or work.  When T.S. Eliot writes, "To have squeezed the universe into a ball" in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," he is alluding to the lines "Let us roll our strength and all/ Our sweetness up into one ball" in Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress."

3. antithesis- a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas, as in Man proposes; God disposes.  Antithesis is a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness.  The second line of the following couplet by Alexander Pope is an example of antithesis:                 The hungry judges soon the sentence sign,                 And wretches hang that jury-men may dine.

4. apostrophe- a figure of speech in which someone (usually, but not always absent), some abstract quality, or a nonexistent personage is directly addressed as though present.  Following are two examples of apostrophe:                 Papa Above!                 Regard a Mouse.                                  -Emily Dickinson

                Milton!  Thou shouldst be living in this hour;                 England hath need of thee . . ..                                  -William Wordsworth

5. assonance- the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.  A land laid waste with all its young men slain repeats the same a sound in laid, waste, and slain.

6. ballad meter- a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four.                 O mother, mother make my bed.                 O make it soft and narrow.                 Since my love died for me today,                 I’ll die for him tomorrow.

7. blank verse- unrhymed iambic pentameter.  Blank verse is the meter of most of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as that of Miltons’ Paradise Lost.

8. cacophony- a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones.  It may be an unconscious flaw in the poets’ music, resulting in harshness of sound or difficulty of articulation, or it may be used consciously for effect, as Browning and Eliot often use it. 

9. caesura- a pause, usually near the middle of a line of verse, usually indicated by the sense of the line, and often greater than the normal pause.  For example, one would naturally pause after human in the following line from Alexander Pope:                  To err is human, to forgive divine.

10. conceit- an ingenious and fanciful notion or conception, usually expressed through an elaborate analogy, and pointing to a striking parallel between two seemingly dissimilar things.  A conceit may be a brief metaphor, but it also may form the framework of an entire poem.  A famous example of a conceit occurs in John Donne’s poem A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, in which he compares his soul and his wife’s to legs of a mathematical compass.

11. consonance- the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words.  The term usually refers to words in which the ending consonants are the same but the vowels that precede them are different.  Consonance is found in the following pairs of words:  add and read, bill and ball, and born and burn.

12. couplet- a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the same.

13. devices of sound- the techniques of deploying the sound of words, especially in poetry.  Among devices of sound are rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia.  The devices are used for many reasons, including to create a general effect of pleasant or of discordant sound, to imitate another sound, or to reflect a meaning.

14. diction- the use of words in a literary work.  Diction may be described as formal (the level of usage common in serious books and formal discourse), informal (the level of usage found in the relaxed but polite conversation of cultivated people), colloquial (the everyday usage of a group, possibly including terms and constructions accepted in that group but not universally acceptable), or slang (a group of newly coined words which are not acceptable for formal usage as yet).

15. didactic poem- a poem which is intended primarily to teach a lesson.  The distinction between didactic poetry and non-didactic poetry is difficult to make and usually involves a subjective judgement of the author’s purpose on the part of the critic or the reader.  Alexander Pope’s Essay on Criticism is a good example of didactic poetry.

16. dramatic poem- a poem which employs a dramatic form or some element or elements of dramatic techniques as a means of achieving poetic ends.  The dramatic monologue is an example.

17. elegy- a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet’s meditations upon death or another solemn theme.  Examples include Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard; Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s In Memoriam; and Walt Whitman’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.

18. end-stopped- a line with a pause at the end.  Lines that end with a period, a comma, a colon, a semicolon, an exclamation point, or a question mark are end-stopped lines.                 True ease in writing comes from Art, not Chance,                 As those move easiest who have learn’d to dance.

19. enjambment- the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next.  Milton’s Paradise Lost is notable for its use of enjambment, as seen in the following lines:                    . . . .Or if Sion hill                   Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flow’d                   Fast by the oracle of God, . . . .

20. extended metaphor- an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem.  In The Bait, John Donne compares a beautiful woman to fish bait and men to fish who want to be caught by the woman.  Since he carries these comparisons all the way through the poem, these are considered extended metaphors.

21. euphony- a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate.  Its opposite is cacophony.  The following lines from John Keats’ Endymion are euphonious:                 A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:                 Its loveliness increases; it will never                 Pass into nothingness; but still will keep                 A bower quiet for us, and a sleep                 Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

22. eye rhyme- rhyme that appears correct from spelling, but is half-rhyme or slant rhyme from the pronunciation.  Examples include watch and match, and love and move.

