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7823439391AllegoryA narrative or description having a second or symbolic meaning beneath the surface one0
7823439392AllusionA reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history1
7823439393AnecdoteA short account of an interesting or humorous incident2
7823439394Artistic unityThat condition of a successful literary work whereby all its elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose3
7823439395CacophonyA harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds4
7823439396EuphonyA smooth, pleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds5
7823439397GenreA type or class, as poetry, drama, etc.6
7823439398ImageryThe representation through language of sensory experience7
7823439399MoodThe pervading impression of a work8
7823439400Moral .A rule of conduct or maxim for living expressed or implied as the "point" of a literary work. Compare Theme9
7823439401ProseNon-metrical language; the opposite of verse10
7823439402ThemeThe main idea, or message, of a literary work. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly.11
7823439403ToneThe writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject, the audience, or herself or himself; the emotional coloring, or emotional meaning, of a work12
7823439404TopicThe subject matter or area of a literary work. Not to be confused with theme.13
7823439405SettingThe context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs14
7823439406Symbol (literary)Something that means more than what it is; an object, person, situation, or action that in addition to its literal meaning suggests other meanings as well, a figure of speech which may be read both literally and figuratively.15
7823439407VerseMetrical language; the opposite of prose16
7823439408VoiceThe distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or a character in a book17
7823439409CharacterAny of the persons involved in a story or play [sense 1] (2) The distinguishing moral qualities and personal traits of a character [sense 2]18
7823439410AntagonistCharacter in a story or poem who opposes the main character (protagonist). Sometimes the antagonist is an animal, an idea, or a thing.19
7823439411Character(1) Any of the persons involved in a story or play [sense 1] (2) The distinguishing moral qualities and personal traits of a character [sense 2]20
7823439412CharacterizationThe process of conveying information about characters21
7823439413DeuteragonistThe second most important character, after the protagonist, often a foil or eventual antagonist22
7823439414Direct presentation of characterA method of characterization in which the author, by exposition or analysis, tells us directly what a character is like, or has someone else in the story do so23
7823439415Dynamic characterA character (sense 1) who during the course of a story undergoes a permanent change in some aspect of character (sense 2) or outlook.24
7823439416Flat characterA character (sense 1) whose character (sense 2) is summed up in one or two traits25
7823439417FoilA character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight various features of that other character's personality, throwing these characteristics into sharper focus.26
7823439418HeroA man who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for bold exploits, and favored by the gods27
7823439419HubrisOverbearing and excessive pride28
7823439420Indirect presentation of characterThat method of characterization in which the author shows us a character in action, compelling us to infer what the character is like from what is said or done by the character29
7823439421ProtagonistThe main character of a novel, play, or film30
7823439422Round characterA character (sense 1) whose character (sense 2) is complex and many sided.31
7823439423Static characterA character who is the same sort of person at the end of a story as at the beginning.32
7823439424Stock characterA stereotyped character.33
7823439425Tragic FlawA flaw in the character of the protagonist of a tragedy that brings the protagonist to ruin or sorrow34
7823439426AsideA brief speech in which a character turns from the person being addressed to speak directly to the audience; a dramatic device for letting the audience know what a character is really thinking or feeling as opposed to what the character pretends to think or feel35
7823439427ColloquialInformal, conversational language36
7823439428Dialogue(1) Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative. (2) A literary work written in the form of a conversation.37
7823439429DialectA regional variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary38
7823439430DictionWord choice39
7823439431EuphemismSubstituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for a harsh, blunt, or offensive one40
7823439432Figure of speechBroadly, any way of saying something other that the ordinary way; more narrowly (and for the purposes of this class) a way of saying one thing and meaning another.41
7823439433HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used in the service of truth42
