Glossary extracted starting with automatic seeds, with BOW for the domain lit and language EN

protagonistthe main character in a story or drama
periphrasisThe substitution of an elaborate phrase in place of a simple word or expression, as "fragrant beverage drawn from China's herb" for tea
elegy(1) since the Renaissance, usually a formal lament on the death of a particular person, but focusing mainly on the speaker’s efforts to come to terms with his or her grief; (2) more broadly, any lyric in sorrowful mood that takes death as its primary subject
monosyllableA word of one syllable.
alliterationthe repetition of usually initial consonant sounds through a sequence of words—for example, "While I nodded, nearly napping" in Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Raven."
narratorthe voice of the speaker in a story
lullabyA lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process
italian formsuch as Longfellow's "Divina Commedia
propsobjects or items used by the actors on the stage
variorumA variorum is a work that collates all known variants of a text
homonymOne of two or more words which are identical in pronunciation and spelling, but different in meaning, as the noun bear and the verb bear.
asyndetonThe artistic elimination of conjunctions in a sentence to create a particular effect
paronymA word derived from or related to another word; also, the form in one language for a word in another, as in the English canal for the Latin canalis.
stock charactera character not fully developed who seems to represent a “type” more than a real personality (see also flat character)
epiphanyChristian thinkers used this term to signify a manifestation of God's presence in the world
ionicA Classical Greek and Latin double foot consisting of two unstressed syllables and two stressed syllables, either ionic a majore / ' ' ~ ~ / or ionic a minore / ~ ~ ' ' /.
syllepsiswhich use one word to serve for two; and aposiopesis
asyndetonThe omission of a conjunction from a list ('chips, beans, peas, vinegar, salt, pepper')
inductive/deductive reasoninginductive reasoning moves from observation of specific circumstances and makes a general conclusion; deductive reasoning takes a general truth and applies it to specific circumstances
apocryphaIn the context of fiction, apocrypha includes those fictional stories that do not belong within a fictional universe's canon, yet still have some authority relating to that fictional universe
silbido(Spanish m.) whistle, whistling, sifflement (French)
litterateur - intellectualAn intellectual is a person who uses intelligence (thought and reason) and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.
baroqueBaroque (pronounced /bəˈroʊk/ bə-rohk in American English or /bəˈrɒk/ in British English) is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century in Europe
sipario(Italian m.) curtain, drape
ecologueA pastoral poem (after Virgil).
rhymeThe occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words
epiphanya sudden revelation of truth, often inspired by a seemingly simple or commonplace event
transferred epithet - hypallageHypallage (pronounced /haɪˈpælədʒiː/, from the Greek: ὑπαλλαγή, hypallagḗ, "interchange, exchange") is a literary device that is the reversal of the syntactic relation of two words (as in "her beauty's face").
scriptthe printed text of a drama
dramatic poetrywhere the hemistichs are split into two short lines, it is used whenever characters exchange short bursts of dialogue rapidly, heightening the effect of quarrelsome disagreement; in classical poetry such a series is called hemistichomythia
motifan image or action in a literary work that is shared by other works and that is sometimes thought to belong to a collective unconsciousness.
epicAn extended narrative poem, usually simple in construction, but grand in scope, exalted in style, and heroic in theme, often giving expression to the ideals of a nation or race.
epizenxisrepetition of a word several times without connectives.
archaismThe intentional use of a word or expression no longer in general use, for example, thou mayst is an archaism meaning you may
onomatopeiaan instance where the sound of a word directly imitates its meaning (for example, "choo-choo," "hiss"), sometimes termed echoism.
georgian poetryGeorgian Poetry was the title of a series of anthologies showcasing the work of a school of English poetry that established itself during the early years of the reign of King George V of the United Kingdom.
romanzo d' appendiceRomanzo d'appendìce (Italian for Feuilleton) was a popular genre in literature, which originated in England and France, in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th.
modulationIn poetry, the harmonious use of language relative to the variations of stress and pitch.
kenningTmesis) (Compare Close Rhyme, Neologism, Nonce Word, Portmanteau Word)
humourHumour or humor (see spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement
repetitionRepetition is the simple repeating of a word, within a sentence or a poetical line, with no particular placement of the words, in order to emphasize
catastrophethe reversal of the tragic hero’s good fortune in Greek Tragedy
terza rimaTerza rima is a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme
rhyme schemeas: aba, bcb, cdc, etc
the long hill" in which the climb up the hill symbolizes life and the brambles are symbolic of life's adversities.
styleThe author's words and the characteristic way that writer uses language to achieve certain effects
epizenxisRepetition of a word several times without connectives.
syllableA vowel preceded by from zero to three consonants ("awl" ..
ploceThe general term for a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated in close proximity within a clause or line, usually for emphasis or for extended significance, as "a wife who was a wife indeed" or "there are medicines and medicines."
imageAn expression that describes a literal sensation, whether of hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and feeling.
denotationParonomasia, Pun) (Compare Connotation)
sich versprechen(German) to make a slip of the tongue
horatian odeof which "Ode to a Nightingale," considered to be one of John Keats' finest works, is an example
themeThe central idea, topic, or didactic quality of a work.
epithalamionlyric poem in praise of Hymen (the Greek god of marriage) or of a particular wedding, such as Edmund Spenser's "Epithalamion."
metaphysical                 Objectivism
sentenceThis is a term which professional linguists still find impossible to define adequately
sixth flutea descant/soprano-sized recorder in D
marginaliaDrawings, notation, illumination, and doodles appearing in the margins of a medieval text, rather than the central text itself.
perfect rhymeAlso called true rhyme or exact rhyme, a rhyme which meets the following requirements: (1) an exact correspondence in the vowel sound and, in words ending in consonants, the sound of the final consonant, (2) a difference in the consonant sounds preceding the vowel, and (3) a similarity of accent on the rhyming syllable(s).
deicticWords that point to particulars, as names and pronouns do for individual places and persons (such as Edwin Arlington Robinson's "Miniver Cheevy" and "Richard Cory"), and demonstrative-adjective-noun combinations (such as Benjamin Franklin King's "Here's that ten dollars that I owe" in "If I Should Die To-night") do for things.
alexandrineA line of poetry that has 12 syllables
epicA poem of considerable length, recounting the heroic trials, tribulations, and triumphs of one or more characters
jacobean eraJacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI (1567â€"1625) of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603
aestheticismA literary movement in the nineteenth century of those who believed in “art for art’s sake” in opposition to the utilitarian doctrine that everything must be morally or practically useful
tragic heroA tragic hero is usually the main character in a piece of work
charactera person in fiction, drama, or poetry
punA comic effect suggesting two meanings from one word or phrase.
focalizationDutch literary theorist Mieke Bal coined the term focalization to describe a shift in perspective that takes place in literature when an author switches from one character's perspective to another
simileA figure of speech in which two things are compared explicitly, using the word "like" or "as".
antithesisContrasting or combining two terms, phrases, or clauses with opposed or antithetical meanings.
classicismIdealism, Metaphysical, Objectivism, Realism, Romanticism)
fantasya genre of literary work featuring strange settings and characters and often involving magic or the supernatural; though closely related to horror and science fiction, fantasy is typically less concerned with the macabre or with science and technology
box seta stage set composed of “flats” or connected walls enclosing three sides of the stage, with an invisible “fourth wall” open to the audience
canonsomeone's list of authors or works considered to be "classic," that is, central to the identity of a given literary tradition or culture.
antithesisA figure of speech in which a thought is balanced with a contrasting thought in parallel arrangements of words and phrases, such as, "he promised wealth and provided poverty," or "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, " or from Pope's An Epistle to Dr
archaic languagelanguage no longer in use
archetypesomething in the world, and described in literature, that, according to the psychologist Karl Jung, manifests a dominant theme in the collective unconscious of human beings
ellipsisindication of an omission of words in a quote
scansionthe chief object of this on-line tutorial: an analytic process of mapping the convergence and divergence (reinforcement and counterpoint) between the
personathe voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author; also called implied author.
settingthe environment in which the work takes place
bardAn ancient composer, singer or declaimer of epic verse, celebrating the deeds of gods and heroes.
polysyndetonA figure of speech where successive clauses or phrases are linked by one or more conjunctions.
personaA personality, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor
antiphonSung verse.
end-stoppeda verse line ending at a grammatical boundary or break, such as a dash, a closing parenthesis, or punctuation such as a colon, a semi-colon, or a period
linguisticsLinguistics is the scientific study of human language
pilgrimageAn act of spiritual devotion or penance in which an individual travels without material comforts to a distant holy place
syllablesi.e., syllables which take a longer or shorter quantity of time to pronounce
end-stoppedLine of verse whose thought ends at the line's end
bed-trickThe term for a recurring folklore motif in which circumstances cause two characters in a story to end up having sex with each other because of mistaken identity--either confusion in a dark room or deliberate acts of disguise in which one character impersonates another
nonce wordPortmanteau Word)
epodeAn epode is the last of three series of lines forming the divisions of each section of a Pindaric ode.
ghazalAn Eastern verse form consisting of successive couplets whose lines all end with the same refrain phrase (the qafia), just before which is placed the couplet's rhyming word (radif)
distichA strophic unit of two lines; a pair of poetic lines or verses which together comprise a complete sense.
shakujoJapanese stick rattle, used to accompany shomyo, Buddhist chanting of sacred texts or sutra
thesisthe central debatable claim articulated, supported, and developed in an essay or other work of expository prose.
coupleta pair of successive rhyming lines, usually of the same length, termed "closed" when they form a bounded grammatical unit like a sentence, and termed "heroic" in 17th- and 18th-century verse when serious in subject, five-foot iambic in form, and holding a complete thought.
metaphorical languageMetaphorical language is the use of a complex system of metaphors to create a sub-language within a common language which provides the basic terms (verbs, prepositions, conjunctions) to express metaphors.
stressemphasis that a syllable receives in metered verse; scansion mark  ⁄ Stress may be due to
mise en scèneMise-en-scène (French: "placing on stage") is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story" —both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction
themerelating to the praise of love and wine, as in Abraham Cowley's Anacreontiques
consonanceSometimes just a resemblance in sound between two words, or an initial or head rhyme like alliteration, but also refined to mean shared consonants, whether in sequence ("bud" and "bad") or reversed ("bud" and "dab").
schemeFigure of speech that varies the order and sound of words
catastropheThe "turning downward" of the plot in a classical tragedy
epican extended narrative poem with a heroic or superhuman protagonist engaged in an action of great significance in a vast setting (often including the underworld and engaging the gods)
signo de marca registrada(Spanish m.) registered mark (®)
fourfold meaningAnother term for fourfold interpretation, this word refers to the medieval idea that every passage in the Bible can be interpreted according to at least one of four possible levels of meaning
metonymWhen one noun is used in place of another.
tableau vivantTableau vivant (plural: tableaux vivants) is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit
meterthe recurring, invariant pattern of
point of viewthe perspective from which people, events, and other details in a work of fiction are viewed; also called focus, though the term point of view is sometimes used to include both focus and voice
mock-epic or mock-heroicA satiric literary form that treats a trivial or commonplace subject with the elevated language and heroic style of the classical epic.
moodthe atmosphere or tone of a work
sich überlegen(German) to think over, to consider
metreThe underlying pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.
tankaA Japanese syllabic verse form, arranged 5/7/5/7/7.
onomatopoeiaA figure of speech in which the sound of the word(s) imitate the sounds of what they describe
tragic flaw - hamartiaHamartia (Ancient Greek: ἁμαρτία) is a term developed by Aristotle in his work Poetics
close rhymeA rhyme of two contiguous or close words, such as in the idiomatic expressions, "true blue" or "fair and square."
antiphonA sacred poem with responses or alternative parts.
shakespearean sonnet - sonnet* Sicilian octave
amphitheatera semi-circular large, outdoor theater with seats rising in tiers from a central acting area
truncated line - acatalexisAn acatalectic line of verse is one having the metrically complete number of syllables in the final foot
emblemAn emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.