23. feminine rhyme- a rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed, as waken and forsaken and audition and rendition.  Feminine rhyme is sometimes called double rhyme.

24. figurative language- writing that uses figures of speech (as opposed to literal language or that which is actual or specifically denoted) such as metaphor, irony, and simile.  Figurative language uses words to mean something other than their literal meaning.  The black bat night has flown is figurative, with the metaphor comparing night and bat.  Night is over says the same thing without figurative language.

25. free verse- poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical.  The poetry of Walt Whitman is perhaps the best-known example of free verse.

26. heroic couplet- two end-stopped iambic pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc with the thought usually completed in the two-line unit.  See the following example from Alexander Pope’s Rape of the Lock:                 But when to mischief mortals bend their will,                 How soon they find fit instruments of ill!

27.  hyperbole- a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration.  It may be used for either serious or comic effect.  Macbeth is using hyperbole in the following lines:                 . . ..No; this my hand will rather                 The multitudinous seas incarnadine,                 Making the green one red.

28. imagery- the images of a literary work; the sensory details of a work; the figurative language of a work.  Imagery has several definitions, but the two that are paramount are the visual auditory, or tactile images evoked by the words of a literary work or the images that figurative language evokes. When an IB question asks you to discuss imagery, you should look especially carefully at the sensory details and the metaphors and similes of a passage.  Some diction is also imagery, but not all diction evokes sensory responses.

29. irony- the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning.  Verbal irony is a figure of speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words which carry the opposite meaning.  Irony is likely to be confused with sarcasm, but it differs from sarcasm in that it is usually lighter, less harsh in its wording though in effect probably more cutting because of its indirectness.  The ability to recognize irony is one of the surer tests of intelligence and sophistication.  Among the devices by which irony is achieved are hyperbole and understatement.

30. internal rhyme- rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end.  The following lines contain internal rhyme:                 Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,                 Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore                 While I nodded, nearly napping. . suddenly there came a tapping . . . .

31. lyric poem- any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings.  Love lyrics are common, but lyric poems have also been written on subjects as different as religion and reading.  Sonnets and odes are lyric poems.

32. masculine rhyme- rhyme that falls on the stressed and concluding syllables of the rhyme-words.  Examples include keep and sleep, glow and no, and spell and impel.

33. metaphor- a figurative use of language in which a comparison is expressed without the use of a comparative term like as, like, or than.  A simile would say, night is like a black bat; a metaphor would say, the black bat night.

34. meter- the repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry.  The meter of a poem emphasizes the musical quality of the language and often relates directly to the subject matter of the poem.  Each unit of meter is known as a foot.

35. metonymy- a figure of speech which is characterized by the substitution of a term naming an object closely associated with the word in mind for the word itself.  In this way we commonly speak of the king as the crown, an object closely associated with kingship.

36. mixed metaphors- the mingling of one metaphor with another immediately following with which the first is incongruous.  Lloyd George is reported to have said, I smell a rat.  I see it floating in the air.  I shall nip it in the bud.

37. narrative poem- a non-dramatic poem which tells a story or presents a narrative, whether simple or complex, long or short.  Epics and ballads are examples of narrative poems.

38. octave- an eight-line stanza.  Most commonly, octave refers to the first division of an Italian sonnet.

39. onomatopoeia- the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning.  Examples are buzz, hiss, or honk.

40. oxymoron- a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression.  This combination usually serves the purpose of shocking the reader into awareness.  Examples include wise fool, sad joy, and eloquent silence.

41. paradox- a situation or action or feeling that appears to be contradictory but on inspection turns out to be true or at least to make sense.  The following lines from one of John Donne’s Holy Sonnets include paradoxes:                 Take me to you, imprison me, for I                 Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,                 Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

42. parallelism- a similar grammatical structure within a line or lines of poetry.  Parallelism is characteristic of Asian poetry, being notably present in the Psalms, and it seems to be the controlling principle of the poetry of Walt Whitman, as in the following lines:                   . . . .Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to                     connect   them.                   Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,                   Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.

43. paraphrase- a restatement of an ideas in such a way as to retain the meaning while changing the diction and form.  A paraphrase is often an amplification of the original for the purpose of clarity.

44. personification- a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics.

45. poetic foot- a group of syllables in verse usually consisting of one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables associated with it.  The most common type of feet are as follows:                 iambic   u /                 trochaic   / u                 anapestic  u u /                 dactylic   / u u                 pyrrhic   u u                 spondaic  / /

The following poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrates all of these feet except the pyrrhic foot:                  Trochee trips from long to short.                  From long to long in solemn sort                  Slow Spondee stalks; strong foot! yet ill able                  Ever to come up with Dactyl trisyllable.                  Iambics march from short to long;                  With a leap and a bound the swift Anapests throng.