7823439434InvectiveDenunciatory or abusive language.43
7823439435Monologue(1) A dramatic soliloquy. (2) A literary composition in such form44
7823439436ProverbA short, pithy saying that expresses a basic truth or practical precept45
7823439437PunA play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words46
7823439438SarcasmBitter or cutting speech; speech intended by its speaker to give pain to the person addressed47
7823439439Soliloquya device often used in drama where by a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of the other characters.48
7823439440SlangA kind of language esp. occurring in casual or playful speech, usu. made up of short-lived coinages and figures of speech deliberately used in place of standard terms49
7823439441UnderstatementA figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one means with less force than the occasion warrants.50
7823439442ExpositionThe part of a play (usually at the beginning) that provides the background information needed to understand the characters and the actions.51
7823439443ConflictA clash of actions, desires, ideas, or goals in the plot of a story or drama. Conflict may exist between the main character and some other person or persons; between the main character and some external force—physical nature, society, or "fate"; or between the main character and some destructive element in his or her own nature. A struggle that takes place in a character's mind is called internal conflict.52
7823439444Rising actionThat development of plot in a story that precedes and leads up to the climax53
7823439445ClimaxThe turning point or high point of a plot54
7823439446Falling ActionThe falling action immediately follows the climax and shows the aftereffects of the events in the climax55
7823439447Denouement (Also called the resolution)the conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis for them and the reader. Sometimes a hint as to the characters' future is given56
7823439448IronyA situation, or a use of language, involving some kind of incongruity or discrepancy. Three kinds of irony are distinguished in this class:57
7823439449Dramatic ironyAn incongruity of discrepancy between what a character says or thinks and what the reader knows to be true (or between what a character perceives and what the author intends the reader to perceive).58
7823439450Irony of situationA situation in which there is an incongruity between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment, or between the actual situation and what would seem appropriate.59
7823439451Verbal ironyA figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant60
7823439452Epistolary novelA novel written as a series of documents.61
7823439453First person point of viewThe story is told by one of its characters, using the first person.62
7823439454FlashbackA literary device in which an earlier event is inserted into a narrative.63
7823439455FlashforwardA literary device in which a later event is inserted into a narrative.64
7823439456In medias res (into the middle of things)is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning, establishing setting, character, and conflict via flashback and expository conversations.65
7823439457Limited omniscient point of viewThe author tells the story, using the third person, but is limited to a complete knowledge of one character in the story and tells us only what that one character thinks, feels, sees, or hears.66
7823439458Linear structureA plot that follows a straight-moving, cause and effect, chronological order67
7823439459Objective point of viewThe author tells the story, using the third person, but is limited to reporting what the characters say or do; the author does not interpret their behavior or tell us their private thoughts or feelings.68
7823439460Omniscient point of viewThe author tells the story, using the third person, knowing all and free to tell us anything, including what the characters are thinking or feeling and why they act as they do69
7823439461Narratorthe speaker or the "voice" of an oral or written work. Although it can be, the narrator is not usually the same person as the author. The narrator is one of three types of characters in a given work, (1) participant (protagonist or participant in any action that may take place in the story), (2) observer (someone who is indirectly involved in the action of a story), or (3) non participant (one who is not at all involved in any action of the story). The narrator is the direct window into a piece of work.70
7823439462Nonlinear structureis when the plot is presented in a non-causal order, with events presented in a random series jumping to and from the main plot with flashbacks or flashforwards; or in any other manner that is either not chronological or not cause and effect, for example, in medias res.71
7823439463Point of ViewThe angle of vision from which a story is told.72
7823439464Stream of consciousnessNarrative which presents the private thoughts of a character without commentary or interpretation by the author73