ironyVerbal irony is a figure of speech in the form of an expression in which the use of words is the opposite of the thought in the speaker's mind, thus conveying a meaning that contradicts the literal definition, as when a doctor might say to his patient, " the bad news is that the operation was successful." Dramatic or situational irony is a literary or theatrical device of having a character utter words which the reader or audience understands to have a different meaning, but of which the character himself is unaware
scansionScansion is the act of determining and (usually) graphically representing the metrical character of a line of verse.
sípok(Hungarian, literally 'shepherd's pipe') ancient pipes, with varying numbers of holes, that were made of reed, bone and wood
falling actionthe fourth of the five phases or parts of plot, in which the conflict or conflicts move toward resolution.
anagramA word spelled out by rearranging the letters of another word
eponymous authorThe eponymous author of a literary work, often a work that is meant to be prophetic or homiletic, is not really the author
exposition - dramatic structureDramatic structure is the structure of a dramatic work such as a play or film
nonce wordFrom the expression, for the nonce, a word coined or used for a special circumstance or occasion only,
sftmcthe San Francisco Tape Music Center was founded by Morton Subotnick and Ramon Sender on Divisadero Street in San Francisco in 1962
asemic writingAsemic writing is a wordless open semantic form of writing
assonanceharmonious repetition of the same vowel sound in nearby words.  See also
anaphoraIn rhetoric, an anaphora (Greek: ἀναφορά, "carrying back") is a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis
dictionor lexis, or vocabulary of a passage refers to nothing more or less then its words
comitatus(Latin: "companionship" or "band"): The term describes the tribal structure of the Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic tribes in which groups of men would swear fealty to a hlaford (lord) in exchange for food, mead, and heriot, the loan of fine armor and weaponry
pantoumA poem in a fixed form, consisting of a varying number of 4-line stanzas with lines rhyming alternately; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated to form the first and third lines of the succeeding stanza; the first and third lines of the first stanza form the second and fourth of the last stanza, but in reverse order, so that the opening and closing lines of the poem are identical.
eye rhymeEye rhyme, also called visual rhyme and sight rhyme, is a similarity in spelling between words that are pronounced differently and hence, not an auditory rhyme
dissonanceThe use of discordant sounds either to create an unpleasant effect or to create an interesting variation from what is rhythmically expected.
syntaxword order; the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences.
narration(1) broadly, the act of telling a story or recounting a narrative; (2) more narrowly, the portions of a narrative attributable to the narrator rather than words spoken by characters (that is, dialogue).
aristeiaAn aristeia or aristia (Ancient Greek: ἀριστεία, IPA: [aristéːa], "excellence"; English: /à¦rɨˈstiː.ə/) is a scene in the dramatic conventions of such works as the Iliad in which a hero in battle has his finest moments (aristos = best)
analectsLunyu (English: Analects) (simplified Chinese: 论语; traditional Chinese: 論語; pinyin: Lún Yǔ), also known as the Analects of Confucius, are considered a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held.
ottava rimaOttava rima is a rhyming stanza form of Italian origin
atmosphereThe mood or pervasive feeling insinuated by a literary work.
assonanceThe rhyme-pattern produced inside the poetic line by repeating similar vowels, or clusters of consonants and vowels.
asidea brief comment by an actor, heard by the audience, but not the other characters on stage
caesuraA pause or breathing-place about the middle of a metrical line, generally indicated by a pause in the sense
shoa Japanese free-reed mouth organ, similar to the Chinese sheng, in which each free-reed pipe will sound the same note when the player exhales or inhales
broadsideA broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous (or near simultaneous) fire in naval warfare.
signs of the zodiacsignes du zodiaque (Italian), Tierkreiszeichen des Zodiaks (German), signes du zodiaque (French), signos zodiacales (Spanish)
verismVerism is the artistic preference of contemporary everyday subject matter instead of the heroic or legendary in art and literature; a form of realism
juggernautJuggernaut is a term used in the English language to describe a literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable.
coupletsafter Hudibras
personificationPersonification means to give human attributes to objects or ideas
realismA movement in literature to represent life as it really is
personificationa figure of speech that involves treating something nonhuman, such as an abstraction, as if it were a person by endowing it with humanlike qualities, as in "Death entered the room."
melodramaplays with elaborate but oversimplified plots, flat characters, excessive sentiment, and happy endings
stanzaA stanza is an arrangement of a certain number of lines, usually four or more, sometimes having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme, forming a division of a poem.
acrosticA poem in which the first or last letters of each line vertically form a word, phrase, or sentence
unitiesThe unities of time, place, and action as principles of dramatic composition have been hotly debated since Aristotle’s Poetics
antanaclasisA figure of speech in which the same word is repeated in a different sense within a clause or line, e.g., "while we live, let us live."
archaismUsing obsolete or archaic words when current alternatives are available.
characterizationCharacterisation or characterization is the process of conveying information about characters in narrative or dramatic works of art or everyday conversation
rhythmicit is usually metrical
shapethe direction of a melody
round charactera fully developed character with the complexities of real person
hamartiaHamartia (Ancient Greek: ἁμαρτία) is a term developed by Aristotle in his work Poetics
metaphorartificially strained or far-fetched, in which the subject is compared with a simpler analogue usually chosen from nature or a familiar context
consonancerepetition of final consonant sounds in words close together (short and sweet, struts and frets)
comedy of mannersA comic drama consisting of five or three acts in which the attitudes and customs of a society are critiqued and satirized according to high standards of intellect and morality
bad quartoIn the jargon of Shakespearean scholars, a "bad quarto" is a copy of the play that a disloyal actor would recreate from memory and then submit for publication in a rival publishing house without the consent of the author
internal rhymeA poetic device in which a word in the middle of a line rhymes with a word at the end of the same metrical line
language interpretationLanguage interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages
aphorismA brief statement which expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation
surrealistic dramaseeks its truth in the irrationality of the unconscious mind
unreliable narratora narrator who tells the story from a biased, erroneous perspective
soundsyllables, words, syntactic elements, lines, stanzaic forms, and metrical patterns establishes cycles of expectation which are reinforced with each successive fulfillment.
prosodyThe study or science of versification and its many aspects
trouvèreTrouvère (is the Northern French (langue d'oïl) form of the word trobador (as spelled in the langue d'oc)
theater of the grotesqueTerza Rima: A three-line stanza form in Poetry in which the rhymes are made on the last word of each line in the following manner: the first and third lines of the first stanza, then the second line of the first stanza and the first and third lines of the second stanza, and so on with the middle line of any stanza rhyming with the first and third lines of the following stanza
hypocorismA hypocorism (from Greek ὑποκορίζεσθαι hypokorizesthai, "to use child-talk") is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.
ubi suntUbi sunt (literally "where are...") is a phrase taken from the Latin Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt?, meaning "Where are those who were before us?"
roman à clefRoman à clef or roman à clé (French for novel with a key, is the term used for a novel describing real life, behind a façade of fiction
tragic flawthe tragic hero’s flaw (often excessive pride or “hubris") which leads directly to a reversal of his good fortune (catastrophe)
cross rhymeThe rhyme scheme of abab, also called alternate rhyme, in which the end words of alternating lines rhyme with each other, i.e., the rhymes cross intervening lines.
proseOrdinary language people use in speaking or writing, as distinguished from the heightened language of poetry
metreThe pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem.
shigin(Japanese) a form of Japanese poetry, which is usually chanted, either individually or within a group
meterThe arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of accented (or stressed) syllables.
virelayAn ancient French verse form consisting of stanzas of indeterminate length and number, with alternating long and short lines and an interlaced rhyme scheme, as abab bcbc cdcd dada.
decorumIn literary parlance, the appropriateness of a work to its subject, its genre and its audience.
encomiumA poem praising a person, object or idea.
avant-gardeAvant-garde (French pronunciation: [avɑ̃ɡaʁd]) means "advance guard" or "vanguard"
melodramaThe term melodrama refers to a dramatic work which exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions
tropeThe intentional use of a word or expression figuratively, i.e., used in a different sense from its original significance in order to give vividness or emphasis to an idea
metonymyUsing one object to stand for another to which it is related by contiguity, not similaritySynecdoche   A form of metonymic association that involves substitution of part for whole, genus for species, or vice versaAntonomasia   Substitution of a proper name for a particular quality associated with it
apologueAn apologue (from the Greek "απολογος," a "statement" or "account") is a brief fable or allegorical story with pointed or exaggerated details, meant to serve as a pleasant vehicle for a moral doctrine or to convey a useful lesson without stating it explicitly
balladA narrative poem, often composed to be sung
enjambmentin poetry, the technique of running over from one line to the next without stop, as in the following lines by William Wordsworth: "My heart leaps up when I behold / A rainbow in the sky." The lines themselves would be described as enjambed.
euphonyModulation, Resonance, Sound Devices) (Compare Alliteration, Assonance, Rhyme)
point of viewThe perspective from which the narrator speaks to us
footA foot is a group of two or more syllables in which one syllable has the major stress, forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm.
argumentIn logic, an argument is a set of one or more meaningful declarative sentences (or "propositions") known as the premises along with another meaningful declarative sentence (or "proposition") known as the conclusion
enjambementThe running over of a sentence or phrase from one verse to the next, without terminal punctuation, hence not end-stopped
enjambmentprovides a variation by making a pause in the thought appear at some place other than the end of a line, but they should not be over-used.
epicIn literature generally, a major work dealing with an important theme
symbolsand ideas in such as way as to evoke mental images
formconsisting of a varying number of 4-line stanzas with lines rhyming alternately; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated to form the first and third lines of the succeeding stanza; the first and third lines of the first stanza form the second and fourth of the last stanza, but in reverse order, so that the opening and closing lines of the poem are identical.
expository essayan essay which shares, explains, suggests, or explores information, emotion, and ideas
freytag’s pyramida diagram of plot structure first created by the German novelist and critic Gustav Freytag (1816–1895).
objective correlativeAn objective correlative is a literary term referring to a symbolic article used to provide explicit, rather than implicit, access to such traditionally inexplicable concepts as emotion or colour.
poetryone of the three major genres of imaginative literature, which has its origins in music and oral performance and is characterized by controlled patterns of rhythm and syntax (often using meter and rhyme); compression and compactness and an allowance for ambiguity; a particularly concentrated emphasis on the sensual, especially visual and aural, qualities and effects of words and word order; and especially vivid, often figurative language.
accentual verseSyllabic Verse)
anacrusisThe insertion of one or more unstressed syllables at the beginning of a line where the poetical metre would normally demand a stressed syllable.
imageryUse of a comparison, often between an idea or emotion and a concrete object, to convey the idea or emotion more vividly.
couplettersest of rhyming forms, a 2-line pattern of verse, whether free-standing (aa), gathered into stanzas (e.g., aabbcc), or extended at great length in narrative or deliberative poetry: aabbccddeeff
analogueThe term analogue is used in literary history in two related senses:
ancepsA metrical unit that can be long or short, stressed or unstressed
allegoryAn allegory is a symbolic story that serves as a disguised representation for meanings other than those indicated on the surface
naga-utaJapanese form of indeterminate length that alternates lines of five and seven syllables and ends with an additional seven-syllable line.
accentual verseLines whose rhythm arises from its stressed syllables rather than from the number of its syllables, or from the length of time devoted to their sounding
autobiographyAn autobiography (from the Greek, αὐτός-autos self + βίος-bios life + γράφειν-graphein to write) is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.
anticlimaxThe intentional use of elevated language to describe the trivial or commonplace, or a sudden transition from a significant thought to a trivial one in order to achieve a humorous or satiric effect, as in Pope's The Rape of the Lock:
primary / secondary sourcesA primary source is the original text or materials
quantitywith the words arranged to form a systematic succession of long and short syllables, but this began to decline under the Roman Empire; the Romance Languages, being accentual in character, gave rise to accentual verse, which stressed certain syllables instead of giving time quantities to them
voiceVoice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless (unvoiced) or voiced
versNot to be confused with verse, below, a vers is a song in Old Provencal almost indistinguishable from the chanson, but vers is the older term.