46. pun- a play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meanings.  Puns can have serious as well as humorous uses.  An example is Thomas Hood’s:" They went and told the sexton and the sexton tolled the bell.

47. quatrain- a four-line stanza with any combination of rhymes.

48. refrain- a group of words forming a phrase or sentence and consisting of one or more lines repeated at intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza.

49. rhyme- close similarity or identity of sound between accented syllables occupying corresponding positions in two or more lines of verse.  For a true rhyme, the vowels in the accented syllables must be preceded by different consonants, such as fan and ran.

50. rhyme royal- a seven-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhymed ababbcc, used by Chaucer and other medieval poets.

51. rhythm- the recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables.  The presence of rhythmic patterns lends both pleasure and heightened emotional response to the listener or reader.

52. sarcasm- a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it.  Its purpose is to injure or to hurt.

53. satire- writing that seeks to arouse a reader’s disapproval of an object by ridicule.  Satire is usually comedy that exposes errors with an eye to correct vice and folly.  Satire is often found in the poetry of Alexander Pope.

54. scansion- a system for describing the meter of a poem by identifying the number and the type(s) of feet per line.  Following are the most common types of meter:                 monometer                  one foot per line                 dimeter                        two feet per line                 trimeter                        three feet per line                 tetrameter                    four feet per line                 pentameter                   five feet per line                 hexameter                    six feet per line                 heptameter                   seven feet per line                 octameter                     eight feet per line

Using these terms, then, a line consisting of five iambic feet is called iambic pentameter, while a line consisting of four anapestic feet is called anapestic tetrameter.

In order to determine the meter of a poem, the lines are scanned, or marked to indicate stressed and unstressed syllables which are then divided into feet.  The following line has been scanned:

                   u       /      u       /      u    /      u      /       u      /                  And   still  she  slept  an  az  ure-   lid  ded  sleep

55. sestet- a six-line stanza.  Most commonly, sestet refers to the second division of an Italian sonnet.

56. simile- a directly expressed comparison; a figure of speech comparing two objects, usually with like, as, or than. It is easier to recognize a simile than a metaphor because the comparison is explicit: my love is like a fever; my love is deeper than a well. (The plural of simile is similes not similies.)

57. sonnet- normally a fourteen-line iambic pentameter poem.  The conventional Italian, or Petrarchan sonnet is rhymed abba, abba, cde, cde; the English, or Shakespearean, sonnet is rhymed abab, cdcd, efef, gg.

58. stanza- usually a repeated grouping of three or more lines with the same meter and rhyme scheme.

59. strategy (or rhetorical strategy)- the management of language for a specific effect.  The strategy or rhetorical strategy of a poem is the planned placing of elements to achieve an effect.  The rhetorical strategy of most love poems is deployed to convince the loved one to return to the speaker’s love.  By appealing to the loved one’s sympathy, or by flattery, or by threat, the lover attempts to persuade the loved one to love in return.

60. structure- the arrangement of materials within a work; the relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical divisions of a work.  The most common units of structure in a poem are the line and stanza.

61. style- the mode of expression in language; the characteristic manner of expression of an author.  Many elements contribute to style, and if a question calls for a discussion of style or of stylistic techniques, you can discuss diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail, sound effects, and tone, using the ones that are appropriate.

62. symbol- something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else.  For example, winter, darkness, and cold are real things, but in literature they are also likely to be used as symbols of death.

63. synecdoche- a form of metaphor which in mentioning a part signifies the whole.  For example, we refer to foot soldiers for infantry and field hands for manual laborers who work in agriculture.

64. syntax- the ordering of words into patterns or sentences.  If a poet shifts words from the usual word order, you know you are dealing with an older style of poetry or a poet who wants to shift emphasis onto a particular word.

65. tercet- a stanza of three lines in which each line ends with the same rhyme.

66. terza rima- a three-line stanza rhymed aba, bcb, cdc,etc. Dante’s Divine Comedy is written in terza rima.

67. theme- the main thought expressed by a work.  In poetry, it is the abstract concept which is made concrete through its representation in person, action, and image in the work.

68. tone- the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning.  (Remember that the voice need not be that of the poet.)  Tone is described by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly endless.  Often a single adjective will be enough, and tone may change from stanza to stanza or even line to line.  Tone is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery, irony, symbol, syntax, and style.