7823439465Unreliable narratora narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised. Unreliable narrators are usually first-person narrators.74
7823439466AnticlimaxA sudden descent from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential75
7823439467CatastropheThe concluding action of a classical tragedy containing the resolution of the plot76
7823439468Comic ReliefA humorous incident introduced into a serious literary work in order to relieve dramatic tension or heighten emotional impact77
7823439469DilemmaA situation in which a character must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable78
7823439470Deus ex machina (god from the machine)The resolution of a plot by use of a highly improbable chance or coincidence (so named from the practice of some Greek dramatists of having a god descend from heaven at the last possible minute—in the theater by means of a stage machine—to rescue the protagonist from an impossible situation).79
7823439471Indeterminate endingAn ending in which the central problem or conflict is left unresolved80
7823439472InversionA reversal in order, nature, or effect81
7823439473MotivationAn emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action82
7823439474MysteryAn unusual set of circumstances for which the reader craves an explanation; used to create suspense83
7823439475ParadoxA statement or situation containing apparently contradictory or incompatible elements84
7823439476PlotThe sequence of incidents or events of which a story is composed85
7823439477Plot manipulationA situation in which an author gives the plot a twist or turn unjustified by preceding action or by the characters involved86
7823439478Plot deviceAn object, character, or event whose only reason for existing is to advance the story. Often breaks suspension of disbelief.87
7823439479PrologueAn introduction or a preface, esp. a poem recited to introduce a play88
7823439480Red herringa literary tactic of diverting attention away from an item or person of significance89
7823439481SceneA subdivision of an act in a dramatic presentation in which the setting is fixed and the time continuous90
7823439482SuspenseThat quality in a story that makes the reader eager to discover what happens next and how it will end91
7823439483Suspension of DisbeliefAn unspoken agreement between writer and reader: "I agree to believe your make-believe if it entertains me."92
7823439484SubplotA plot subordinate to the main plot of a literary work93
7823439485SurpriseAn unexpected turn in the development of a plot94
7823439486ComedyA type of drama, opposed to tragedy, having usually a happy ending, and emphasizing human limitation rather than human greatness.95
7823439487Comedy of mannersComedy that ridicules the manners (way of life, social customs, etc.) of a certain segment of society96
7823439488SatireA kind of literature that ridicules human folly or vice with the purpose of bringing about reform or of keeping others from falling into similar folly or vice.97
7823439489Scornful comedyA type of comedy whose main purpose is to expose and ridicule human folly, vanity, or hypocrisy98
7823439490Romantic comedyA type of comedy whose likable and sensible main characters are placed in difficulties from which they are rescued at the end of the play99
7823439491FarceA type of comedy that relies on exaggeration, horseplay, and unrealistic or improbable situations to provoke laughter100
7823439492Escapist literatureLiterature written purely for entertainment, with little or no attempt to provide insights into the true nature of human life or behavior.101
7823439493FableA short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing animal characters that act like human beings102
7823439494FantasyA kind of fiction that pictures creatures or events beyond the boundaries of known reality103
7823439495Interpretive literatureLiterature that provides valid insights into the nature of human life or behavior104
7823439496Mythany 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 normally involve religion. Most myths were first spread by oral tradition and then were written down in some literary form. Many ancient literary works are, in fact, myths as myths appear in every ancient culture of the planet.105
7823439497Novela book of long narrative in literary prose.106
7823439498Novella (also called a short novel)a written, fictional, prose narrative longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel.107
7823439499ParableA simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson108
7823439500Tragedy Dramain which a noble protagonist — a person of unusual moral or intellectual stature or outstanding abilities — falls to ruin during a struggle caused by a tragic flaw (or hamartia) in his character or an error in his rulings or judgments.109
7823439501ApostropheA figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply110
7823439502ConnotationWhat a word suggests beyond its basic definition; a word's overtones of meaning111
7823439503DenotationThe basic definition or dictionary meaning of a word112