metaphysicalObjectivism, Realism, Romanticism, Symbolism)
mixed metaphorA metaphor whose elements are either incongruent or contradictory by the use of incompatible identifications, such as "the dog pulled in its horns" or "to take arms against a sea of troubles."
connotationThose words, things, or ideas with which a word often keeps company but which it does not actually denote
melic verseAn ornate form of Greek poetry of the 7th and 6th centuries BC which was written to be sung, either by a single voice or a chorus, to the accompaniment of musical instruments.
climaxRhetorically, a series of words, phrases, or sentences arranged in a continuously ascending order of intensity
polysyndetona figure of speech where successive clauses or phrases are linked by one or more conjunctions.
box setA theatrical structure common to modern drama in which the stage consists of a single room setting in which the "fourth wall" is missing so the audience can view the events within the room
acrosticAn acrostic is a series of lines or verses in which the first, last or other particular letters, when taken in order, spell out a word or phrase.
skenea low building in the back of the stage area in classical Greek theaters
attitudeAn attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for an item
silbar(Spanish) to whistle, siffler (French)
feudalismThe medieval model of government predating the birth of the modern nation-state
chokaJapanese form with alternating lines of five and seven syllables, ending with a couplet of seven-syllable lines.
comic operaAn outgrowth of the eighteenth-century ballad operas, in which new or original music is composed specially for the lyrics
tragicomedyTragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy
analogueA comparison between two similar things
chant royalea complex French form of the ballade, having various forms.
prosodythe diaeresis was a break or pause in a line of verse occurring when the end of a foot coincides with the end of a word.
encomiumA speech or composition in high praise of a person, object, or event.
comic reliefA humorous scene, incident, character, or bit of dialogue occurring after some serious or tragic moment
symbolicand synesthetic effects of the words themselves and their syntactic arrangement to resemble, reinforce, shape, and temper their lexical sense in a manner that mirrors the meaning
auraland syntactic
stock charactersee character.
explication de texteExplication de Texte is a French formalist method of literary analysis that allows for limited reader response, similar to close reading in the English-speaking literary tradition
sinkplumbed-in basin (especially in a kitchen or larder), place where foul liquid collects, place of vice
accentual verselines whose rhythm arises from its stressed syllables rather than from the number of its syllables, or from the length of time devoted to their sounding
sida(Swedish) page
alliterationthe repetition of initial consonant sounds in words close together (e.g
hyperbatonAn inversion of the normal grammatical word order; it may range from a single word moved from its usual place to a pair of words inverted or to even more extremes of syntactic displacement
oxymoronan expression impossible in fact but not necessarily self-contradictory, such as John Milton's description of Hell as "darkness visible" in Book I of Paradise Lost.
débata medieval poem in dialogue that takes the form of a debate on a topic
auditoran imaginary listener within a literary work, as opposed to the reader or audience outside the work.
accentualLines controlled by certain number of stressesAccentual-Syllabic   Lines controlled by number of stresses and syllablesSyllabic   Lines controlled by number of syllablesQuantitative   Lines controlled by time allotted to pronunciation of vowel-sounds, long or short
sound devicesResources used by writers of verse to convey and reinforce the meaning or experience of poetry through the skillful use of sound.
sinfonietta(Italian f.) a small-scale symphony, particularly one for chamber orchestra
homonymsTwo words having identical spellings and pronunciations, but different origins and meanings (i.e
simileA comparison of one thing with another, using the words 'like' or 'as'.
versificationto transfer words and meaning into the heightened expression of poetry, using selective arrangements of syntax, sound, forms, rhythm, and imagery.
elisionThe omission of one or more letters or syllables from a word
canonSomeone's list of authors or works considered to be "classic," that is, central to the identity of a given literary tradition or culture.
impressionismObjectivism, Realism, Romanticism, Symbolism)
groundlingsWhile the upper class paid two pennies to sit in the raised area with seats, and some nobles paid three pennies to sit in the Lords' rooms, the majority of viewers who watched Shakespeare's plays were called groundlings or understanders
rhyming coupletRhyming couplets are a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought
legitimate theaterThe term "legitimate theater" dates back to the Licensing Act of 1737, which restricted "serious" theatre performances to the two patent theatres licensed to perform "spoken drama" after the English Restoration in 1662
plotThe structure of the story
motifTheme)
tragedyclassic tragedy follows the plight of a noble person who is flawed by a defect and whose actions cause him to break some moral law and suffer downfall and destruction
paradoxA self-contradictory phrase or sentence, such as "the ascending rain" or Alexander Pope's description of man, "Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all." Don Marquis's "quote buns by great men quote" (archys life of mehitabel [London: Faber and Faber, 1934]: 103-04), describes a drunk trying to go up a down-escalator as "falling upwards / through the night" (the poem also parodies Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "St
kenningA kenning is a poetic phrase of one line used in place of a person / place / object, for example 'a wave rider','for','a boat'
sil-snyanfrom India and China, a pair of cymbals connected by a cord that passes through the center hole
regency novelRegency novels are either:
envelopeA poetic device in which a line, phrase, or stanza is repeated so as to enclose other material, as in Dryden's:
sight readingto perform a piece of music never seen before
hubrisHubris (also hybris) means extreme haughtiness or arrogance
catachresisEnallage, Malapropism, Mixed Metaphor, Synesthesia) (Compare Antiphrasis, Antithesis)
canzonehendecasyllabic lines in stanza form
allusionAn implied or indirect reference to something assumed to be known, such as a historical event or personage, a well-known quotation from literature, or a famous work of art, such as Keats' allusion to Titian's painting of Bacchus in "Ode to a Nightingale."
experimental/visual poetryThe presentation of a poetic movement in a visual manner that implies other meanings or implications that aren't reflected in the words themselves
aesthetic movementA literary belief that art is its own justification and purpose, advocated in England by Walter Pater and practised by Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Oscar Wilde, and others.
cockney school of poetryA mocking name for London romantic poets such as John Keats and Leigh Hunt (from a scathing review in Blackwood's Magazine in October 1817).
canzoneHendecasyllabic lines in stanza form
syntaxas in Pope's "a fop their passion, but their prize a sot," or Goldsmith's "to stop too fearful, and too faint to go."
beat generationThe Beat Generation is a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired
pathetic fallacyThe pathetic fallacy or anthropomorphic fallacy is the treatment of inanimate objects as if they had human feelings, thought, or sensations
parataxisLinking clauses just by sequencing them, often without conjunction(s) and only by means of associations that are implied, not stated.
signal generatoralso called 'tone generator' (in audio only), 'waveform generator', or 'frequency generator', an electronic instrument that generates repeating electronic signals
anthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler
anagrama word spelled out by rearranging the letters of another word
taleTale may refer to:
colloquialismA word or phrase used everyday in plain and relaxed speech, but rarely found in formal writing
singing glassesamong the The Cries of London Engraved after ye Designs made from ye Life by M Lauron
repetitionA poet may repeat words or ideas to emphasise thoughts and feelings, for example ‘Five of us; dark He, fair He, dark She, fair She’ (The Five Students by Thomas Hardy).
catalogueAn extended list of itemsPolysyndeton   Repetition of the connective between each term in a seriesAsyndeton   Its opposite is asyndeton, the omission of connectivesEllipsis   Omission, leaving out any word or phrase that is understoodZeugma   Special form of ellipsis, in which a single verb governs more than one object, each in a different way
morality playThe morality play is a genre of Medieval and early Tudor theatrical entertainment
antithesiscontrasting or combining two terms, phrases, or clauses with opposed or antithetical meanings.
sestinaan elaborate verse structure written in blank verse that consists of six stanzas of six lines each followed by a three- line stanza
coupletthus a rhyme scheme
victorianismVictorianism is the name given to the attitudes, art, and culture of the later two-thirds of the 19th century
eclogueA pastoral poem, especially a pastoral dialogue, usually indebted to the Virgillian tradition.
tricolonThe repetition of a parallel grammatical construction three times for rhetorical effect
eironIn Greek comedy, the eiron was a stock male character known for his ironic understatement
experimental novelExperimental literature refers to written works - often novels or magazines - that place great emphasis on innovations regarding technique and style.
didacticteaching a lesson or having a “moral"
stropheThe first part of a choral ode in Ancient Greek drama, in which the chorus moved from one part of the stage to the other
discriminated occasiona specific, discrete moment portrayed in a fictional work, often signaled by phrases such as "At 5:05 in the morning
burlesqueA work caricaturing another serious work
critical essayan essay which interprets and/or evaluates
vellumThe skin of a young calf used as a writing surface--the medieval equivalent of "paper." A technical distinction is usually made between vellum and parchment; the latter is made from goatskin or sheepskin
assonancethe repetition of internal vowel sounds in words close together (time line, free and easy)
enjambmentThe continuation of the sense and therefore the grammatical construction beyond the end of a line of verse or the end of a couplet.
accentual prosodyPoetry where the stressed syllables are the only syllables counted.
allegoryA figurative illustration of truths or generalizations about human conduct or experience in a narrative or description by the use of symbolic fictional figures and actions which the reader can interpret as a resemblance to the subject's properties and circumstances.
rhymewhen final vowel and consonant sounds in the last syllable of one word match those of another, usually at the end of lines
ballada narrative poem, usually sung or recited
antonymHomonym, Paronym)
robinsonadeRobinsonade is a literary genre that takes its name from the 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
slice of lifeSlice of life is a theatrical term that refers to a naturalistic representation of real life, sometimes used as an adjective, as in "a play with 'slice of life' dialogue." The term originated in 1890–95 as a translation from the French phrase tranche de vie, credited to the French playwright Jean Jullien (1854–1919).
soliloquyA soliloquy is a device often used in drama whereby a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of the other characters
caesuraIn meter, a caesura (alternative spellings are cæsura and cesura) is a complete stop in a line of poetry
sirtakialso sirtáki or syrtáki, a popular line or circle dance of Greek origin
soundgives a reinforcement to stresses, and can also serve as a subtle connection or emphasis of key words in the line, but alliterated words should not "call attention" to themselves by strained usage.
rondeauA rondeau is a short poem of fixed form, consisting of 13 or 10 lines on two rhymes and having the opening words or phrase used in two places as an unrhymed refrain.
simultaneous maskingin acoustics, simultaneous masking is masking between two concurrent sounds
analogueusually a semantic or narrative feature in one work said to resemble something in another work, without necessarily implying that a cause-and-effect relationship exists (as would be the case with source and influence)
metaphorA figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one object or idea is applied to another, thereby suggesting a likeness or analogy between them, as:
consonancesometimes just a resemblance in sound between two words, or an initial or head rhyme like alliteration, but also refined to mean shared consonants, whether in sequence ("bud" and "bad") or reversed ("bud" and "dab").
rhymeThe use of words with matching sounds, usually at the end of each line, for example ‘Whenever Richard Cory went down town/We people on the pavement looked at him/He was a gentleman from sole to crown/Clean-favoured, and imperially slim.’ (Richard Cory by E A Robinson).
thrust stagea stage design that allows the audience to sit around three sides of the major acting area.
impressionism                 Objectivism
stylethe choice of words and sentence structure which makes each author’s writing different
belles-lettresBelles-lettres or belles lettres is a term that is used to describe a category of writing
syllepsisA pun that involves a double entendre on a single wordAntanaclasis   Pun on a word repeated with a second meaningParonomasia   Pun that plays on similarity of soundNeologism   Creative act of diction, "minting" of a new wordMalapropism   A confusion of words
purple prosePurple prose is a term of literary criticism used to describe passages, or sometimes entire literary works, written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself
arena stagea stage design in which the audience is seated all the way around the acting area; actors make their entrances and exits through the auditorium.
metaphorTransfer of designation from one object to another, based on a similarity between the objects (or between the ways they relate to each other or to a user)Simile   Differs from metaphor in that the similarity is made explicitConceit   A farfetched or more fully extended metaphor
periphrasissome kennings are instances of metaphor, metonymy, or synecdoche.
