Literary Terms PDF

Acrostic: A poem or word puzzle where the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. Affective: Related to emotional response in literature. Alienation effect: Technique in drama to prevent emotional engagement, encouraging critical detachment (Brecht). Allegory: A narrative where chara...

Acrostic: A poem or word puzzle where the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. Affective: Related to emotional response in literature. Alienation effect: Technique in drama to prevent emotional engagement, encouraging critical detachment (Brecht). Allegory: A narrative where characters/events symbolize broader themes (e.g., morality, politics).(a story about two neighbors throwing rocks at each other is actually about a war between two countries) Alliteration: Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. Allusion: A reference to another text, event, or figure. Ambiguity: Deliberate uncertainty in meaning. Anachrony: A discrepancy between the order of events in a story and how they are presented. Anagnorisis: A character’s moment of recognition or discovery (common in tragedy).(Oedipus when he finds out he’s a motherfucker) Analepsis: A flashback to earlier events. Anapaest: A metrical foot with two short syllables followed by a long one (da-da-DUM). Antagonist: The character opposing the protagonist. Anticlimax: A disappointing or trivial conclusion to something expected to be more dramatic. Anti-hero: A central character lacking traditional heroic qualities. Apostrophe: A direct address to an absent or imaginary person or entity. (O Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo…) Archetype: A primordial image, character, or pattern of circumstances that recurs throughout literature and thought consistently enough to be considered a universal concept or situation Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within words. Avant-garde: Experimental, innovative art or literature ahead of its time. Autotelic: Something that has an inherent purpose or meaning, independent of external objectives. Ballad: A narrative poem, often in song form. Ballad metre: A four-line stanza with alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter. Bard: A poet, traditionally one reciting epics and linked with oral tradition. Blank verse: Unrhymed iambic pentameter. Blazon: A poetic device cataloging the physical attributes of a person, often a beloved. Cadence: The rhythmic flow of spoken or written language. Canon: A recognized body of literature deemed authoritative. Catalectic: A metrical line that is missing a syllable at the end. Catharsis: The emotional release experienced by an audience after the climax of a tragedy (or any other literary work) Character: A person, animal, or figure represented in a literary work. Characterization: The process by which a writer develops a character's personality. Climax: The highest point of tension in a narrative. Close reading: Detailed analysis of the text focusing on structure, language, and meaning. Closure: The sense of resolution or conclusion in a narrative. Comedy: A genre of drama that ends happily, often humorously. Conceit: An elaborate metaphor or surprising comparison between dissimilar things, author sets it up Connotation: The implied or associated meaning of a word beyond its literal definition. Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words. Context: The circumstances or setting surrounding a literary work. Couplet: Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry. Cycle: A series of related stories or poems. Dactyl: A metrical foot with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones (DUM-da-da). Death of the author: The idea that a text’s meaning is independent of the author's intent (Barthes). Defamiliarization: Presenting familiar objects or concepts in an unusual way to make them seem strange. Demotion: Reduction of a syllable’s stress in a line of poetry. Denotation: The literal or primary meaning of a word. Dénouement: The final resolution of a story’s plot. Didactic: Literature intended to teach a lesson. Dimeter: A line of verse with two metrical feet. Distant reading: Analyzing literature by aggregating large amounts of data rather than close analysis of individual texts. Drama: A genre of literature intended for performance on stage. Ekphrasis: A vivid description of a work of art in literature. Elegy: A mournful poem, usually lamenting the dead. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence without pause beyond the end of a line of poetry. Epic: A long narrative poem about heroic deeds. Epigraph: A short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter. Epilogue: A section at the end of a literary work that concludes the story. Epiphany: A sudden realization or moment of insight by a character. Epitaph: A short statement or poem written in memory of someone, often on a tombstone. Exposition: Background information provided in a narrative. Eye rhyme: Words that look like they should rhyme but do not. Feminine rhyme:A rhyme on two syllables, the first stressed and the second unstressed. Figure of speech: A word or phrase used in a non-literal way for rhetorical effect. First-person narrative: A story told from the perspective of a character using "I" or "we." Focalization: The perspective through which a narrative is presented. Foil: A character who contrasts with the protagonist to highlight their traits. Foot: The basic unit of measurement in a line of poetry. Foregrounding: Making a feature of the text prominent to draw attention; it will be relevant later. Frame narrative: A story that contains another story or stories within it. Free indirect style: A blend of third-person narration and a character's thoughts/feelings. Free verse: Poetry that does not follow regular rhyme or meter. Genre: A category of literature characterized by specific forms or styles. Half-rhyme: A rhyme where the ending consonants match, but the vowel sounds differ. Heptameter: A line of verse with seven metrical feet. Hermeneutics: The study of interpretation, especially of texts. Heroic couplet: Two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter Hexameter: A line of verse with six metrical feet. Hubris: Excessive pride or self-confidence, often leading to downfall in tragedy. Hyperbole: Exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Iamb: A metrical foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one (da-DUM). In medias res: Beginning a story in the middle of the action. Intentional fallacy: The error of basing a text’s meaning on the author’s intention. Internal rhyme: Rhyming within a single line of verse. Intertextuality: The relationship between different texts and their influences on each other. Intrusive narrator: A narrator who interrupts the narrative to address the reader directly. Irony: A contrast between appearance and reality. Verbal: Saying one thing but meaning another. Dramatic: The audience knows something the characters don’t.  Situational: When the opposite of what’s expected happens. (a tow truck needs a tow truck cause it broke down) Leitmotif: A recurring theme or element in a literary work. Connected to 1 person/event Leonine rhyme: A rhyme between words in the middle and end of a line. Literal: The exact, primary meaning of words. Literature: Written works considered to have artistic or intellectual value. Lyric: A short, expressive poem, often personal in nature. Magic realism: A genre where magical elements appear in an otherwise realistic setting. Manifesto: A public declaration of principles or intentions, often political or artistic. Masculine rhyme: A rhyme on a single stressed syllable. Metafiction: Fiction that self-consciously addresses the nature of fiction itself. Metaphor: A figure of speech where something is described as if it were something else. Metonymy: Substituting the name of one thing for something closely related (e.g., "the crown" for monarchy). Metre: The rhythmic structure of a poem. Monometer: A line of verse with one metrical foot. Motif: A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Muse: A source of inspiration, often personified as a goddess in mythology. Narrative: A story or account of events. Narrator: The voice or character telling the story. Novel: A long fictional narrative with complex characters and plot. Novella: A short novel or long short story. Octameter: A line of verse with eight metrical feet. Octave: An eight-line stanza or poem. Oeuvre: The complete works of an author or artist. Omniscient narrator: A narrator who knows everything about all characters and events. Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds (e.g., "buzz," "sizzle"). Orature: Oral literature, stories passed down through speech. Ottava rima: An eight-line stanza with a specific rhyme scheme (ABABABCC). Oxymoron: A figure of speech combining contradictory terms (e.g., "deafening silence"). Paratext: Elements that surround the main text, like titles, prefaces, or illustrations. Parody: A humorous or satirical imitation of a serious work. Pastoral: Literature that idealizes rural life and nature. Pathetic fallacy: Attributing human emotions to nature or inanimate objects. Pathos: The quality in art or literature that evokes pity or sadness. Pentameter: A line of verse with five metrical feet. Peripeteia: A sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, especially in tragedy. Persona: The voice or role a writer adopts in a text. Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human things. Petrarchan: Refers to the sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, with an octave and a sestet. Plot: The sequence of events in a narrative. Poetic diction: The use of elevated, formal language in poetry. Poetry: A literary form that emphasizes rhythm, meter, and emotional intensity. Point of view: The perspective from which a story is told. Polemic: A strong argument or attack on a controversial issue. Prolepsis: A flash-forward or anticipation of future events. Prologue: An introductory section of a literary work. Promotion: Raising a syllable to a higher metrical position. Prose: Ordinary written or spoken language without metrical structure. Protagonist: The main character in a story. Quatrain: A four-line stanza or poem. Refrain: A repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song. Rhetorical question: A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer. Rhyme: The repetition of similar sounds in poetry. Rhyme scheme: The pattern of rhymes in a poem. Rhythm: The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry. Satire: A genre that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize human vices. Scansion: The analysis of a poem’s meter. Sestet: A six-line stanza or the last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet. Short story: A brief fictional narrative. Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as." Socratic: A method of dialogue or argument characterized by asking questions. Sonnet: A 14-line poem, often in iambic pentameter, with a specific rhyme scheme. Stanza: A grouped set of lines in a poem. Stock character: A stereotypical character type. Story: The events that make up a narrative. Stress: The emphasis on a syllable in a word or line of poetry. Style: The distinctive way an author uses language. Symbol: An object or action representing something beyond its literal meaning. Synaesthesia: Describing one sense in terms of another (e.g., "loud color"). Synecdoche: A figure of speech where a part represents the whole or vice versa. Tenor: The subject of a metaphor. Tercet: A three-line stanza or poem. Terza rima: A rhyme scheme using interlocking tercets (ABA BCB CDC). Tetrameter: A line of verse with four metrical feet. Theme: The central idea or message in a literary work. Third-person narrative: A story told using "he," "she," or "they." Topos: A common literary theme or motif. Tragedy: A serious drama where the protagonist meets disaster due to a flaw or fate. Trimeter: A line of verse with three metrical feet. Trochee: A metrical foot with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one (DUM-da). Unreliable narrator: A narrator whose credibility is compromised. Verse: A single line of poetry or a section of a poem. Verse form: The structure of a poem based on meter and rhyme scheme. Villanelle: A 19-line poem with a specific repeating rhyme scheme.(5 tercets plus 1 quatrain) Volta: The turn or shift in a sonnet’s argument or theme. Scansion Study Notes Scansion is the analysis of a poem's metrical patterns. It involves breaking down the rhythm of poetry to understand how its structure contributes to the overall meaning and emotional impact of the work. Key Concepts in Scansion 1. Meter Definition: The pattern of stressed (´) and unstressed (˘) syllables in a line of poetry. Unit: The basic unit of meter is called a foot. Common Metrical Feet: Iamb (Iambic): ˘ ´ (unstressed-stressed) Example: "a-WAY" Trochee (Trochaic): ´ ˘ (stressed-unstressed) Example: "TA-ble" Anapest (Anapestic): ˘ ˘ ´ (unstressed-unstressed-stressed) Example: "in-ter-VENE" Dactyl (Dactylic): ´ ˘ ˘ (stressed-unstressed-unstressed) Example: "PIC-ture-perfect" Spondee (Spondaic): ´ ´ (stressed-stressed) Example: "HEARTBREAK" Pyrrhic: ˘ ˘ (unstressed-unstressed) Example: (Uncommon, often mixed in with other feet) 2. Line Length 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 (Most common in English, especially in sonnets) Hexameter: Six feet per line (Used in epic poetry) Heptameter: Seven feet per line Octameter: Eight feet per line Common Metrical Forms 1. Iambic Pentameter: The most common meter in English poetry. Consists of five iambic feet per line: ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ Example: "Shall I com-pare thee to a sum-mer's day?" 2. Trochaic Tetrameter:  Four trochees per line: ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ Example: "TI-ger, TI-ger, BUR-ning BRIGHT" 3. Anapestic Trimeter: Three anapests per line: ˘ ˘ ´ ˘ ˘ ´ ˘ ˘ ´ Example: "'Twas the NIGHT be-fore CHRIST-mas, when ALL through the HOUSE" Scansion Study Notes Scansion is the analysis of a poem's metrical patterns. It involves breaking down the rhythm of poetry to understand how its structure contributes to the overall meaning and emotional impact of the work. Below are detailed notes to help you study scansion. Key Concepts in Scansion 1. Meter Definition: The pattern of stressed (´) and unstressed (˘) syllables in a line of poetry. Unit: The basic unit of meter is called a foot. Common Metrical