Terms : Hide Images
| 9854696188 | abstract | An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research. |  | 0 |
| 9854696189 | adage | A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language. |  | 1 |
| 9854696190 | allegory | A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical, or possibly an ethical meaning. The story and characters represent values beyond themselves. |  | 2 |
| 9854696191 | alliteration | The repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose. Used for ornament or for emphasis. Also used in epithets, phrases, and slogans. Enhances the aesthetic quality of a prose passage or poem. |  | 3 |
| 9854696192 | allusion | A reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea. |  | 4 |
| 9854696193 | ambiguity | A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation. |  | 5 |
| 9854696194 | anachronism | A person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set. |  | 6 |
| 9854696195 | analogy | A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things. |  | 7 |
| 9854696196 | annotation | A brief explanation, summary, or evaluation of a text or work of literature. |  | 8 |
| 9854696197 | antagonist | A character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the protagonist, produces tension or conflict. |  | 9 |
| 9854696198 | antithesis | A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences. |  | 10 |
| 9854696199 | aphorism | A short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment. |  | 11 |
| 9854696200 | apostrophe | A rhetorical device in which a speaker addresses a person or personified thing not present. |  | 12 |
| 9854696201 | archetype | An abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form. |  | 13 |
| 9854696202 | assonance | The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose. |  | 14 |
| 9854696203 | ballad | A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited. |  | 15 |
| 9854696204 | bard | A poet; in olden times, a performer who told heroic stories to a musical accompaniment. |  | 16 |
| 9854696205 | bathos | The use of insincere or overdone sentimentality. |  | 17 |
| 9854696206 | bibliography | A list of works cited or otherwise relevant to a subject or other work. |  | 18 |
| 9854696207 | Bildungsroman | A German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal; a coming-of-age theme |  | 19 |
| 9854696208 | blank verse | Poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English poetry and the words of Shakespeare and Milton. The lines generally do not rhyme. |  | 20 |
| 9854696209 | canon | The works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied. |  | 21 |
| 9854696210 | caricature | A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things. |  | 22 |
| 9854696211 | carpe diem | Literally, "seize the day"; enjoy life while you can, a common theme in literature. |  | 23 |
| 9854696212 | catharsis | A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror or a dramatic tragedy. |  | 24 |
| 9854696213 | classic | A highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time. |  | 25 |
| 9854696214 | climax | The high point, or turning point, or a story or play. |  | 26 |
| 9854696215 | conceit | A witty or ingenious thought a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language. |  | 27 |
| 9854696216 | connotation | The suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase. Contrast with denotation. |  | 28 |
| 9854696217 | consonance | The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry. |  | 29 |
| 9854696218 | couplet | A pair of rhyming lines in a poem. Two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter is sometimes called a heroic ________. |  | 30 |
| 9854696219 | denotation | The dictionary definition of a word. Contrast with connotation. |  | 31 |
| 9854696220 | dénouement | The resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction. |  | 32 |
| 9854696221 | deus ex machina | In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem. |  | 33 |
| 9854696222 | diction | The choice of words in oral and written discourse. |  | 34 |
| 9854696223 | dramatic irony | A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character. |  | 35 |
| 9854696224 | elegy | A poem or prose selection that laments or meditates on the passing or death of something or someone of value. |  | 36 |
| 9854696225 | ellipsis | Three periods (...) indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation. |  | 37 |
| 9854696226 | elliptical construction | A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. |  | 38 |
| 9854696227 | empathy | A feeling of association or identification with an object or person. |  | 39 |
| 9854696228 | end-stopped | A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation. |  | 40 |
| 9854696229 | enjambment | In poetry, the use of the successive lines with no punctuation or pause between them. |  | 41 |
| 9854696230 | epic | An extended narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero that in generally larger than life and is often considered a legendary figure. |  | 42 |
| 9854696231 | epigram | A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement. |  | 43 |
| 9854696232 | euphony | Pleasing, harmonious sounds. |  | 44 |
| 9854696233 | epithet | An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing. |  | 45 |
| 9854696234 | eponymous | A term for the title character of a work of literature. |  | 46 |
| 9854696235 | euphemism | A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term. |  | 47 |
| 9854696236 | exegesis | A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature. |  | 48 |
| 9854696237 | exposé | A piece or writing that reveals weakness, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings. |  | 49 |
| 9854696238 | exposition | The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of a work of literature. | 50 | |
| 9854696239 | explication | The interpretation or analysis of a text. |  | 51 |
| 9854696240 | extended metaphor | A series of comparisons between two unlike objects. |  | 52 |
| 9854696241 | fable | A short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior. |  | 53 |
| 9854696242 | falling action | The action in a play or story that occurs after the climax and that leads to the conclusion and often to the resolution of the conflict. |  | 54 |
| 9854696243 | fantasy | A story containing unreal, imaginary features. |  | 55 |
| 9854696244 | farce | A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose. |  | 56 |
| 9854696245 | figure of speech, figurative language | In contrast to literal language, _____________ implies meanings. It includes metaphors, similes, and personification, among many others. |  | 57 |
| 9854696246 | first-person narrative | A narrative told by a character involved in the story, using pronouns such as I and we. |  | 58 |