classicismImagism, Impressionism, Metaphysical,                  Objectivism, Romanticism, Symbolism)
flourisherIn medieval times, this was a professional artist who works in conjunction with illuminators and rubricators to design pen-work decoration on initials and /or flourishwork on the borders of decorated books
university witsUniversity Wits were a group of late 16th century English playwrights who were educated at the universities (Oxford or Cambridge) and who became playwrights and popular secular writers
cockney school of poetrya mocking name for London romantic poets such as John Keats and Leigh Hunt (from a scathing review in Blackwood's Magazine in October 1817).
clauseThe word is often used but very hard to define
analogueUsually a semantic or narrative feature in one work said to resemble something in another work, without necessarily implying that a cause-and-effect relationship exists (as would be the case with source and influence)
sentimentalityevoking a predictable emotional response with a clichéd prompt
mythographyThe commentary, writings, and interpretations added to myths
structuralismStructuralism is an intellectual movement that developed in France in the 1950s and 1960s, in which human culture is analysed semiotically (i.e., as a system of signs).
n-pluralThe plural form of a few modern English weak nouns derives from the n-stem declension or n-plural of Anglo-Saxon (Old English)
asyndetonwhich omits conjunctions; zeugma
magic realismMagic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality
groundlingsMembers of an Elizabethan audience who paid a very low entrance fee and stood in the open area below and around the stage
shout chorusa passage in a big band arrangement in which the melody instruments play a line (usually highly syncopated) in rhythmic unison
consonanceSlave Narrative: Autobiographical accounts of American slave life as told by escaped slaves
metaphorthe transfer of a quality or attribute from one thing or idea to another in such a way as to imply some resemblance between the two things or ideas: 'his eyes blazed' implies that his eyes become like a fire
antanaclasisSyllepsis)
epizeuxisIn linguistics, an epizeuxis is the repetition of words in immediate succession, for vehemence or emphasis.
alliterationAlso called “initial rhyme”, alliteration is a rhyme-pattern produced inside the poetic line by repeating sounds at the beginning of words
narrative essayAn essay that tells a story
moraMora (plural moras or morae) is a unit of sound used in phonology that determines syllable weight (which in turn determines stress or timing) in some languages
themerelating to the praise of love and wine, as in Abraham Cowley's Anacreontiques.
synesthesiaa blending of different senses in describing something.
alliterationTwo or more words with the same initial sound (or cluster of sounds) occur in a line or phrase.
schemefigure of speech that varies the order and sound of words
stropheA strophe is the first of three series of lines forming the divisions of each section of a Pindaric ode.
comedyA literary work which is amusing and ends happily
black comedyBlack humour (from the French humour noir) is a term coined by Surrealist theoretician André Breton in 1935, to designate the sub-genre of comedy and satire in which laughter arises from cynism and skepticism
amplificationRhetorical figures of speech that repeat and vary the expression of a thought.
soundsyllables, words, syntactic
tiring-houseAn enclosed area in an Elizabethan theater where the actors awaited their cue to go on stage, changed their costumes, and stored stage props
french sceneA numbering system for a play in which a new scene is numbered whenever characters exit or enter the stage
scriptoriumAn area set aside in a monastery for monks to work as scribes and copy books.
alliterationUsing the same consonant to start two or more stressed words or syllables in a phrase or verse line, or using a series of vowels to begin such words or syllables in sequence
onomatopoeiaa word which sounds like what it represents (e.g., the “buzzing” of a bee)
genetic fallacyThe genetic fallacy is a fallacy of irrelevance where a conclusion is suggested based solely on something or someone's origin rather than its current meaning or context
accentual versesyllabic verse
paradoxApparent contradiction that suggests a deeper truth.
end-stoppedA verse line ending at a grammatical boundary or break, such as a dash, a closing parenthesis, or punctuation such as a colon, a semi-colon, or a period
feminine rhymeFeminine rhyme is a rhyme either of two syllables of which the second is unstressed (double rhyme), as in motion, notion, or of three syllables of which the second and third are unstressed (triple rhyme), as in fortunate, importunate.
liverpool poetsA 1960s group of popular writers from the west-England city of Liverpool, including Adrian Henri, Roger McGough, and Brian Patten.
variorumA variorum edition is any published version of an author's work that contains notes and comments by a number of scholars and critics
exegesis(1) In Roman times, the term exegesis applied to professional government interpretation of omens, dreams, and sacred laws, as Cuddon notes (315)
odeA type of lyric or melic verse, usually irregular rather than uniform, generally of considerable length and sometimes continuous, sometimes divided in accordance with transitions of thought and mood in a complexity of stanzaic forms; it often has varying iambic line lengths with no fixed system of rhyme schemes and is always marked by the rich, intense expression of an elevated thought, often addressed to a praised person or object.
poulter's measureA meter consisting of alternate Alexandrines and fourteeners, i.e., twelve-syllable and fourteen-syllable lines, a common measure in Elizabethan times.
poetryA heightened literary expression cast in lines, rather than sentences, in which language is used in a concentrated blend of sound, meaning, and imagery to create an emotional response; essentially rhythmic, it is usually metrical and frequently structured in stanzas.
syllabic verseA type of verse distinguished primarily by the syllable count, i.e., the number of syllables in each line, rather than by the rhythmical arrangement of accents or time quantities.
sic transit gloria mundi(Latin, literally 'thus the glory of the world passes away') a Latin phrase that has been interpreted as 'fame is fleeting'
echo verseEcho verse is a poem in which the words or syllables at the end of a line are repeated as a repsonse in the next line, often for ironic purposes.
dictionchoice of words
neoclassicisma movement which dominated during the eighteenth century and was notable for its adherence to the “forms” of classical drama
in medias resIn medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning (cf
themeA prevailing idea in a work, but sometimes not explicitly stated, as in Ogden Nash's "Candy is dandy, / But liquor is quicker," which is about neither candy nor liquor.
shamanisma religious practice first identified by anthropologists studying hunter-gatherer tribes in Siberia, Alaska, and northern Canada in which a shaman would serve as a mediator between his tribal community and the spirit world
novellaa work of prose fiction that falls somewhere in between a short story and a novel in terms of length, scope, and complexity
literatureLiterature (from Latin litterae (plural); letter) is the art of written works
stereotypeA character who is so ordinary or unoriginal that the character seems like an oversimplified representation of a type, gender, class, religious group, or occupation
dipodyas in Robert Herrick's "Upon His Departure Hence."
alliterationThe repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words: “What would the world be, once bereft/Of wet and wildness?” (Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Inversnaid”)
countingA technique of determining stylistic qualities of a piece of writing by counting the numbers of words in paragraphs or sentences, and determining the average number of modifiers, average word lengths, and so on.
shakuhachi(Japanese, a reference to the instrument's length in ancient Japanese units) traditional Japanese end-blown flute, about 55 cm
stressEmphasis given to a syllable in pitch, volume or duration (or several of these)
consonanceRepetition of consonantal sounds to make a pattern, usually in verse.
antanaclasisEpizeuxis, Ploce, Polyptoton)
travesty- Travesti, transgendered men in South America - Travesti (theatre), about men and women playing the opposite sex in Western opera, ballet and theatre
tercetsusually in iambic
connotationthose words, things, or ideas with which a word often keeps company but which it does not actually denote
extended metaphorAn extended metaphor, also called a conceit, is a metaphor that continues into the sentences that follow
denouementA French word meaning "unknotting" or "unwinding," denouement refers to the outcome or result of a complex situation or sequence of events, an aftermath or resolution that usually occurs near the final stages of the plot
anti-masqueAn anti-masque (also spelled antimasque) is a comic or grotesque dance presented before or between the acts of a masque, a type of dramatic composition
john skeltonshort verses of irregular meter
dictionThe social position (the sociolect or idiolect) indicated by the choice of words for the poem.
rhetoricThe art of speaking or writing effectively; skill in the eloquent use of language.
rhyming slangA slang popular in Great Britain in the early part of the 20th century, in which a word was replaced by a word or phrase that rhymed with it, as loaf of bread for head
formhowever, lies more in its touch and tone than in its syllabic structure
symbolWhen a word, phrase or image represents a complex set of ideas, the meaning of which is determined by the surrounding context, for example, the gifts the jester gives to the Queen in The Cap and Bells by W B Yeats.
chain rhymeas in the aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd of Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
classicismThe principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature
antonymHomonym, Synonym)
parallelismTwo or more expressions that share traits, whether metrical, lexical, figurative, or grammatical, and can take the form of a list.
tercetA stanza structure of three lines, metrically aligned
homographsTwo words with identical spellings, but different meanings and pronunciations (i.e
sestinaA poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy, where the words ending the lines of the first stanza are repeated in a different order at the end of lines in each of the subsequent five stanzas and, two to a line, in the middle and at the end of the three lines in the closing envoy
shinshinNorth-American vessel rattle
ambiguityA statement with two or more meanings that may seem to exclude one another in the context
stereotypeA stereotype is a held popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals
didactic literatureLiterature disigned explicitly to instruct as in these lines from Jacque Prevert's "To Paint the Portrait of a Bird." Paint first a cage with an open door paint then something pretty something simple something handsome something useful for the bird Return to Menu
denotationWhat a word points to, names, or refers to, either in the world of things or in the mind.
impressionismMetaphysical, Objectivism, Realism, Symbolism)
consonanceHamartia: In tragedy, the event or act that leads to the hero's or heroine's downfall
assonanceAssonance is the refrain of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and together with alliteration and consonance serves as one of the building blocks of verse
classicismA movement or tendency in art, music, and literature to retain the characteristics found in work originating in classical Greece and Rome
composition(of writing) The putting together of words in a correct and effective way.
crossing the bar" demonstrates the effectiveness of this device: metaphorically, he compares a sandbar in the Thames River over which ships cannot pass until high tide, with the natural time for completion of his own life's journey from birth to death.
contentForm, Motif, Style, Texture)
paradoxbut more compact, usually consisting of just two successive words.
periphrasisUsing a wordy phrase to describe something for which one term exists.
fableA brief narrative in prose or verse that illustrates a moral or teaches a lesson, usually in which animals or inanimate objects are personified with human feelings and motivations.
singsonginformal singing party
autotelicAutotelic is defined by one "having a purpose in and not apart from itself"
redactionIn the study of literature, redaction is a form of editing in which multiple source texts are combined (redacted) and subjected to minor alteration to make them into a single work
completenessThe second aspect of Aristotle's requirements for a tragedy
cantosubdivision of an Italian epic or long narrative poem, such as Dante's Divina Commedia, first employed in English by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene, popularized by Byron in "Don Juan," and restored to epic dignity by Ezra Pound in his Pisan Cantos.
liverpool poetsa 1960s group of popular writers from the west-England city of Liverpool, including Adrian Henri, Roger McGough, and Brian Patten.
gamebookA gamebook (also sometimes referred to as choose your own adventure books or CYOA books, not to be confused with the series by that title) is a work of fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices that affect the course of the narrative, which branches down various paths through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages
anecdotea brief personal story used to illustrate a point
antonymIn lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow
denotationThe literal dictionary meaning(s) of a word as distinct from an associated idea or connotation.
intertextualityIntertextuality is the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts
hypallageA type of hyperbaton involving an interchange of elements in a phrase or sentence so that a displaced word is in a grammatical relationship with another that it does not logically qualify, as in:
logical fallacy - fallacyIn logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is incorrect reasoning in argumentation resulting in a misconception
poetryusing selective arrangements of syntax
triadA triad in simplest terms is defined as a "group of three".
reversalthe change from good to bad fortune in classic tragedy; from bad to good fortune in classic comedy
polysyndetonThe use of multiple conjunctions, usually where they are not strictly necessary ('chips and beans and fish and egg and peas and vinegar and tomato sauce')
ambiguityDenotation, Equivoke, Paronomasia) (Compare Antanaclasis, Syllepsis)
meiosisAn understatement; the presentation of a thing with underemphasis in order to achieve a greater effect, such as, "the building of the pyramids took a little bit of effort."
shetland fiddleDuke Ellington said that there are only two types of music which possess swing; one is jazz, the other Scottish music
impressionismImpressionism was a 19th-century art movement that began as a loose association of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence in the 1870s and 1880s
beast poetryBeast poetry, in the context of European literature and Medieval studies, refers to a corpus of poems written in Latin from the 8th to the 11th century.