7823439504EkphrasisThe poetic representation of a painting or sculpture in words113
7823439505Epigram(1) A short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation. (2) A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement.114
7823439506Extended figure (also knows as sustained figure)A figure of speech (usually metaphor, simile, personification, or apostrophe) sustained or developed through a considerable number of lines or through a whole poem115
7823439507Figurative languageLanguage employing figures of speech; language that cannot be taken literally or only literally116
7823439508Figure of speechBroadly, any way of saying something other that the ordinary way; more narrowly (and for the purposes of this class) a way of saying one thing and meaning another117
7823439509JuxtapositionPositioning opposites next to each other to heighten the contrast118
7823439510MetaphorA figure of speech in which an implicit comparison is made between two things essentially unlike119
7823439511MetonymyA figure of speech in which some significant aspect or detail of an experience is used to represent the whole experience120
7823439512OnomatopoeiaThe use of words that supposedly mimic their meaning in their sound (for example, boom, click, plop).121
7823439513PersonificationA figure of speech in which human attributes are given to an animal, an object, or a concept122
7823439514RhythmAny wavelike recurrence of motion or sound123
7823439515SentimentalityUnmerited or contrived tender feeling; that quality in a story that elicits or seeks to elicit tears through an oversimplification or falsification of reality124
7823439516SimileA figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two things essentially unlike. The comparison is made explicit by the use of some such word or phrase as like, as, than, similar to, resembles, or seems125
7823439517SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole. In this class it is subsumed under the term Metonymy.126
7823439518SyntaxWord organization and order.127
7823439519AlliterationThe repetition at close intervals of the initial consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (for example, map-moon, kill-code, preach-approve)128
7823439520AnapestA metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by one accented syllable (for example, understand)129
7823439521Anapestic meterA meter in which a majority of the feet are anapests130
7823439522Approximate rhyme (also known as imperfect rhyme, near rhyme, slant rhyme, or oblique rhyme)A term used for words in a rhyming pattern that have some kind of sound correspondence but are not perfect rimes (for example, arrayed-said)131
7823439523AssonanceThe repetition at close intervals of the vowel sounds of accented syllables or important words (for example, hat-ran-amber, veinmade).132
7823439524Ballad meterStanzas formed of quatrains of iambs in which the first and third lines have four stresses (tetrameter) and the second and fourth lines have three stresses (trimeter). Usually, the second and fourth lines rhyme (abcb), although ballad meter is often not followed strictly.133
7823439525Blank versePoetry with a meter, but not rhymed, usually in iambic pentameter134
7823439526ConsonanceThe repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (for example, bookplaque-thicker)135
7823439527CoupletTwo successive lines, usually in the same meter, linked by rhyme136
7823439528DactylA metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables (for example, merrily)137
7823439529Dactylic meterA meter in which a majority of the feet are dactyls138
7823439530End rhymeRhymes that occur at the ends of lines139
7823439531End-stopped lineA line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation — the opposite of enjambment140
7823439532Enjambment Or run-on line,a line which has no natural speech pause at its end, allowing the sense to flow uninterruptedly into the succeeding line — the opposite of an end-stopped line141
7823439533English (or Shakespearean) sonnetA sonnet rhyming ababcdcdefefgg. Its content or structure ideally parallels the rhyme scheme, falling into three coordinate quatrains and a concluding couplet; but it is often structured, like the Italian sonnet, into octave and sestet, the principal break in thought coming at the end of the eighth line.142
7823439534Feminine rhymeA rhyme in which the stress is on the penultimate (second from last) syllable of the words (picky, tricky)143
7823439535FootThe basic unit used in the scansion or measurement of verse. A foot usually contains one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables144
7823439536Free verseNonmetrical verse. Poetry written in free verse is arranged in lines, may be more or less rhythmical, but has no fixed metrical pattern or expectation145
7823439537Half rhyme(Sometimes called slant rhyme, sprung, near rhyme, oblique rhyme, off rhyme or imperfect rhyme), is consonance on the final consonants of the words involved146
