Elements of Prose Literature & Poetry
Trochaic foot
(/ U) a two syllable foot with the stress on the first syllable Ne ver Ga ther Hap py Ten ley
Spondaic foot
(//) 2 stressed syllables Heart break Child hood Foot ball
Dactylic foot
(/UU) 3 syllables with the stress of the first syllable Hap pi ness Mer ri ly Mur mur ing
Resolution
(Also called the falling action) the events following the technical climax in which the is actually worked out
Complication
(Also called the rising action) the *conflict* is developed, suspense is created, and foreshadowing may be used
Imperfect rhyme
(Also referred to as approximate rhyme) rhyme involving words that sound similar but are not exactly the same Ex: crooned/groaned, sun/gone
Perfect rhyme
(Also referred to as exact rhyme) rhyme involving sounds that are exactly the same; example: groaned/moaned
Iambic foot
(U /) a two syllable foot with the stress on the second syllable; the most common foot of the English language Be low De light A muse
Pyrric foot
(UU) 2 unstressed syllables this type of foot is rare and found between other types of feet Of a In the
Anapestic Foot
(UU/) 3 syllables with the stress on the last syllable Cav a lier In ter twine
Octameter
8 feet per line
Lyric
A brief, personal poem that is especially musical (uses many sound devices as well as rhythm and meter) and is filled with emotion; sonnets, odes, and elegies are types of lyrics (ex. Jingles and theme songs)
Stereotyped character
A character created according to widely held, often narrow-minded ideas (the jock, the nerd)
Foil Character
A character that contrasts in some important way with a more important character
Dynamic character
A character who grows, learns, or changes in some significant way throughout the story
Flat character
A character who is not well developed in a story, but represents a type rather than an individual (ex. Stock or stereotypical characters) *All characters are either round or flat*
Round character
A character who is well described and whose thoughts and actions are revealed during the development of a story
Static character
A character who resists change or refuses to change throughout the story *all character are either dynamic or static*
Consistent character
A character whose speech, thoughts, and actions are what the reader has been lead to expect from that particular character
Narrative
A long story told in verse form; an epic is an example of a narrative poem (ex. The odyssey)
Extended metaphor
A metaphor that is developed over several lines of writing
Literary allusion
A reference to a person, place, or thing from previous literature; the three most popular sources for literary allusions are: 1. Mythology 2. The Bible 3. Shakespeare
Meter
A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Plot
A sequence of events in a narrative that is carefully instructed by the author for artistic purpose. A plot is different from a *simple narrative* account Something that is composed and artistic, rather than a mere sequence of events. Its purposes are to give pleasure and convey meaning.
Stock character
A type of character that is usually found "in stock" in a particular literary form (ex. Good cowboys and bad Indians in westerns, beautiful heroine and strong hero in romance novels)
Ballad
A type of poem that is meant to be sung and is both lyric and narrative in nature. (Ex. Taylor Swift songs)
Foot
A unit of meter; can consist of two or three syllables; lines of poetry are classified according to the number of feet in a line
Figure of speech
A word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and is not meant to be on a literal level (aka "figurative language")
Three guidelines to stating a theme
A. It must be a complete declarative sentence B. Must state a general truth about life rather than a specific truth about the story C. Must be clearly brought out throughout the entire work, not just part of it
Apostrophe
Addressing something nonhuman as if it were human; addressing someone not present Ex: Death, be not proud...
Paradox
An apparent contradiction which proves, upon examination, to be true; a situation or statement that seems like it makes sense, but somehow, when you think about it, it does; in a paradoxical statement, the contradiction usually stems from one of the words being used figuratively, or in more than one sense Ex: Poor little rich girl! Slow quicksand, a boxing ring, the human race
Dramatic Climax
Another type of Climax that is not related to plot structure. This is the point of greatest interest or intensity to the story.
Exposition
Background information on the characters, setting, and other events necessary for understanding the story are given
Rhymed verse
Consists of a verse with end rhyme and regular meter
Free verse
Consists of lines of poetry that do not have a regular rhythm and do not rhyme
Blank verse
Consists of unrhymed iambic pentameter
Irony
Contrast between the way things are and the way things appear to be
Atmosphere
Describes the general feeling of the story itself
Mood
Describes the reader's state of mind after finishing story
direct metaphor
Directly compares two things with a verb such as "is" Ex: My love is a red, red rose.