metaphysical conceit - conceitIn English literature the term is generally associated with the 17th century metaphysical poets, an extension of contemporary usage
antagonistSee discussion under character, below.
singing by earan unusual feature of traditional klapa singing in which the harmony in extemporised a technique called pjevanje na uho
proscenium archa frame around the stage which separates the actors and the set from the audience
ironyWords implying meaning opposite to their normal meaning.
stigma of printThe stigma of print is the concept that an informal social convention restricted the literary works of aristocrats in the Elizabethan and Tudor age to private and courtly audiences — as opposed to commercial endeavors — at the risk of social disgrace if violated, and which obliged the author to profess an abhorrence of the press and to restrict his works from publication
miscellanies - anthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler
imagismImpressionism, Metaphysical,                  Objectivism, Realism, Romanticism, Symbolism)
anacrusisIn poetry, anacrusis (Ancient Greek: ἀνάκρουσις "pushing back") is the lead-in syllables, collectively, that precede the first full measure.
grand guignolLe Théâtre du Grand-Guignol (French: "The Theater of the Big Puppet") — known as the Grand Guignol — was in the Pigalle area of Paris (at 20 bis, rue Chaptal)
l'allegro" or Homer's "rosy-fingered dawn."
hiatusIn phonology, hiatus or diaeresis refers to two vowel sounds occurring in adjacent syllables, with no intervening consonant
signum congruentiaoften shortened to signum, a sign that shows the start and end of a derived part in a canon, which was widely used in the 15th-century
symbolist dramaseek its truth in symbols, myths, and dreams
prolepsisSyllepsis
antagonista character who seems to be the major force in opposition to the protagonist or main character
guignol - grand guignolLe Théâtre du Grand-Guignol (French pronunciation: [ɡʁɑ̃ ɡiɲɔl]: "The Theater of the Big Puppet") — known as the Grand Guignol — was in the Pigalle area of Paris (at 20 bis, rue Chaptal)
single reedlengüeta simple (Spanish f.), caña simple (Spanish f.), caña única (Spanish f.), einfaches Rohrblatt (German n.), anche simple (French f.), ancia semplice (Italian f.)
flat charactera character not fully developed who seems to represent a “type” more than a real personality (see also stock character)
chiasmusAn inverted parallelism; the reversal of the order of corresponding words or phrases (with or without exact repetition) in successive clauses which are usually parallel in syntax, as in Pope's "a fop their passion, but their prize a sot," or Goldsmith's "to stop too fearful, and too faint to go."
poetrya form of speech or writing that harmonizes the music of its language with its subject
epithetbut which involves a multi-noun replacement for a single noun, such as wave traveler for boat or whale-path for ocean, used especially in Old English, Old Norse and early Teutonic poetry
epicA long narrative poem with an exalted style and heroic theme.
alliterationusing the same consonant to start two or more stressed words or syll= ables in a phrase or verse line, or using a series of vowels to begin such words or syllables in sequence
verse novelA verse novel tells a long and complex story with many characters, much as a novel would, through the medium of narrative verse
anachronismPlacing an event, person, item, or verbal expression in the wrong historical period
translationTranslation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text
odeA lyric poem form usually rhymed and in the form of an address
ionica Classical Greek and Latin double foot consisting of two unstressed syllables and two stressed syllables, either ionic a majore / ' ' ~ ~ / or ionic a minore / ~ ~ ' ' /.
gvsThe abbreviation that linguists and scholars of English use to refer to the Great Vowel Shift
renkuA renku is, by strict definition, a smaller, more rigidly-structured subset of renga, with three-line haikus (five syllables / seven syllables / seven syllables) alternating with two-line stnzas of seven syllables each.
burlesqueAn imitation of a literary style, or of human action, that aims to ridicule by incongruity of style and subject
proverbA proverb (from Latin: proverbium) is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity
similea figure of speech involving a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually using the words like or as to draw the connection, as in "My love is like a red, red rose." An analogy is an extended simile
pararhymePararhyme, also known as partial or imperfect rhyme is a term devised by the poet Edmund Blunden to describe a near rhyme in which the consonants in two words are the same, but the vowels are different
impressionismMetaphysical, Objectivism, Romanticism)
impressionismMetaphysical, Objectivism, Realism)
connotationThe linguistic term used for the associations which may be usually evoked by the word, or which may be evoked by a specific context, as opposed to the literal sense of a word or its strict dictionary definition which is called its denotation.
oneiromancyThe belief that dreams could predict the future, or the act of predicting the future by analyzing dreams
shouqiu(China) a ball-shaped rattle
epistlea verse epistle imitates the form of a personal letter, addressed to someone in particular, often very personal and occasional, and sometimes dated, with a location affixed
ode to a nightingale" considered to be one of John Keats' finest works, is an example
footA basic unit of meter consisting of a set number of strong stresses and light stresses
metonymyMetonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept
rhymeNormally end-rhyme, that is, lines of verse characterized by the consonance of terminal words or syllables
tropea semantic figure of speech or of thought that varies the meaning of a word or passage
epicAn extended narrative poem with a heroic or superhuman protagonist engaged in an action of great significance in a vast setting (often including the underworld and engaging the gods)
bathosBathos comes from the Greek for deep (as in bathyscape, bathymetric) and in the arts refers to an abrupt descent from the exalted to the banal, either in style or content.
foila character that serves as a contrast to another.
rhyme schemeas abab bcbc cdcd dada.
caesuraA natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line
punAn expression that uses a homonym (two different words spelled identically) to deliver two or more meanings at the same time
side-blown trumpeta trumpet where the mouthpiece lies on the side of the instrument rather than at one end
metaphysicalObjectivism, Romanticism, Symbolism)
figures of speechelaborate expressions, sound devices
caesuraA Caesura is a pause in a line of verse dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics.
epitaphAn epitaph (from Greek ἐπιτάφιον epitaphion "a funeral oration" from ἐπί epi "at, over" and τάφος taphos "tomb") is a short text honouring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively
anagogicalIn fourfold interpretation, the anagogical reading is the fourth type of interpretation in which one reads a religious writing in an eschatological manner, i.e., the interpreter sees the passage as a revelation concerning the last days, the end of time, or the afterlife.
tautologya statement redundant in itself, such as "The stars, O astral bodies!"
jabberwocky" and may employ unusual syntax
summarythe material condensed to its main points
pathetic fallacyan expression that endows inanimate things with human feelings.
punan expression that uses a homonym (two different words spelled identically) to deliver two or more meanings at the same time
resonanceThe quality of richness or variety of sounds in poetic texture, as in Milton's:
laureateIn English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory
fantasyFantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting
high comedyHigh comedy or 'pure comedy' is a type of comedy characterized by witty dialog, satire, biting humor, or criticism of life.
end-stoppingThe effect achieved when the syntax of a line coincides with the metrical boundary at the end of a line
anagnorisisAnagnorisis (pronounced /ˌænəɡˈnɒrɨsɨs/; Ancient Greek: ἀναγνώρισις) is a moment in a play or other work when a character makes a critical discovery
epistemeEpisteme, as distinguished from techne, is etymologically derived from the Greek word ἐπιστήμη for knowledge or science, which comes from the verb ἐπίσταμαι, "to know".
golden lineThe golden line is a type of Latin dactylic hexameter frequently mentioned in Latin classrooms in English speaking countries and in contemporary scholarship written in English.
characterizationthe development of characters in fiction, drama, or poetry
romantic comedySympathetic comedy that presents the adventures of young lovers trying to overcome social, psychological, or interpersonal constraints to achieve a successful union
singspiel(German n., literally 'sing-play') a form of opera which evolved in Germany and Austria in the 18th-century as an equivalent of the French opéra-comique or the English 'ballad opera'
synesthesiaA blending of different senses in describing something.
amplificationrhetorical figures of speech that repeat and vary the expression of a thought.
sharakanArmenian religious chant
stressThe prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables
buskinsOriginally called kothorni in Greek, the word buskins is a Renaissance term for the elegantly laced boots worn by actors in ancient Greek tragedy
homophonesWords which sound exactly the same but which have different meanings ('maid' and 'made').
tractA tract is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature
emendation - improveImprove means to make something better.
renaissanceThere are two common uses of the word.
hendecasyllableThe hendecasyllable is a verse of eleven syllables, used in Ancient Greek and Latin quantitative verse as well as in medieval and modern European poetry.
central consciousnessa character whose inner thoughts, perceptions, and feelings are revealed by a third-person limited narrator who does not reveal the thoughts, perceptions, or feelings of other characters.
strambotto - ottava rimaOttava rima is a rhyming stanza form of Italian origin
verisimilitudefrom the Latin phrase verisimiles ("like the truth"); the internal truthfulness, lifelikeness, and consistency of the world created within any literary work when we judge that world on its own terms rather than in terms of its correspondence to the real world
phronesisPhronēsis (Greek: φρόνησις) in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is the virtue of practical thought, usually translated "practical wisdom", sometimes as "prudence".
allegoryA story illustrating an idea or a moral principle in which objects take on symbolic meanings
sixte(French f.) sixth
limerickA fixed verse form appearing first in The History of Sixteen Wonderful Old Women (1820), popularized by Edward Lear, and rhyming aabba, where a-lines have five feet and the b-lines three feet, and where the first and last lines end with the same word (a practice dropped in the 20th century)
neologisma newly-coined word, like Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky."
tudor interludeShort tragedies, comedies, or history plays performed by either professional acting troupes or by students during the early sixteenth century.
assonanceThe relatively close juxtaposition of the same or similar vowel sounds, but with different end consonants in a line or passage, thus a vowel rhyme, as in the words, date and fade.
epicA narrative poem of heroic exploits usual undertaken by a male hero who (like modern block-buster movie protagonists) disregards the rules
connotationthe personal definition or association triggered by a word
representative characterA flat character who embodies all of the other members of a group (such as teachers, students, cowboys, detectives, and so on)
sight rhymeWords which are similar in spelling but different in pronunciation, like mow and how or height and weight
sgra-snyanHimalayan lute
footThe basic unit of metre; in poetry written in English, usually consists of one stressed syllable and a number of unstressed syllables.
end stopped lineA poetic line in which the end of the line coincides with the end of the grammatical unit, usually the sentence.
epithetAn adjective or adjectival phrase, usually attached to the name of a person or thing, such as "Richard the Lion-Hearted," Milton's "ivy-crowned Bacchus" in "L'Allegro," or Homer's "rosy-fingered dawn."
shuang qina Chinese lute similar to the sanxian
sikuAndean double-row panpipes typically made of cane or clay
assonanceAssonance is the repetition of similar vowel sounds in neighbouring words, to create the effect of rhyme within phrases or lines of verse.
sonnetEnjambment: The running over of the sense and structure of a line of Verse or a couplet into the following verse or couplet
hysteron proteronThe hysteron proteron (from the Greek: ὕστερον πρότερον, hýsteron próteron, "latter before") is a rhetorical device in which the first key word of the idea refers to something that happens temporally later than the second key word
quantitative metrelines whose rhythm depends on the duration or length of time a line takes to utter
paralepsisMaking a statement while pretending not to.
voicethe verbal aspect of point of view, the acknowledged or unacknowledged source of a story’s words; the speaker; the "person" telling the story and that person’s particular qualities of insight, attitude, and verbal style
underground pressThe phrase underground press is most often used to refer to the independently published and distributed underground papers associated with the counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other western nations
impressionism                 Metaphysical
apologyApologetics (from Greek απολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (usually religious) through the systematic use of reason
consonancerepetition of the same consonant sound in nearby words; also called “euphony.”  See also
sich verschlafen(German) to oversleep
prosethe regular form of spoken and written language, measured in sentences rather than lines, as in poetry.
menippean satireThe genre of Menippean satire is a form of satire, usually in prose, which has a length and structure similar to a novel and is characterized by attacking mental attitudes instead of specific individuals
syllableA word or part of a word representing a sound produced as a unit by a single impulse of the voice, consisting of either a vowel sound alone as in oh or a vowel with attendant consonants, as in throne.
