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vocab
vocab
152
English
Undergraduate 4
12/01/2010

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Term
verse
Definition
any single line of poetry or any composition written in seperate lines of more or less regular rhythm
Term
paraphrase
Definition
the restatement in one's own words of whaqt one understands a poem to say or suggest
Term
summary
Definition
a brief condensation of the main idea or plot of a work
Term
subject
Definition
the main topic
Term
theme
Definition
a generally recurring subject or theme
Term
lyric poem
Definition
a short poem expressing the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker. Song-like immediacy and emotional force.
Term
narrative poem
Definition
tells a story
Term
dramatic monologue
Definition
a poem written as speech made by a character at some decisive moment
Term
didactic poem
Definition
a poem intended to teach a moral lesson or impart a body of knowledge
Term
tone
Definition
the mood or manner
Term
satiric poetry
Definition
poetry that blends criticism with humor to convey a message
Term
persona
Definition
a fictitious character created by an author to be the speaker of a literary work
Term
irony
Definition
a discrepancy between what is said and what is meant
Term
verbal irony
Definition
saying the opposite of what is really meant
Term
sarcasm
Definition
bitter irony intended to hurt or mock
Term
dramatic irony
Definition
a situation in which the larger implications of character's words, actions, or situation are unrealized by that character but seen by the author and the reader
Term
cosmic irony
Definition
the contrast between a character's position or aspiration and the treatment he or she receives at the hands of a seemingly hostile fate
Term
diction
Definition
word choice or vocabulary
Term
concrete diction
Definition
words that specifically name or describe things or persons
Term
abstract diction
Definition
words that express general ideas or concepts
Term
poetic diction
Definition
any language deemed suitable for verse. Elevated language
Term
allusion
Definition
a brief reference in a text to a person, place, or thing.
Term
vulgate
Definition
the lowest level of diction
Term
colloquial English
Definition
the casual or informal but correct language of ordinary native speakers
Term
dialect
Definition
a particular variety of language spoken by an identifiable regional group or social class of persons
Term
image
Definition
a word or series of words that refers to any sensory experience
Term
imagery
Definition
the collective set of images in a poem
Term
haiku
Definition
A japanese verse form that has three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables
Term
simile
Definition
a comparison of two things connected by like, as, or than
Term
metaphor
Definition
a statement that one thing is something else, which, in a literal sense, it is not.
Term
implied metaphor
Definition
A metaphor that uses neither connectives nor the verb to be
Term
mixed metaphor
Definition
the (usually unintentional) combining of two or more incompatible metaphors, resulting in ridiculousness or nonsense
Term
personification
Definition
the endowing of a thing, an animal, or an abstract term with human characteristics
Term
apostrophe
Definition
a direct address to someone or something
Term
overstatement
Definition
also called hyperbole. Exaggeration used to emphasize a point
Term
understatement
Definition
an ironic figure of speech that deliberately describes something in a way that is less than the case
Term
metonymy
Definition
figure of speech in which the name of a thing is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.
Term
synechdoche
Definition
the use of a significant part of a thing to stand for the whole of it, or vice versa
Term
paradox
Definition
a statement that at first strikes one as self contradictory, but that on reflection reveals some deeper sense
Term
stanza
Definition
a reoccurring pattern of two or more lines of verse
Term
rime scheme
Definition
any recurrent pattern of rime within an individual poem
Term
refrain
Definition
a word, phrase, line, or stanza repeated at intervals in a song or poem
Term
ballad
Definition
a song that tells a story
Term
folk ballads
Definition
anonymous narrative songs, usually in ballad meter
Term
ballad stanzas
Definition
four lines rimed abdb in which the first and third lines have four metrical feet and the second and fourth lines have three feet
Term
literary ballad
Definition
a ballad not meant for singing, written by a sophisticated poet for educated readers
Term
alliteration
Definition
the repetition of a constant sound in a line
Term
assonance
Definition
the repetition of two or more vowel sounds in successive words, which create a kind of rhyme
Term
cacophony
Definition
a harsh, discordant sound often mirroring meaning of the context in which it is used
Term
cacophony
Definition
a harsh, discordant sound often mirroring meaning of the context in which it is used
Term
euphony
Definition
the harmonious effect when the sounds of the words connect with the meaning in a way pleasing to the ear and mind
Term
onomatopoeia
Definition
an attempt to represent a thing or action by a word that imitates the sound associated with it
Term
rime
Definition
two or more words that contain an identical or similar vowel sound, usually accented, with following consonant sounds (if any) identical as well