69. understatement- the opposite of hyperbole.  It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is.  For example, Macbeth, having been nearly hysterical after killing Duncan, tells Lenox, “Twas a rough night.”

70. villanelle- a nineteen-line poem divided into five tercets and a final quatrain.  The villanelle uses only two rhymes which are repeated as follows:  aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, abaa.  Line 1 is repeated entirely to form lines 6, 12, and 18, and line 3 is repeated entirely to form lines 9, 15, and 19; thus, eight of the nineteen lines are refrain.  Dylan Thomas’s poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night is an example of a villanelle.    LITERARY TERMS DRAMA

(stage direction)

ALARUM

a loud disturbance or conflict.

(stage direction)

ASIDE

a part of an actor’s lines supposedly not heard by others on the stage and intended only for the audience

(stage direction)

EXEUNT

used as a stage direction in a printed play to indicate that a group of characters leave the stage.

(stage direction)

FLOURISH/SENNET

A fanfare (of horns, trumpets, etc.) to announce the entrance or exit of a person of distinction.

(stage direction)

RETIRE/WITHDRAW

seeks seclusion; moves back or away without actually exiting the stage; recedes.

(stage direction)

WITHIN

an inner position, place, or area close to, but not actually on, the stage.

(stage direction)

ADVANCES

Moves forward; moves against another.

(stage direction)

BELOW

an archaic stage direction used in 16th century plays to denote the relative position of an actor to one "above.”

ANTAGONIST

the opponent or adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama.

APRON

the area of the stage extending beyond the proscenium.

BEAR BAITING/BULL BAITING

an immensely popular contest in which trained bulldogs attacked a tethered bear, bull or, less frequently, a pony or an ape.

BLANK VERSE

unrhymed verse, especially the unrhymed iambic pentameter most frequently used in English dramatic, epic, and reflective verse.

BURLESQUE

(chiefly British) refers to a satirical play or parody on some contemporary theme.

BUSKER

itinerant open-air street players such as jugglers, conjurers or acrobats. May have derived from the term “buskin, “which referred to the long boot worn by actors in Greek tragedy, and gradually came to mean any itinerant performer.

CATHARSIS

in Aristotle’s Poetics, the “purging” or “cleansing “of terror and pity, which the audience develops during the

climax of a tragedy.

COUPLET

a pair of lines of meter in poetry; it usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.

CUCKOLD

the husband of an unfaithful wife (can also be used as a verb); the cuckold grows horns.

DENOUEMENT

the final scene or scenes in a play devoted to tying up the loose ends after the climax(although the word originally meant "the untying").

DEUS EX MACHINA

Literally, the god from the machine. Refers to the character (usually a god) in classical Greek tragedy who enters the play from the heavens at the end of the drama to resolve or explain the conflict. This actor was

usually lowered by means of a crane-like device known as a mechane. The term has come to mean any arbitrary means of plot resolution

FALSE PROSCENIUM

also known as the inner proscenium, this is a temporary structure used to reduce the opening of the permanent proscenium. Particularly useful for touring companies, where the troupe has to

play on a variety of stage sizes.

FARCE

highly comic, lighthearted, gleefully contrived drama, usually involving stock situations(such as mistaken identity or discovered lovers ‘trysts), punctuated with broad physical stunts and pratfalls.

FOURTH WALL

the imaginary fourth wall that is removed from box set to enable the audience to see the action on stage. The term now applies to the “wall “separating audience and performers on any type of stage or even film and television. Thus, the term “breaking the fourth wall “refers to an actor speaking directly to the audience.

HAMARTIA

the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy; “tragic flaw.”

HARLEQUIN

perhaps the best-known stock character to have originated from the Commedia dell'Arte. Originally a sharp-

witted servant in Italy, he became a simpleton in France and a lackadaisical lover in the British Theater. Best recognized by his tight-fitting suit of silk diamonds in contrasting colors.

HUBRIS

(also spelled hybris) excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance

IAMBIC PENTAMETER

the most common meter in English verse; it consists of a line ten syllables long that is accented on every second beat.

JONGLEUR

itinerant entertainers of the medieval period in Europe. The term embraces ballad-singers, acrobats, jugglers, and animal trainers.

JOURNEYMAN

in Elizabethan theater, members of a company who both acted and held an ownership interest in the

company. Journeymen worked under a master in much the same manner as they had in medieval guilds.