figure of speechone of many kinds of word-play, focusing either on sound and word-order (schemes) or on semantics (tropes)
feetwidely used in English poetry in the middle of the 16th century.
liturgyA liturgy is a form of public worship.
early modern englishModern English covers the time-frame from about 1450 or so up to the present day
episodeAn episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program
epistropheThe opposite form, where repetition appears in a final positionPloce   All cases of insistent repetition that fall into no set patternsSymploce   Combination of anaphora and epistrophe--double repetition at both beginning and endEpanalepsis   Repetition of the same word or phrase at both beginning and end of a single line or phraseAnadiplosis   Repetition of the last word of one phrase at the beginning of the next
shamisen(English, German n./f.) also samisen or sangen , a long necked Japanese 3-string fretless lute, plucked with a heavy ivory plectrum, that first became popular in the pleasure districts during the Edo Period (1600-1868) when it appeared as part of the musical accompaniment in kabuki and bunraku performances
gatherGather, gatherer, or gathering may refer to:
aesthetic movementa literary belief that art is its own justification and purpose, advocated in England by Walter Pater and practised by Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Oscar Wilde, and others.
rhetorical deviceIn rhetoric, a rhetorical device or resource of language is a technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading him or her towards considering a topic from a different perspective
balladFolklore: Traditions and myths preserved in a culture or group of people
old comedyThe Athenian comedies dating to 400-499 BCE, featuring invective, satire, ribald humor, and song and dance
hyperbatona figure of speech
syllabic verseA metrical system which depends solely on syllable count, and which takes no account of stress
cancelA bibliographical term referring to a leaf which is substituted for one removed by the printers because of an error
living newspaperLiving Newspaper is a term for a theatrical form presenting factual information on current events to a popular audience
antistropheAn antistrophe is the last of three series of lines forming the divisions of each section of a Pindaric ode.
breveA mark in the shape of a bowl-like half circle that indicates a light stress or an unaccented syllable.
frankensteinShelley, Mary Wollstonecraft/ Weinberg, Larry (ADP)/ Barr, Ken (ILT)
antiphona sacred poem with responses or alternative parts.
pathosPathos (Greek: πάθος, for "suffering" or "experience;" adjectival form: 'pathetic' from παθητικός) represents an appeal to the audience's emotions
antonymParonym, Synonym) (Contrast Sight Rhyme)
sine die(Latin, literally 'without a day') (postponed) indefinitely
syllablea vowel preceded by from zero to three consonants ("awl" ..
accentThe prominence or emphasis given to a syllable or word
pathetic fallacyDescribing an inanimate object as though it were animate.
soundsand rhythmic
ambiguityThe possibility of more than one meaning, for example the ending of The Five Students by Thomas Hardy.
versea line or the form of poetry
syntaxIn linguistics, syntax (from Ancient Greek σύνταξις "arrangement" from σύν syn, "together", and τάξις táxis, "an ordering") is the study of the principles and rules for constructing sentences in natural languages.
conceitMetaphysical Poetry: The body of poetry produced by a group of seventeenth-century English writers called the "Metaphysical Poets." The group includes John Donne and Andrew Marvell
documentationaccounting for and giving credit to the origin of a source
analogyAn agreement or similarity in some particulars between things otherwise different; sleep and death, for example, are analogous in that they both share a lack of animation and a recumbent posture.
shophar(Hebrew) translated as 'trumpet' (Numbers 10:10), synonymous with keren, a wind-instrument made from a ram's horn
oxymoronAn expression impossible in fact but not necessarily self-contradictory, such as John Milton's description of Hell as "darkness visible" in Book I of Paradise Lost.
rhymingan xbyb rhyme scheme
neologismA newly-coined word, like Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky."
sestinaVerse form originating in Medieval Provence where the final words of six unrhymed stanzas are repeated in a certain fixed order, ending with a tercet which uses three or six of the terminal words.
humorismHumorism, or humoralism, is a discredited theory of the makeup and workings of the human body adopted by Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers
ironystating something by saying another quite different thing, sometimes its opposite
critical readingCareful analysis of an essay's structure and logic in order to determine the validity of an argument
syntaxthe ordering of words in a sentence
shengancient Chinese mouth organ, consisting of a bundle of between 17 to 37 pipes seated on a small wind chamber
anecdoteA very short tale told by a character in a literary work
tragic heroas defined by Aristotle, a man of noble stature who is admired by society but flawed
antagonista character or a nonhuman force that opposes or is in conflict with the protagonist.
sprung rhythmA poetic rhythm characterized by feet varying from one to four syllables which are equal in time length but different in the number of syllables
linkChaucer scholars use the word "link" or "linking passage" to refer to the material connecting the individual tales in the Canterbury Tales to the surrounding stories
climaxThe climax (from the Greek word "κλῖμαξ" (klimax) meaning "staircase" and "ladder") or turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension or drama or when the action starts in which the solution is given.
apocalypseFrom the Greek word apocalypsis ("unveiling"), an apocalypse originally referred to a mystical revelation of a spiritual truth, but has changed in twentieth-century use to refer specifically to mystical visions concerning the end of the world
sonnetPhenomenology: A method of literary criticism based on the belief that things have no existence outside of human consciousness or awareness
universalityUniversality may refer to:
legenda type of tale conventionally set in the real world and in either the present or historical past, based on actual historical people and events, and offering an exaggerated or distorted version of the truth about those people and events
syllabic versethe successive lines containing two, four, six, eight and two syllables
jeremiadA jeremiad is a long literary work, usually in prose, but sometimes in poetry, in which the author bitterly laments the state of society and its morals in a serious tone of sustained invective, and always contains a prophecy of society's imminent downfall.
miracle of the virginA vita or a miracle play that dramatizes some aspect of humanity activity, and ends with the miraculous intervention of the Blessed Virgin
image / imagerydescriptive language which helps us see, hear, smell, taste, or feel
quantitative metreLines whose rhythm depends on the duration or length of time a line takes to utter
picaresque novelThe picaresque novel (Spanish: "picaresca", from "pícaro", for "rogue" or "rascal") is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society
syntaxRefers to the order in which words are placed
canonthe range of works that a consensus of scholars, teachers, and readers of a particular time and culture consider "great" or "major."
miles gloriosusMiles Gloriosus (literally, "glorious soldier", in Latin) is a stock character of a boastful soldier from the comic theatre of ancient Rome, and variations on this character have appeared in drama and fiction ever since
apocopeIn phonology, apocope (pronounced /əˈpɒkəpiː/, from the Greek apokoptein "cutting off", from apo- "away from" and koptein "to cut") is the loss of one or more sounds from the end of a word, and especially the loss of an unstressed vowel.
versificationto transfer words and meaning into the heightened expression of poetry
onomatopoeiaRefers to the property of a word whose pronunciation sounds like the thing it describes
polyptotonrepetition of the same word in different forms, achieved by varying the case, adding affixes, etc.
elegythe principle aim of the dirge is to lament the dead, rather than to console survivors.
tropologicalNot to be confused with either typology or the rhetorical device of the trope, the term tropological refers to the interpretation of literature in which the interpreter focuses on the ethical lesson presented in the text, i.e., "the moral of the story." See more discussion under fourfold interpretation.
argumentative essayan essay that tries to prove a point by supporting it with evidence
dialogue(1) usually, words spoken by characters in a literary work, especially as opposed to words that come directly from the narrator in a work of fiction; (2) more rarely, a literary work that consists mainly or entirely of the speech of two or more characters; examples include Thomas Hardy’s poem "The Ruined Maid" and Plato’s treatise Republic.
motifIn narrative, a motif (pronunciation) (help·info) is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story
eschatological narrativeEschatalogy in Christian theology is the study of the end of things, including the end of the world, life-after-death, and the Last Judgment
personificationan anthropomorphic figure of speech where the poet describes an abstraction, a thing, or a non-human form as if it were a person
sestinaserving as a concise summary, as in Villon's "Des Dames du Temps Jadis
epithetFrom Latin epitheton, from Greek, from epitithenai meaning “to add”, an adjective or adjectival cluster that is associated with a particular person or thing and that usually seems to capture their prominent characteristics
footrepeating pattern of
glossA gloss (from Latin: glossa, from Greek: γλῶσσα glóssa "tongue") is a brief notation of the meaning of a word or wording in a text
inferenceInference is the act of drawing a conclusion by deductive reasoning from given facts
parallelismRepetition of the same grammatical structure, especially at the beginning of lines.
onomatopoeiaWords which actually convey the sound being made, for example ‘Bubbles gargled delicately’ (Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney).
buskinA buskin is a knee- or calf-length boot made of leather or cloth which laces closed, but is open across the toes
antithesisA figure of speech in which words and phrases with opposite meanings are balanced against each other
shuiqiangChinese whistle
anachronismSomeone or something belonging to another time period than the one in which it is described as being.
classicismIdealism, Impressionism,                  Metaphysical, Objectivism, Realism)
tropeA figure of speech, such as metaphor or metonymy, in which words are not used in their literal (or actual) sense but in a figurative (or imaginative) sense.
symbolist movementlate 19th-century French writers, including Mallarmé and Valéry, whose verse dealt with transcendental phenomena or with images and actions whose meaning was associative rather than referential.
vatesThe earliest Latin writers used vates to denote "prophets" and soothsayers in general; the word fell into disuse in Latin until it was revived by Virgil
ghost charactersThis term should not be confused with characters who happen to appear on stage as ghosts
burlesquea work caricaturing another serious work
showcaseone of the two forms of dance competition for choreographed performance routines
allusionA reference in one literary work to a character or theme found in another literary work
antagonistA person or force which opposes the protagonist in a literary work
ottava rimaan Italian stanza of eight 11-syllable lines, with the rhyme scheme abababcc, introduced by Sir Thomas Wyatt and by W
similean analogy or comparison implied by using an adverb such as like or as, in contrast with a metaphor which figuratively makes the comparison by stating outright that one thing is another thing
ubi suntA literary motif dealing with the transitory nature of things, like life, beauty, youth, etc.
syntaxThe way in which linguistic elements (words and phrases) are arranged to form grammatical structure.
bretonsThe Celtic inhabitants of Brittany ("Little Britain") in northeast France who speak the Breton language
sic(Latin) thus, just so
alliterationIn language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words and/or phrases
encomiumOde or song of praise for a person (usually alive).
asyndetonlists of words, phrases, or expressions without conjunctions such as `and' and `or' to link them
tyger! tyger!" or Byron's "The Bride of Abydos
verseas a mass noun, poetry in general (but in a non-judgmental sense); and, as a regular noun, a line of poetry.
inversionDeviation from normal word orderAnacoluthon   Syntax is not merely inverted but deliberately ungrammatical, often changing gammatical structure mid-sentenceAposiopesis   Syntactic effect to leave a sentence unfinishedAnthimeria   Playing with grammatical expectations by substituting a "wrong" part of speech
microcosma smaller version or “little world"
sikyia recreational music and dance of the youth of Ashanti
metrical pauseA "rest" or "hold" that has a temporal value, usually to compensate for the omission of an unstressed syllable in a foot.
apotropaicDesigned to ward off evil influence or malevolent spirits by frightening these forces away
parodyA ludicrous imitation, usually intended for comic effect but often for ridicule, of both the style and content of another work
silba(Spanish f.) hissing
sillería(Spanish f.) chairs, set of chairs, choir stalls
alliterationRepetition of the same or similar sounds (usually consonants) at the beginning of words
protagonistthe most neutral and broadly applicable term for the main character in a work, whether male or female, heroic or not heroic
figure of speechA mode of expression in which words are used out of their literal meaning or out of their ordinary use in order to add beauty or emotional intensity or to transfer the poet's sense impressions by comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning familiar to the reader
boulevard theatreBoulevard theatre is a theatrical aesthetic which emerged from the boulevards of Paris's old city.
trochaic rhymeAnother word for double rhyme in which the final rhyming word consists of a heavy stress followed by a light stress.