7823439538Heroic coupletPoems constructed by a sequence of two lines of (usually rhyming) verse in iambic pentameter. If these couplets do not rhyme, they are usually separated by extra white space.147
7823439539IambA metrical foot consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable (for example, rehearse)148
7823439540Iambic meterA meter in which the majority of feet are iambs, the most common English meter149
7823439541Internal rhymeA rhyme in which one or both of the rhyme-words occur within the line150
7823439542Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnetA sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba and of a sestet using any arrangement of two or three additional rhymes, such as cdcdcd or cdecde151
7823439543Masculine rhyme (also known as single rhyme)A rhyme in which the stress is on the final syllable of the words (rhyme, sublime)152
7823439544Meter Regularized rhythm;an arrangement of language in which the accents occur at apparently equal intervals in time153
7823439545Octave(1) An eight-line stanza. (2) The first eight lines of a sonnet, especially one structured in the manner of an Italian sonnet154
7823439546Perfect rhymeA rhyme in which is when the later part of the word or phrase is identical sounding to another. Types include masculine and feminine, among others.155
7823439547PentameterA metrical line containing five feet156
7823439548Quatrain(1) A four-line stanza. (2) A four-line division of a sonnet marked off by its rhyme scheme.157
7823439549RefrainA repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines, normally at some fixed position in a poem written in stanziac form158
7823439550RhymeThe repetition of an identical or similarly accented sound or sounds in a work. Lyricists may find multiple ways to rhyme within a verse.159
7823439551End rhymeshave words that rhyme at the end of a verse-line. Internal rhymes have words that rhyme within it.160
7823439552Rhyme schemeAny fixed pattern of rhymes characterizing a whole poem or its stanzas161
7823439553ScansionThe process of measuring verse, that is, of marking accented and unaccented syllables, dividing the lines into feet, identifying the metrical pattern, and noting significant variations from that pattern162
7823439554Sestet(1) A six-line stanza (2) The last six lines of a sonnet structured on the Italian model163
7823439555SpondeeA metrical foot consisting of two syllables equally or almost equally accented (for example, true-blue).164
7823439556StanzaA group of lines whose metrical pattern (and usually its rhyme scheme as well) is repeated throughout a poem165
7823439557SyntaxThe arrangement of words to form phrases, clauses and sentences; sentence construction166
7823439558Terza RimaA three-line stanza form borrowed from the Italian poets. The rhyme scheme is: aba, bcb, cdc, ded, etc.167
7823439559TetrameterA metrical line containing four feet168
7823439560TrimeterA metrical line containing three feet169
7823439561Triple meterA meter in which a majority of the feet contain three syllables. (Actually, if more than 25 percent of the feet in a poem are triple, its effect is more triple than duple, and it ought perhaps to be referred to as triple meter.) Anapestic and dactylic are both triple meters.170
7823439562Trochaic meterA meter in which the majority of feet are trochees171
7823439563TrocheeA metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by one unaccented syllable (for example, barter)172
7823439564Ballada narrative folk song. The ballad is traced back to the Middle Ages. Ballads were usually created by common people and passed orally due to the illiteracy of the time. Subjects for ballads include killings, feuds, important historical events, and rebellion.173
7823439565ElegyA type of literature defined as a song or poem, written in elegiac couplets, that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who had died.174
7823439566EpicA long poem in a lofty style about the exploits of heroic figures. These often come from an oral tradition of shared authorship or from a single, high-profile poet imitating the style.175
7823439567Lyrica song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings of emotions or thought from a particular person, thus separating it from narrative poems. These poems are generally short, averaging roughly twelve to thirty lines, and rarely go beyond sixty lines. These poems express vivid imagination as well as emotion and all flow fairly concisely.176
7823439568Narrative poemA poem 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. A few examples of a narrative poem are epics, ballads, and metrical romances.177
7823439569OdeUsually a lyric poem of moderate length, with a serious subject, an elevated style, and an elaborate stanza pattern. The ode often praises people, the arts of music and poetry, natural scenes, or abstract concepts.178
7823439570SonnetA fixed form of fourteen lines, normally iambic pentameter, with a rhyme scheme conforming to or approximating one of two main types—the Italian or the English179

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