allegory alliteration allusion anapest antagonist apostrophe aside aubade ballad blank verse cacophony caesura catharsis character climax comic relief conflict connotation convention couplet dactyl denotation denouement diction elegy d

deus ex machina

In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem.

octave

8 line stanza

villanelle

A 19 line form using only two rhymes and repeating two of the lines according to a set pattern

convention

A characteristic of a literary genre (often unrealistic) that is understood and accepted by audiences

metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality

quatrain

A four line stanza

cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

comic relief

A humorous scene or speech intended to lighten the mood

epic

A long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

monologue

A long speech made by one performer or by one person in a group.

flashback

A method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events

foreshadowing

A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.

exposition

A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.

caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.

character

A person in a story

aubade

A poem about dawn; a morning love song; or a poem about the parting of lovers at dawn

ballad

A poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas

motif

A recurring theme, subject or idea

allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

meter

A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

enjambment

A run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the next.

conflict

A struggle between opposing forces

magic realism

A style of writing in which realistic details, events, settings, characters, and dialogue are interwoven with magical, bizarre, fantastic, or supernatural elements.

impressionism

An artistic movement that sought to capture a momentary feel, or impression, of the piece they were drawing

imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

catharsis

Emotional release

narrator

Person telling the story

lyric poetry

Personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject

couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

figurative language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

aside

a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage

idyll

a lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place

denotation

a metrical foot or beat in a line containing three syllables

narrative poem

a poem that tells a story

sestina

a poem with six stanzas of six lines and a final triplet, all stanzas having the same six words at the line-ends in six different sequences that follow a fixed pattern, and with all six words appearing in the closing three-line envoi.

elegy

a sad or mournful poem

allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

repetition of letter or word

alliteration

denouement

an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot

agonist

another term for protagonist

euphony

beautiful sound

hyperbole

exaggeration

apostrophe

exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person

free verse

poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter

sestet

six line stanza

spondee

stressed, stressed

trochee

stressed, unstressed

scansion

the action of scanning a line of verse to determine its rhythm

connotation

the implied or associative meaning of a word

form

the structure of a poem

climax

the turning point of the story

tercet

three line stanza

foot

unit of measurement of syllabic meter

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

Iamb

unstressed, stressed

anapest

unstressed, unstressed, stressed

dramatic monologue

when a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience

epigram

witty comment

diction

word choice