hubrisexcessive pride which usually leads to the downfall of the tragic hero in Greek drama
antithesisAntithesis (Greek for "setting opposite", from ἀντί "against" + θέσις "position") is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition
quireA collection of individual leaves sewn together, usually containing between four and twelve leaves per quire
odeA lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure
historical linguisticsHistorical linguistics (also called diachronic linguistics) is the study of language change
antimetaboleIn rhetoric, antimetabole (pronounced /æntɨməˈtæbəliː/ AN-ti-mə-TAB-ə-lee) is the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed grammatical order (e.g., "I know what I like, and I like what I know")
juxtaposition - contrastIn semantics, contrast is a relationship between two discourse segments
quantitya metrical principle of Greek and Latin
singing schoola school for teaching vocal music
symbolan object or action that represents more than itself
apocopeThe omission of the last syllable of a word
stressIn linguistics, the emphasis, length and loudness that mark one syllable as more pronounced than another
punA word play suggesting, with humorous intent, the different meanings of one word or the use of two or more words similar in sound but different in meaning, as in Mark A
occupatioA figure of rhetoric where a writer explains that he or she will not have time or space to say something but then goes on to say that thing anyway, possibly at length.
alliterationUsed for poetic effect, a repitition of the initial sounds of several words in a group
euphonyModulation, Resonance) (Compare Assonance, Consonance, Rhyme, Sigmatism)
side projectin popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more persons already known for their involvement in another band
cantoSubdivision of an Italian epic or long narrative poem, such as Dante's Divina Commedia, first employed in English by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene, popularized by Byron in "Don Juan," and restored to epic dignity by Ezra Pound in his Pisan Cantos.
isocolonA line or lines that consist of clauses of equal length.
shahnainorth Indian shawm
evidenceEvidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion
shiak(Dominica) or gwage, a percussion instrument
apron stageA stage that projects out into the auditorium area
thesisA dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings
subjectUsually the person or thing who is performing the action of a verb
troubadourOne of a class of Occitan lyric poets and poet-musicians, often of knightly rank, who flourished from the 11th through the 13th centuries in Southern France and neighboring areas of Italy and Spain, and who wrote of courtly love.
half rhymea rhyme in which the sounds are similar, but not exact, as in home and come or close and lose
shimmyAfrican-American dance of the late 1880s
cantoA sub-division of an epic or narrative poem comparable to a chapter in a novel
extrametrical verse - acatalexisAn acatalectic line of verse is one having the metrically complete number of syllables in the final foot
accentual verseAccentual verse has a fixed number of stresses per line or stanza regardless of the number of syllables that are present
literary criticismthe mainly interpretive (versus evaluative) work written by readers of literary texts, especially professional ones (who are thus known as literary critics)
dialogueconversation of characters in fiction or drama
monographA monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author
prosodystudy or practice or study of versification: what this tutorial is all about.  Also called “metrics” in the case of
shred guitara heavy metal guitar playing style where technical proficiency and playing speed are the major goals, often in a neoclassical framework
versificationmeter depended on the way long and short syllables were arranged to succeed one another, but in English the distinction is between accented and unaccented syllables
denotationThe literal sense of a word or its strict dictionary definition, as opposed to connotation which refers to the attitudes, emotions and values which may be usually evoked by the word, or which may be evoked by it in a specific context.
melic verseusually irregular rather than uniform, generally of considerable length and sometimes continuous, sometimes divided in accordance with transitions of thought and mood in a complexity of stanzaic forms
enjambmentA line which ends before grammatical and semantic unity has been achieved and where the sense therefore carries on to the next line without a pause.
romanticismThe late 18th-century, early 19th-century period of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Byron.
orchestrain classical Greek theater, a semicircular area used mostly for dancing by the chorus.
orchestrathe playing area in an ancient Greek theater
ambianceLoosely the term is equivalent to atmosphere or mood, but more specifically, ambiance is the atmosphere or mood of a particular setting or location
expressionisma movement in drama which emphasizes subjectivity of perception
emblem bookEmblem books are a category of illustrated book printed in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, typically containing a number of emblematic images with explanatory text.
close readingReading a piece of literature carefully, bit by bit, in order to analyze the significance of every individual word, image, and artistic ornament
hebraismHebraism is the identification of a usage, trait, or characteristic of the Hebrew language
themeas do the suggestions of dissolution, depression, and mortality in John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale."
ethosEthos is an English word based on a Greek word and denotes the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, a nation or an ideology
themea prevailing idea in a work, but sometimes not explicitly stated, as in Ogden Nash's "Candy is dandy, / But liquor is quicker," which is about neither candy nor liquor.
consonanceThe repetition of consonants, other than those at the beginning of words.
carpe diemA Latin expression that means “seize the day.” Carpe diem poems urge the reader (or the person to whom they are addressed) to live for today and enjoy the pleasures of the moment
consonanceThe repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words, as in lost and past or confess and dismiss.
actionany event or series of events depicted in a literary work; an event may be verbal as well as physical, so that saying something or telling a story within the story may be an event
personificationthe attribution to a non-animate thing of human attributes
free versenew rhythmic effects, colloquial language, and the expression of ideas and emotions, with clear, well-defined images, rather than through romanticism
atmospherethe dominant mood or tone of setting
concrete languagewords which represent specific, particular, graphic qualities and characteristics
virelaiA virelai is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music
onomatopoeiaOnomatopoeia means to use words to imitate sounds
paradoxa self-contradictory phrase or sentence, such as "the ascending rain" or Alexander Pope's description of man, "Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all." Don Marquis's "quote buns by great men quote" (archys life of mehitabel [London: Faber and Faber, 1934]: 103-04), describes a drunk trying to go up a down-escalator as "falling upwards / through the night" (the poem also parodies Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "St
lexical setwords that are habitually used within a given environment constitute a lexical set
parataxislinking clauses just by sequencing them, often without conjunction(s) and only by means of associations that are implied, not stated.
verseAs a mass noun, poetry in general (but in a non-judgmental sense); and, as a regular noun, a line of poetry.
polyptotonRepetition of the same word in different forms, achieved by varying the case, adding affixes, etc.
sinisterevil or villainous in appearance or manner, wicked, criminal, ominous
consonanceThe close repetition of the same end consonants of stressed syllables with differing vowel sounds, such as boat and night, or the words drunk and milk in the final line of Coleridge's "Kubla Khan."
personal essayan essay which emphasizes a personal, subjective view
nonsense verselines that read like word-salad, where individually the terms may be recognizable but in their order and grammatical relations make no sense, or where common words accompany neologisms in expressions intended to mystify and amuse
neologismA new word or phrase that ties together existing words or ideas
initiation storya kind of short story in which a character—often a child or young person—first learns a significant, usually life-changing truth about the universe, society, people, or himself or herself; also called a coming-of-age story
footThe metrical unit of verse comprising a number of stressed and unstressed syllables
byronic heroThe Byronic hero is an idealised but flawed character exemplified in the life and writings of Lord Byron, characterised by his ex-lover Lady Caroline Lamb (who said it before becoming Byron's lover) as being "mad, bad, and dangerous to know"
classificationClassification is a figure of speech linking a proper noun to a common noun using the or other articles.
personificationA figure of speech in which things or abstract ideas are given human attributes: dead leaves dance in the wind, blind justice.
personificationPresentation of inanimate objects as having human qualities, for example ‘And all that mighty heart is lying still!’ (Composed Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth).
paraphraseParaphrase is restatement of a text or passages, using other words
shogun(Japanese, from the Chinese) the hereditary commander-in-chief of the Japanese army, who until 1867 was the virtual ruler of Japan
isocolona line or lines that consist of clauses of equal length.
shakespearian sonnetThe most popular form in English is the English or Shakespearian Sonnet
textureas in Milton's:
head rhymeAnother term for alliteration--especially alliteration of consonants at the beginning of words, rather than alliteration of internal consonants within the bodies of words
chiasmusA rhetorical figure with two syntactically parallel constructions, one of which has the word order reversed
simileis an announced comparison introduced with the words “like” or “as"
serpentine versesVerses ending with the same word with which they begin.
elisionThe omission of part of a word (o’er, ne’er) to make a line conform to a metrical pattern.
singe(in cooking) to brown or colour, (in general) to scorch or burn superficially or lightly
six-to-octave cadencein the middle ages and the renaissance, cadences were thought of contrapuntally rather than harmonically, so that a dominant-to-tonic chord sequence would be expressed in terms of two voices moving together so that the interval between them changes from a sixth to an octave
shinobueJapanese bamboo transverse flute
shinteki(Japanese) or minteki, a traverse flute used in minshingaku (the Chinese-style chamber ensemble of Japan)
death of the novelThe death of the novel is the common name for the theoretical discussion of the declining importance of the novel as literary form
footthe basic unit for describing metre, usually consisting of a certain number and combination of stressed and unstressed syllables
holographA holograph is a document written entirely in the handwriting of the person whose signature it bears
acrostic poemA poem in which certain letters of the lines, usually the first letters, form a word or message relating to the subject
syllableEach pronounced part of a word is a syllable
allegoryA pattern of reference in the work which evokes a parallel action of abstract ideas
euphony - phonaestheticsPhonaesthetics (from the Greek, "voice-sound"; and "aesthetics") is the claim or study of inherent pleasantness or beauty (euphony) or unpleasantness (cacophony) of the sound of certain words and sentences
poets' cornerA portion of the South Transept of Westminster Abbey which contains the remains of many famous literary figures, including Chaucer and Spenser, and also displays memorials to others who are buried elsewhere.
impressionismMetaphysical, Realism, Romanticism, Symbolism)
sillet du bas(French m.) Untersattel (German m.), capo-cordiera (Italian m.), (on a violin, etc.) the lower saddle takes the pull of the tailgut off the edge of the belly
catharsisan emotional purging or cleansing experienced by an ancient Greek audience at the end of a tragedy
textual criticismTextual criticism (or lower criticism) is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts
odeAn ode is a more or less formal address to a person or an embodied thing.
censorship ordinance of 1559This law under Queen Elizabeth required the political censorship of public plays and all printed materials in matters of religion and the government
coupletA couplet is a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought
quantitywith the words arranged to form a systematic succession of long and short syllables
amphitheatera theater consisting of a stage area surrounded by a semicircle of tiered seats.
coupletIn a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought
accentThere is a normal pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables associated with each word in a language
epistrophesuccessive phrases, lines, or clauses that repeat the same word or words at their ends.
denotationthe literal, dictionary definition of a word
metonymyA figure of speech involving the substitution of one noun for another of which it is an attribute or which is closely associated with it, e.g., "the kettle boils" or "he drank the cup." Metonymy is very similar to synecdoche.
low comedyLow comedy is a type of comedy characterized by "horseplay", slapstick or farce
exordiumIn Western classical rhetoric, the exordium was the introductory portion of an oration
imagean expression that describes a literal sensation, whether of hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and feeling.
conjunctionA word used to connect words or constructions
gonzo journalismGonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative
narrativeTelling a story
parallelismThe repetition of syntactical similarities in passages closely connected for rhetorical effect, as in Pope's An Epistle to Dr
anglican churchThe Protestant Church in England that originated when King Henry VIII broke his ties to the Vatican in Rome (the Catholic Church).
sich verhalten(German) to behave, to act, to be
meterMeter is the arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of stressed syllables.
regionalismIn literature, regionalism or local color fictionality refers to fiction or poetry that focuses on specific features – including characters, dialects, customs, history, and topography – of a particular region.
flashbackA method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events--usually in the form of a character's memories, dreams, narration, or even authorial commentary (such as saying, "But back when King Arthur had been a child
archaismusing obsolete or archaic words when current alternatives are available.