Term
consonance
Definition
also called slant rime. A kind of rime in which the linked words share similar consonant sounds but have different vowel sounds
Term
end rime
Definition
rime that occurs at the ends of lines
Term
internal rime
Definition
rime that occurs within a line of poetry
Term
masculine rime
Definition
either a rime of one-syllable words or, in polysyllabic words, a rime on the stressed final syllables
Term
feminine rime
Definition
a rime of two or more syllables with stress on a syllable other than the last
Term
eye rime
Definition
a "false" rime in which the spelling of the words is alike, but the pronounciations differ
Term
stress
Definition
an emphasis, or accent on a syllable
Term
rhythm
Definition
the recurring pattern of stresses and pauses in a poem
Term
prosody
Definition
the study of metrical structures in poetry
Term
scansion
Definition
a practice used to describe rhythmic patterns in a poem by separating the metrical feet, counting the syllables, marking the accents, and indicating cesuras
Term
cesura
Definition
a light but definite pause within a line of verse
Term
run-on line
Definition
a line of verse that does not end in punctuation, but carries on grammatically to the next line. also called enjambment
Term
end-stopped line
Definition
a line of verse that ends in a full pause, often indicated by a mark of punctuation
Term
foot
Definition
the basic unit of measurement in metrical poetry
Term
iamb
Definition
unaccented accented
Term
iambic pentameter
Definition
five iambic feet per line
Term
anapest
Definition
unstressed unstressed stressed
Term
trochee
Definition
stressed unstressed
Term
dactyl
Definition
stress unstressed unstressed
Term
spondee
Definition
stressed stressed
Term
accentual meter
Definition
verse meter based on the number of stresses per line, not the number of syllables
Term
form
Definition
the means by which a literary work expresses its content
Term
fixed form
Definition
a traditional verse requiring certain predetermined elements of structure, for example, a stanza pattern, set meter, or predetermined line length
Term
closed form
Definition
a generic term that describes poetry written in a pattern of meter, rime, lines, or stanzas. A closed form adheres to a set structure
Term
open form
Definition
verse that has no set scheme, free verse
Term
blank verse
Definition
contains five iambic feet per line and is not rimed
Term
couplet
Definition
a two lined stanza in poetry usually rimed and with lines of equal length
Term
closed couplet
Definition
two rimed lines of iambic pentameter that usually contain an independent and complete thought or statement
Term
quatrain
Definition
a stanza consisting of four lines
Term
epic
Definition
a ling narrative poem tracing the adventure of a popular hero
Term
epigram
Definition
a very short, comic poem, often turning at the end with some sharp wit or unexpected stinger
Term
sonnet
Definition
a fixed form of fourteen lines, traditionally written in iambic pentameter and rimed throughout
Term
italian sonnet
Definition
the octave is abbaabba and the sestet may follow any rime pattern as long as it doesn't end in a couplet
Term
english sonnet
Definition
organized into three quatrains and concluded with a couplet and rimed abab cdcd efef gg
Term
open form
Definition
poems that have neither a rime scheme nor a basic meter
Term
free verse
Definition
poetry whose lines follow no consistent meter
Term
prose poetry
Definition
poetic language printed in prose paragraphs, but displaying careful attention to sound, imagery, and figurative language characteristic of poetry
Term
concrete poetry
Definition
a visual poetry composed exclusively for the page in which a picture or image is made of printed letters or words
Term
symbol
Definition
a person, place or thing in a narrative that suggests meanings beyond its literal sense
Term
allegory
Definition
a description, often narrative, in which the literal events consistently point to a parallel sequence of ideas, values, or other recognizable abstractions
Term
symbolic act
Definition
An action whose significance goes well beyond its literal meaning. In literature, symbolic acts often involve a primal or unconscious ritual element such as rebirth, purification, forgiveness, vengence, or initiation.
Term
conventional symbols
Definition
Symbols that, because of their frequent use, have acquired a standard significance. They are conventional symbols because they carry recognizable meanings and suggestions.
Term
fable
Definition
a brief, often humorous narrative told to illustrate a moral
Term
parable
Definition
a brief, usually allegorical narrative that teaches a moral. In parables, unlike fables (where the moral is explicitly stated within the narrative), the moral themes are implicit and can often be interpreted several ways
Term
tale
Definition
A short narrative without a complex plot. A tale differs from a short story by its tendency toward lesser-developed characters and linear plotting
Term
tall tale
Definition
A humorous short narrative that provides a wildly exaggerated version of events
Term
fairy tale, folktale
Definition
short narrative folklore, originally transmitted orally, which features supernatural characters with human personality traits.
Term
short story
Definition
a prose narrative too brief to be published in a separate volume.