Typical plot structure
Exposition ➡️ Complication ➡️ Technical Climax ➡️ Resolution ➡️ Conclusion
Sound Devices
Figures of speech that pertain to sound, or the way words sound in a line of poetry
Types of P.O.V.
First person: the narrator is a character in the story Third person objective: the narrator ls not a character In the story and reports only what can be seen and heard Third person limited omniscient: the narrator Is not a character In the story and reports not only what can be seen and heard, but also the thoughts and feeling of a few characters Third person omniscient: the narrator ls not a character In the story and report what can be seen and heard, along with the thoughts and feellngs of all the characters
Personification
Giving human or animate qualities to inhuman things or inanimate things Ex: the raindrops danced on the sidewalk
Irony (verbal)
Meaning the opposite of what is said Ex: "Here's some bad news...you all got A's!"
Some types of poems
Narrative Lyric Ballad
Plotless Short Story
Not every story, however, has a plot. This is a very modern creation that Is pleasurable to read as it describes characters in a situation, but does not employ the development of the resolution of a conflict.
Monometer
One foot per line
Repetition
Repeating a word or a phrase within a poem; there are 3 reasons to use repetition: 1. Emphasis 2. Spread by word of mouth 3. Sounds pretty Ex:But we loved with a love that was more than love.
Internal rhyme
Rhyme between words that occurs in a single line of poetry Ex: O fleet, sweet sorrow...
Eye rhyme
Rhyme that depends on spelling rather than sound; words that look like they should rhyme but don't Ex: daughter/laughter, prove/love
End rhyme
Rhyme that occurs between words found at the ends of two or more lines on a poem Ex: From my boyhood I remember A crystal moment of September
Poetry
Rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery to appeal to emotion and imagination A patterned form of verbal or written expression of ideas in concentrated, imaginative, and rhythmical terms Often contains rhyme and a specific meter but not necessarily
Symbol
Something concrete used to represent something abstract; a symbol is different from a metaphor in this way: a metaphor means something other what it is, and a symbol means what it is PLUS something more; every poem does not contain a symbol; usually, in order to recognize symbolism in a Poe,, you must work to understand all of the other figures of speech at work within it. Has to be touchable representing non touchable.
Most poems contain the following structural elements...
Stanza Rhyme Rhyme Scheme Rhythm
Implied metaphor
Suggests a comparison without using "is" Ex: My love blossoms over time--implies it's a flower. (School has bars--implies it is a prison)
Tone
The author or speaker's attitude toward the characters, events or audience. Atmosphere, mood, and tone are all conveyed by details and descriptive words used by the author
Protagonist
The central character in a work of fiction about whom the audience is most concerned
Theme
The controlling idea of a literary work that is a general truth or commentary about life, people, the world that is brought out in the story. A theme IS NOT a statement about the story or plot itself. A theme also does not have to be a moral or lesson learned from the story.
Style
The distinctive handling of language by a writer through the purposeful selection of words (diction) and sentence structure (syntax). Style helps to indicate *tone*
Conflict
The interplay betweeen opposing elements; the plot of a story is produced by and propelled by the conflict; there are three types of conflicts: Protagonist vs. self (internal conflict) Protagonist vs. other(s) (external conflict) Protagonist vs. environment (external conflict)
Antithesis
The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in parallel grammatical structures; balancing or contracting one thing against another for effect. Ex: fair is foul and foul fair (A type of chiasmus but an exact mirror)
Rhythm
The pattern of stresses (/) and unstressed (u) syllables in words in a line of poetry; rhythm may be regular or irregular A. Meter B. Foot C. Scansion
Rhyme Scheme
The pattern or sequence in which end rhyme occurs throughout a poem. The first end sound is represented with an "a" the second end sound is represented with a "b", and so on. When the first sound is repeated at the end of another line within the poem, it is also designated as "a"
Point of View
The physical and psychological relationship between the *narrator* and the story's characters and events
Scansion
The process of marking lines of poetry to show a type of feet and the number of feet they contain
Motivation
The reasons that cause characters to act as they do
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds that are NOT at the beginning of words in a line of verse (may be at the middle or end) Ex: Come live with me and be my love
Refrain
The repetition of one or more phrases or lines at definite intervals in a Poem, usually at the end of a stanza
Alliteration
The repetition of the original consonant sound in two or more words in a line or verse. Ex: Mark my melodious midnight moans
Setting
The represented time and place of events in a literary work There are four functions of setting: a. To provide a time and place for characters and events to exist b. To help in understanding of the characters and their actions c. to help create mood and atmosphere d. To facilitate plot development
Rhyme
The similarity or likeness of sound in two or more words There are different types of rhyme: A. Perfect rhyme B. Imperfect rhyme C. Eye rhyme D. End rhyme E. Internal rhyme
Assonance
The similarity or repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words with different consonant sounds Ex: She is free and easy (just have to sound the same)
Narrator
The teller of the story
Technical Climax
The turning point in the plot at which the outcome of the action is determined; often, the protagonist changes or has an opportunity to change at this point but doesn't.