Feet: Iamb (Iambic): ˘ ´ (unstressed-stressed) Example: "a-WAY" Trochee (Trochaic): ´ ˘ (stressed-unstressed) Example: "TA-ble" Anapest (Anapestic): ˘ ˘ ´ (unstressed-unstressed-stressed) Example: "in-ter-VENE" Dactyl (Dactylic): ´ ˘ ˘ (stressed-unstressed-unstressed) Example: "PIC-ture-perfect" Spondee (Spondaic): ´ ´ (stressed-stressed) Example: "HEARTBREAK" Pyrrhic: ˘ ˘ (unstressed-unstressed) Example: (Uncommon, often mixed in with other feet) 2. Line Length 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 (Most common in English, especially in sonnets) Hexameter: Six feet per line (Used in epic poetry) Heptameter: Seven feet per line Octameter: Eight feet per line Steps for Scansion 1. Identify the Foot Type: Break down the words into syllables. Determine if each syllable is stressed (´) or unstressed (˘). 2. Mark the Stress Pattern: Place a mark above each syllable (˘ for unstressed, ´ for stressed). 3. Divide the Line into Feet: Group the syllables into metrical feet (Iambic, Trochaic, etc.). 4. Count the Feet: Count how many feet are in the line to determine the meter (e.g., iambic pentameter has 5 iambs). Common Metrical Forms 1. Iambic Pentameter: The most common meter in English poetry. Consists of five iambic feet per line: ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ Example: "Shall I com-pare thee to a sum-mer's day?" 2. Trochaic Tetrameter: Four trochees per line: ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ Example: "TI-ger, TI-ger, BUR-ning BRIGHT" 3. Anapestic Trimeter: Three anapests per line: ˘ ˘ ´ ˘ ˘ ´ ˘ ˘ ´ Example: "'Twas the NIGHT be-fore CHRIST-mas, when ALL through the HOUSE" Irregular Meters and Variations  Substitution: Sometimes poets use a different foot to vary the rhythm (e.g., replacing an iamb with a spondee). Caesura: A pause within a line, usually marked by punctuation. Elision: The blending of syllables to fit the meter. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause. Practical Tips for Scansion Read the poem aloud: Poetry is meant to be heard. Reading aloud helps to hear the natural stresses and rhythms. Look for natural speech patterns: Often, stressed syllables fall on important words or syllables in a sentence. Use context clues: In some cases, the meaning of the line can help you determine the stress. Practice with classic forms: Start by scanning lines in well-known forms (like sonnets or heroic couplets) to get a feel for regular meter. Examples of Scanning a Line 1. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 (Iambic Pentameter) "Shall I com-pare thee to a sum-mer's day?" Scansion: ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ 2. William Blake’s "The Tyger" (Trochaic Tetrameter) "Ty-ger Ty-ger burn-ing bright" Scansion: ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ 1. Perfect Rhyme (Exact Rhyme) Definition: The sounds of the words are exactly alike from the stressed vowel to the end of the word. Example: "love" and "dove," "bright" and "light." 2. Half Rhyme Definition: The vowel sounds or the consonant sounds are similar, but not identical. This gives a more subtle or imperfect sound to the rhyme. Example: "heart" and "hurt," "room" and "storm." 3. Eye Rhyme (Visual Rhyme) Definition: Words that look like they should rhyme because they are spelled similarly, but when spoken aloud, they do not rhyme. Example: "love" and "move," "cough" and "bough." 4. Internal Rhyme Definition: Rhymes that occur within a single line of poetry, rather than at the ends of lines. Example: "I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers." 5. End Rhyme Definition: Rhymes that occur at the ends of lines, which is the most common type of rhyme in traditional poetry. Example: "Whose woods these are I think I know, His house is in the village though." 6. Masculine Rhyme Definition: A rhyme that occurs on the final stressed syllable of words. Example: "blow" and "snow," "confess" and "redress." 7. Feminine Rhyme Definition: A rhyme that involves two or more syllables, where the first syllable is stressed and the following syllables are unstressed. Example: "label" and "table," "keeping" and "sleeping." 8. Chain Rhyme Definition: Rhymes that are linked together from stanza to stanza, often using an ABA BCB CDC pattern (like in terza rima). Example: Dante’s Divine Comedy uses this type of rhyme.  Feature Shakespearean Sonnet Petrarchan Sonnet Spenserian Sonnet Rhyme ABAB CDCD EFEF ABBA ABBA (octave) + ABAB BCBC CDCD Scheme GG various (sestet) EE Structure 3 quatrains + couplet Octave + sestet 3 interlocking quatrains + couplet Volta (Turn) In the final couplet At the start of the sestet Less defined, near the (line 9) couplet Common Love, time, beauty, Love, conflict, resolution Love, ideal beauty, Themes death virtue Origin English (William Italian (Francesco Petrarca) English (Edmund Shakespeare) Spenser)