MACHIAVEL

a type of stage villain found in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama; a broad category of ruthless schemers, atheists, and poisoners

.

MASQUE

form of entertainment during the late middle ages, Renaissance through the Reformation, which combined poetry, music, scenery and elaborate costumes. Like mystery plays and pageants, masques constitute a connection between classical theater and modern theater. Masques grew out of folk ritual in which guests

would visit a nobleman or king and deliver gifts on some special occasion or holiday. In masques during the 17th Century, it was not unusual for royalty to participate in masques an oft-cited example being Louis XIV's portrayal of the Sun-King in the Ballet Nuit .

MUSES there were nine muses in Greek mythology --the daughters of Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Three of these were particularly connected with theater: Melpomene, the muse of tragedy; Terpischore, the muse of dancing; and Thalia, the muse of comedy.

PATHOS

“passion,”in Greek; also “suffering.”The word refers to the depths of feeling evoked by tragedy;

it is at the root of our words “sympathy” and “empathy,”which also describe the effect of drama on audience emotions.

PLAY-WITHIN-THE-PLAY

a play that is “presented “by characters who are already in a play; like “The Murder of Gonzago,” which is presented by “players “in Hamlet.

Many plays are in part about actors and

plays and contain such plays-within-plays; these include Anton Chekhov's Seagull, Jean Anouilh's Rehearsal, and Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew.

PROSCENIUM ARCH

the arch that frames a stage, separating it from the auditorium.

PROTAGONIST

the leading actor of a play, who is often set in conflict with an antagonist. The term derivesfrom ancient Greek theater in which it described the first actor to speak. Originally, Greek theater consisted of one principal actor and a chorus. As two and then three actors were added, they were referred to as the Protagonist, Deuteragonist, and Tritagonist.

SOLILOQUY

an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present (often used as a device in drama to disclose a character’s innermost thoughts).

SUBPLOT

a secondary plot in a play, usually related to the main plot by play's end. The Gloucester plot in King Lear

and the Laertes plot in Hamlet are examples.

SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF

the goal of any theater company in presenting or performing a play is to cause the audience to suspend

their disbelief, or to momentarily forget that what they are watching is a performance, but is, in an emotional sense, “real.”

TABLEAU

a “frozen moment “onstage, with the actors immobile, usually employed at the end of a scene, as the curtain falls or the lights dim.

THREE UNITIES

unities of time, place and action, the three elements of drama introduced into French dramatic literature is actually based on a misinterpretation of Aristotle's Poetics. They demanded that a play should consist of one action, represented as occurring in not more than 24 hours, and always in the same place. According to

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, Aristotle “insists only on the unity of action, merely mentions the unity of time, and says nothing about the unity of place. “The influence of Shakespeare in England was such that the three unities were never adopted as a rule of dramatic construction.

VERISIMILITUDE

the appearance of truth. The value that players strive for in their attempt to suspend the audience's disbelief. This is not to be confused with realism or naturalism, for the depiction of truth can

take form even in symbolic works.

 

 

STUDY GUIDE: Rhetorical Devices & Figures of Speech

Elements of Sound

Alliteration

Assonance

Consonance

Onomatopoeia

Euphony

Cacophony

Elements of Rhythm

Meter

Unmetered rhyme

Rhyme scheme

Scansion

Masculine rhyme

Slant rhyme

Lyric

Troche

Trochaic

Iamb

Iambic

Iambic trimeter

Iambic pentameter

Dactyl

Dactylic

Anapest

Anapestic

Spondaic

Spondee

Structural Moves/Choices

Parallel structure

Chiasmus

Caesura

Enjambment

Ellipsis

Repetition

Anaphora

Litotes

Poetic Structural Elements

Couplet

Epic couplet

Heroic couplet

Quatrain

Cinquain

Sestet

Tercet

Terza rima

3 quatrains + 1 couplet

4 tercets + 1 couplet

1 sestet + 1 octave

1 octave + 1 sestet

7 couplets

Free verse

Blank verse

Open verse

Run-on verse

Carry-over verse

Verse italiano

Genres/Conventions

Epitaph

Elegy

Eulogy

Epigram

Epithet

Villanelle

Sestina

Shakespearean Sonnet

Petrarchan Sonnet

Keatsean Sonnet

Sonnet

Apostrophe

Ballad

Ode

Epic

Pastoral

Allegory

Fable

Parable

Tall tale

Novella

Poema larga

Didactic

Figures of Speech

Paradox

Metaphor

Conceit

Allusion

Simile

Synecdoche

Metonymy

NOTES:

 

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