Symbolism
The use of something concrete to represent something abstract; using a thing to represent an idea, concept, quality, or condition
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that imitate the sounds they define Ex: buzz, sizzle, hiss, gurgle
Atmosphere and Mood
These terms are often used interchangeably, so be careful of telling them apart. Both have to do with the general feeling created by all aspects of the story - plot, character, setting, etc. -but...
Metaphor
Two dissimilar thing that are compared without using words such as "like," "as," "than," or "resembles" 3 types: Direct metaphor, implied metaphor, and extended metaphor
Simile
Two dissimilar things that are compared using words such as "like," "as," "than," or "resembles" Ex: The clouds, like waves, move across the sky.
Synechdoche
Using a part of something to represent the whole thing Ex: All hands on deck! He thinks the redhead is cute.
Simple narrative account
like a police report, in several ways Just like a chronological description of real events. Its purpose is to tell what happened.
Conclusion
the final event of a story's plot
Antagonist
the principal opponent of the main character
Metonymy
the substitution of one word for another closely associated word Ex: The priest was speaking in tongues. "The pen is mightier than the sword"
Tetrameter
4 feet per line
Pentameter
5 feet per line
Hexameter
6 feet per line
Heptameter
7 feet per line
Character
fictional personality created by an author (a short story has few characters and spotllghts one)
The types of metrical feet
1. iambic foot 2. trochaic foot 3. spondaic foot 4. pyrric foot 5. anapestic foot 6. dactylic foot
Dimeter
2 feet per line
Trimeter
3 feet per line
Verse forms
3 main types: Rhymed verse Blank verse Free verse
Three types of irony
Verbal irony: discrepancy between the literal meaning of a word and the meaning actually conveyed (saying one thing but meaning another); sarcasm is a form of verbal irony Dramatic irony: a discrepancy between knowledge held by the reader and a character's ignorance of that knowledge; when the reader knows something the character doesn't Situational irony: a discrepancy between the expected outcome of a situation and the actual outcome
Stanza
a group of consecutive lines in a poem that form a single unit; a division of a poem that is often referred to as a "Paragraph of poetry" There are seven basic stanza forms: A. Couplet: a two line stanza B. Triplet: a three line stanza C. Quatrain: a four line stanza D. Quintet: a five line stanza E. Sestet: a six line stanza F. Septet: a seven line stanza G. Octave: an eight line stanza (Other stanzas are referred to as "nine line stanza" or "ten line stanza", etc.)
Characterization
the technique a writer uses to create and reveal characters in a work of fiction; credibility and consistency are essential to good characterization. There are two methods of character revelation an author may use: a. expository: tellng the reader about a character In a stralghfforward manner (ex. Suzy was smart.) This method ls more direct, qulcker, and less attentlon getting. b. dramatic: showing the reader what a character is like through descriptlons of thought, dlalogue, action, etc. (ex. Suzy always got straight A's on her card.) This method is more indlrect, less qulck, but more attention getting. Writers use both types of character revelation In their writing.
Hyperbole
using exaggeration for emphasis not to be taken literally; overstatement Ex: I cried my eyes out! I could sleep for a year. You could have knocked me over with a feather.