Term
initiation story
Definition
a narrative in which the main character, usually a child or adolescent, undergoes an important experience or rite of passage that prepares him or her for adulthod
Term
protagonist
Definition
the main or central character in the narrative. Initiates the main action of the story, often in conflict with the antagonist
Term
antagonist
Definition
the most significant character or force that opposes the protagonist
Term
exposition
Definition
the opening portion of a narrative. In an exposition, the scene is set, the protagonist is introduced, and the author discloses any other background information necessary
Term
conflict
Definition
the central struggle between two or more forces
Term
complication
Definition
the introduction of a significant development in the central conflict between characters. Complications may be external or internal
Term
crisis
Definition
the point in the narrative when the crucial action, decision, or realization must take place
Term
climax
Definition
the moment of greatest intensity
Term
conclusion
Definition
the logical end or outcome of a unified plot, shortly following the climax
Term
foreshadowing
Definition
an indication of events to come
Term
flashback
Definition
a scene relived in a character's memory
Term
epiphany
Definition
a moment of profound insight or revelation by which a character's life is greatly altered
Term
in media res
Definition
a latin phrase meaning in the midst of things. Refers to a narrative device of beginning a story midway in the events it depicts before explaining the context or preceeding actions
Term
total omniscience
Definition
point of view in which the narrator knows everything about all of the characters and events in a story
Term
limited or selective omniscience
Definition
narrator sees into the minds of some but not all the characters
Term
impartial omniscience
Definition
point of view employed when an omniscient narrator, who presents the thoughts and actions of the characters does not judge or comment on them
Term
editorial omniscience
Definition
the omniscient narrator makes critical judgement or commentary
Term
objective point of view
Definition
the third-person narrator merely reports dialogue and action
Term
omniscient narrator
Definition
has the ability to move freely through the consciousness of any character
Term
participant narrator
Definition
participant in the action
Term
observer
Definition
relatively detached from or plays a minor role in the events
Term
third-person narrator
Definition
does not appear in the story but is usually capable of revealing thoughts and motives
Term
innocent narrator
Definition
a character who fails to understand the implications of the story they tell
Term
unreliable narrator
Definition
cannot be trusted
Term
interior monologue
Definition
an extended presentation of a character's thoughts in a narrative. Usually written in the present tense and printed without quotation marks, an interior monologue reads as if the character were speaking aloud to himself for the reader to hear
Term
stream of consciousness
Definition
an attempt to duplicate the subjective and associative nature of human consciousness
Term
characterization
Definition
the techniques a writer uses to create, reveal, or develop characters in a narrative
Term
character description
Definition
an aspect of characterization through which the author overtly relates either physical or mental traits of a characters. THis description is almost invariably a sign of what lurks beneath the surface of the character.
Term
character development
Definition
a character is introduced, advanced, and possibly transformed in a story.
Term
character motivation
Definition
what a character in a narrative wants, the reason an author provides for a character's actions
Term
flat character
Definition
a character with only one outstanding trait
Term
round character
Definition
a complex character who is presented in depth in a narrative. They change significantly during the course of a narrative. Often their full personalities are revealed gradually throughout the story
Term
stock character
Definition
a common or stereotypical character
Term
setting
Definition
the time and place of a story
Term
locale
Definition
the location where a story takes place
Term
atmosphere
Definition
the dominant mood or feeling that pervades all or part of a literary work. The total effect conveyed by the author's use of language, images, and physical setting
Term
regionalism
Definition
the literary representation of a specific locale that consciously uses the particulars of geography. In regional narratives the locale plays as crucial role in the presentation and progression of the story
Term
naturalism
Definition
the characters are presented as products or victims of environment and heredity
Term
tone
Definition
the attitude toward a subject conveyed in a literary work.
Term
style
Definition
all the distinctive ways in which an author uses language to create a literary work
Term
diction
Definition
word choice or vocabulary
Term
conventional symbol
Definition
a literary symbol that has a conventional or customary meaning for most readers
Term
symbolic act
Definition
an action whose significance goes well beyond its literal meaning
Term
foreshadowing
Definition
the technique of arranging events and information in such a way that later events are prepared for beforehand
Term
double plot
Definition
also called subplot. A second story or plot line that is complete and interesting in its own right, often doubling or inverting the main plot
Term
conflict
Definition
the central struggle between two or more forces
Term
resolution
Definition
the final part of the narrative, the concluding action or actions that follow the climax
Term
unities
Definition
unity of time, place, and action, the three formal qualities recommended by renaissance critics to give a theatrical plot cohesion and integrity
Term
soliloquy
Definition
a speech by a character alone onstage in which he or she utters his or her thoughts aloud
Term
aside
Definition
a speech a character addresses directly to the audience, unheard by other characters on stage
Term
stage business
Definition
nonverbal action that engages the attention of an audience
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