| 9854696247 | flashback | A return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances. It might also be a character's account of the past, a dream, or a sudden association with past events. |  | 59 |
| 9854696248 | foil | A minor character whose personality or attitude contrasts with that of the main character. Juxtaposing one character against another intensifies the qualities of both, to advantage or sometimes to disadvantage. |  | 60 |
| 9854696249 | foot | A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line. | 61 | |
| 9854696250 | foreshadowing | Providing hints of things to come in a story or play. | 62 | |
| 9854696251 | frame | A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative. | 63 | |
| 9854696252 | free verse | A kind of poetry without rhymed lines, rhythm, or fixed metrical feet. | 64 | |
| 9854696253 | genre | A term used to describe literary forms, such as a novel, play, and essay. | 65 | |
| 9854696254 | Gothic novel | A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action. | 66 | |
| 9854696255 | hegemony | a dominant cultural trend | 67 | |
| 9854696256 | heroic couplet | Two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter and used widely in eighteenth-century verse. | 68 | |
| 9854696257 | hyperbole | Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect. | 69 | |
| 9854696258 | idyll | A lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place. | 70 | |
| 9854696259 | image | A word or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or felt. | 71 | |
| 9854696260 | in medias res | A narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but at some other critical point. | 72 | |
| 9854696261 | indirect quotation | Actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased. | 73 | |
| 9854696262 | invective | A direct verbal assault; a denunciation. | 74 | |
| 9854696263 | litotes | A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. | 75 | |
| 9854696264 | loose sentence | A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences, i.e., subject-verb-object. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses. | 76 | |
| 9854696265 | lyric poetry | Personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject. | 77 | |
| 9854696266 | mock epic | A parody of traditional epic form. It usually treats a frivolous topic with extreme seriousness, using conventions such as invocations to the Muse, action-packed battle scenes, and accounts of heroic exploits. | 78 | |
| 9854696267 | mode | The general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a work of literature. | 79 | |
| 9854696268 | montage | A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea. | 80 | |
| 9854696269 | mood | The emotional tone in a work of literature. | 81 | |
| 9854696270 | motif | A phrase, idea, or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature. | 82 | |
| 9854696271 | naturalism | A term often used as a synonym for realism; also a view of experience that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic. | 83 | |
| 9854696272 | novella | A work of fiction of roughly 20,000 to 50,000 words-longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel. | 84 | |
| 9854696273 | omniscient narrator | A narrator with unlimited awareness, understanding, and insight of characters, setting, background, and all other elements of the story. | 85 | |
| 9854696274 | onomatopoeia | The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning. | 86 | |
| 9854696275 | parable | A story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived | 87 | |
| 9854696276 | paradox | A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true | 88 | |
| 9854696277 | pastoral | A work of literature dealing with rural life | 89 | |
| 9854696278 | periodic sentence | A sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main though only at the end. In other words, the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support. | 90 | |
| 9854696279 | prosody | The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry | 91 | |
| 9854696280 | protagonist | The main character in a work of literature | 92 | |
| 9854696281 | pseudonym | Also called "pen name" or "nom de plume"; a false name or alias used by writers. Ex: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) | 93 | |
| 9854696282 | realism | The depiction of people, things, and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect. | 94 | |
| 9854696283 | rhyme | The repetition of similar sounds at regular intervals, used mostly in poetry. | 95 | |
| 9854696284 | rhythm | The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up a line of poetry | 96 | |
| 9854696285 | sentiment | A synonym for view or feeling; also a refined and tender emotion in literature | 97 | |
| 9854696286 | sentimental | A term that describes characters' excessive emotional response to experience; also nauseatingly nostalgic and mawkish | 98 | |
| 9854696287 | sonnet | A popular form of verse consisting of fourteen lines and a prescribed rhyme scheme. | 99 | |
| 9854696288 | stanza | A group of two or more lines in poetry combined according to subject matter, rhyme, or some other plan | 100 | |
| 9854696289 | stream of consciousness | A style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind | 101 | |
| 9854696290 | style | The manner in which an author uses and arranges words, | 102 | |
| 9854696291 | subplot | A subordinate or minor collection of events in a novel or play, usually connected to the main plot | 103 | |
| 9854696292 | subtext | The implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work of literature | 104 | |
| 9854696293 | symbolism | The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object | 105 | |
| 9854696294 | syntax | The organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular pattern of words | 106 | |
| 9854696295 | theme | The main idea or meaning, often an abstract idea upon which a work of literature is built | 107 | |
| 9854696296 | tone | The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. The spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence | 108 | |
| 9854696297 | trope | The generic name for a figure of speech such as image, symbol, simile, and metaphor | 109 | |
| 9854696298 | verbal irony | A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words | 110 | |
| 9854696299 | verse | A synonym for poetry. Also a group of lines in a song or poem; also a single line of poetry | 111 | |
| 9854696300 | verisimilitude | Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is. | 112 | |
| 9854696301 | voice | The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker | 113 | |
| 9854696302 | wit | The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that suprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene | 114 |