loose sentenceA loose sentence is a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses
apothegmAn adage (pronounced /ˈædɨdʒ/), or adagium (Latin), is a short but memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or that has gained some credibility through its long use
caesuraA natural pause in the speaking voice, which may be short or (as between sentences) longEnd-stopped line   A verse line ending with a pauseRun-on line   A verse line "running on" into the next lineEnjambment   The thrust of an incompleted sentence continuing over the end of one verse line
ellipsisThe non-metrical omission of letters or words whose absence does not impede the reader's ability to understand the expression
themeas do the suggestions of dissolution, depression, and mortality in John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale
semiotic literary criticismSemiotic literary criticism, also called literary semiotics, is the approach to literary criticism informed by the theory of signs or semiotics
shoegazinga style of music that emerged in the UK in the late 1980s characterised by the use of distortion and the fuzzbox, droning riffs and a Phil Spector-esque wall of sound from the noisy guitars
harlem renaissanceNeoclassical Period: See Neoclassicism
ironyStating something by saying another quite different thing, sometimes its opposite
prothalamionor Villon's "Des Dames du Temps Jadis
motifit is preferable to recognize the difference between the two terms.
versoSee discussion under quarto or examine this chart.
sonnetOriginated by Giacomo de Lentino in the 13th century, it is one of the world's most famous and most taught poetic forms, known for its 14-line lengths and variable rhyme schemes
sestinaA fixed form consisting of six 6-line (usually unrhymed) stanzas in which the end words of the first stanza recur as end words of the following five stanzas in a successively rotating order and as the middle and end words of each of the lines of a concluding envoi in the form of a tercet
non-fiction novelThe non-fiction novel or faction is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real events narrated with techniques of fiction
prepositionA part of speech which indicates a connection, between two other parts of speech, such as 'to', 'with', 'by' or 'from'
canzoneA predecessor of the sonnet, with a poem-verse form consisting of stanzas written in 10- to 12-syllable lines, without a refrain and used in three ways: tragic, comic, and elegiac
primal sceneIn psychoanalysis, the primal scene is the initial witnessing by a child of a sex act, usually between the parents, that traumatizes the psychosexual development of that child
eschatologyThe branch of religious philosophy or theology focusing on the end of time, the afterlife, and the Last Judgment
verisimilitudeVerisimilitude, with the meaning ˝of being true or real˝ is a likeness or resemblance of the truth, reality or a fact's probability
syllogismA syllogism (Greek: συλλογισμός – syllogismos – "conclusion," "inference") or logical appeal is a kind of logical argument in which one proposition (the conclusion) is inferred from two others (the premises) of a certain form, i.e
symbolismFrequent use of words, places, characters, or objects that mean something beyond what they are on a literal level
periphrasisusing a wordy phrase to describe something for which one term exists.
enjambementthe running over of a sentence or phrase from one verse to the next, without terminal punctuation, hence not end-stopped
anastropheHypallage) (Compare Envelope, Palindrome)
revenge tragedyTragic Flaw: In a tragedy, the quality within the hero or heroine which leads to his or her downfall
syllableThe smallest unit of speech that normally occurs in isolation, or a distinct sound element within a word
resolutionthe final phase of the falling action in plot when things are returned to normal
simileA figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word “like” or “as.” An example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem “Harlem”: “What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?”
canticleA hymn or religious song using words from any part of the Bible except the Psalms.
dramaa literary genre consisting of works in which action is performed and all words are spoken before an audience by an actor or actors impersonating the characters
sound devicesand syntactic
carpe diemA Latin phrase which translated means "Sieze (Catch) the day," meaning "Make the most of today." The phrase originated as the title of a poem by the RomanHorace (65 B.C.E.-8B.C.E.) and caught on as a theme with such English poets as Robert Herrick and Andrew Marvell
sicaa variation on the Puerto Rican bomba
aleatory verseUses chance (random words from a book, etc) to determine word choice.
aphesisthe omission of the initial syllable of a word
allusiona reference to another literary / artistic/ historic, work, author, character, or event (frequently biblical or mythological)
simileA comparison which uses the words ‘like’ or ‘as’, for example ‘And bent nails/ dance all over the surfacing/like maggots’ (Love Song: I and Thou by Alan Dugan).
sixteen-bar bluesa blues chord progression very similar to the eight bar blues form, except that blues is not traditionally associated with any set notation so sometimes it can be called sixteen bars instead of eight
similea comparison between two objects or ideas which is introduced by 'like' or 'as'
catachresisMalapropism, Mixed Metaphor, Oxymoron, Paradox, Solecism, Synesthesia) (Compare Hypallage)
bouts-rimésBouts-Rimés, literally (from the French) "rhymed-ends", is the name given to a kind of poetic game defined by Addison, in the Spectator, as
metaphorA figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected
sinfonie(German f.) the name given by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) to his three-part contrapuntal works for keyboard but which, today, are called three-part inventions
epistleA verse epistle imitates the form of a personal letter, addressed to someone in particular, often very personal and occasional, and sometimes dated, with a location affixed
didactic poetryPoetry which is clearly intended for the purpose of instruction -- to impart theoretical, moral, or practical knowledge, or to explain the principles of some art or science, as Virgil's Georgics, or Pope's An Essay on Criticism.
stichomythiadialogue in alternate verse-lines.
high comedyElegant comedies characterized by witty banter and sophisticated dialogue rather than the slapstick physicality and blundering common to low comedy.
lexisIn linguistics, a lexis (from the Greek: λέξις "word") is the total word-stock or lexicon having items of lexical rather than grammatical, meaning
leaf - bookbindingBookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material
hypotaxisHypotaxis is the grammatical arrangement of functionally similar but "unequal" constructs (hypo="beneath", taxis="arrangement"), i.e., constructs playing an unequal role in a sentence.
personificationAn anthropomorphic figure of speech where the poet describes an abstraction, a thing, or a non-human form as if it were a person
euphemismA mild word of phrase which substitutes for another which would be undesirable because it is too direct, unpleasant, or offensive
recognitionthe point near the end of a classic tragedy when the protagonist recognizes the causes and consequences of his reversal
metaphorA metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance
coupletTwo consecutive lines of poetry which are paired in length or rhyme, for example ‘I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end’ (A Poison Tree by William Blake).
villaina character who not only opposes the hero or heroine (and is thus an antagonist) but also is characterized as an especially evil person or "bad guy."
falling actionthe action which follows the crisis and climax (see also catastrophe, denouement, resolution, catharsis)
pentameterso called for its use in the composition of epic
sheets of sounda term coined in 1958 by Down Beat magazine jazz critic Ira Gitler to describe the new, unique style of John Coltrane
epistleAn epistle (pronounced /i'pis.l/; Greek ἐπιστολή, epistolē, 'letter') is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter
canonIn a literary sense, the authoritative works of a particular writer; also, an accepted list of works perceived to represent a cultural, ideological, historical, or biblical grouping.
hypermetrica verse with one or more syllables than the metre calls for, a line with metrically redundant syllables.
galleryThe elevated seating areas at the back and sides of a theater.
paraphraseto record someone else’s words in the writer’s own words
catharsisAn emotional discharge that brings about a moral or spiritual renewal or welcome relief from tension and anxiety
sgallinacciare(Italian, from gallinaccio, a turkey-cock) to crow
copyright noticePlease respect the fact that all the material on this site is copyright © Sydney University Library and the individual authors and copyright owners
maxim - sayingA saying is something that is said, notable in one respect or another, to be "a pithy expression of wisdom or truth."
interpretationan analysis of a work to determine its meaning
medieval theatreMedieval theatre refers to the theatre of Europe between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance
closed formA form of verse with fixed stanza length, rhyme scheme, and other features.
innuendoAn innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas
asyndetonwhich omits conjunctions; zeugma and syllepsis, which use one word to serve for two; and aposiopesis, which omits a word or phrase at the end of a clause or sentence for effect.
simadanthe name given on Bonaire to what is known as seú elsewhere in the Dutch Antilles
romanticismthe late 18th-century, early 19th-century period of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Byron.
alliosisWhile presenting a reader with only two alternatives may result in the logical fallacy known as false dichotomy or either/or fallacy, creating a parallel sentence using two alternatives in parallel structure can be an effective device rhetorically and artistically
epilogue(1) in fiction, a short section or chapter that comes after the conclusion, tying up loose ends and often describing what happens to the characters after the resolution of the conflict; (2) in drama, a short speech, often addressed directly to the audience, delivered by a character at the end of a play.
biographyThe story of a person's life written by someone other than the subject of the work
characterizationThe method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work: Methods may include (1) by what the character says about himself or herself; (2) by what others reveal about the character; and (3) by the character's own actions
footA basic unit of poetry, consisting of two or three stressed and / or unstressed syllablesMetre   Recurrence of regular, approximately equal, units or feetScansion   Analysis of stressed and unstressed syllables, to determine a line's division into metrical feet
extended metaphorA metaphor which is drawn-out beyond the usual word or phrase to extend throughout a stanza or an entire poem, usually by using multiple comparisons between the unlike objects or ideas.
polysyndetonUsing many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
lineA unit of verse whose length is prescribed by a criterion other than the right-hand margin of the page (e.g., a certain length in syllables, meeting a boundary rhyming word, completing a phrase).
virgule - slashThe slash is a sign, "/", used as a punctuation mark and for various other purposes
anastropheChiasmus)
singlesingle thing (single room in a hotel, a ticket valid for an outward journey, pop record with one item on each side, game with only one person on each side), unmarried person
coupleta rhymed pair of lines, which are usually of the same length
parodya not-uncomplimentary send-up of another work, such as Geoffrey Chaucer's "Sir Thopas" in The Canterbury Tales
singularsingular word or form (as opposed to plural)
schismA schism is a split or division in the church concerning religious belief or organizational structure--one in which a single church splits into two or more separate denominations--often hostile to each other
elisionOmission of words or parts of words.
scribeA literate individual who reproduces the works of other authors by copying them from older texts or from a dictating author
historical novelAccording to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is: "a novel that has as its setting a period of history and that attempts to convey the spirit, manners, and social conditions of a past age with realistic detail and fidelity (which is in some cases only apparent fidelity) to historical fact
ellesmere manuscriptUsually referred to as "the Ellesmere," this book is one of the most important surviving fifteenth-century manuscripts of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
analogyin Rhetoric
quantitative metreA metrical system based on the length or 'weight' of syllables, rather than on stress
textualityTextuality is a concept in linguistics and literary theory that refers to the attributes that distinguish the text (a technical term indicating any communicative content under analysis) as an object of study in those fields
apophasisDenying one's intention to talk or write about a subject, but making the denial in such a way
assonanceRepetition of the same vowel sounds in words which follow each other, especially when the vowel is stressed, for example ‘Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud/The menacing scarred slope;’ (Attack by Siegfried Sassoon).
psychoanalytic theoryPsychoanalytic theory refers to the definition and dynamics of personality development which underlie and guide psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy
falling actionDuring the falling action, or resolution, which is the moment of reversal after the climax, the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist
assonanceThe repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel sounds: “Thou still unravished bride of quietness,/Thou foster child of silence and slow time” (“Ode to a Grecian Urn,” John Keats).
coupletTwo lines--the second line immediately following the first--of the same metrical length that end in a rhyme to form a complete unit
onomatopoeiaAn onomatopoeia or onomatopœia (Greek ὀνοματοποιία; ὄνομα for "name" and ποιέω for "I make", adjectival form: "onomatopoeic" or "onomatopoetic") is a word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes
gnomesand proverbs
epilogueA final section of a work which serves to conclude the whole.
voicethe personality or style of the writer or narrator that seems to come to life in the words
share-alikea descriptive term used in the Creative Commons project for copyright licenses which include certain copyleft provisions
homilyA homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture
nonsense verseLines that read like word-salad, where individually the terms may be recognizable but in their order and grammatical relations make no sense, or where common words accompany neologisms in expressions intended to mystify and amuse
occupatioa figure of rhetoric where a writer explains that he or she will not have time or space to say something but then goes on to say that thing anyway, possibly at length.
odeOriginated by Sappho and Pindar, and featuring elaborate stanza structures and stateliness in tone and style, plus lofty sentiments and thoughts
apostropheWords that are spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea
anapodotonDeliberately creating a sentence fragment by the omission of a clause: "If only you came with me!" If only students knew what anapodoton was! Good writers never use sentence fragments? Ah, but they can
antistropheChiasmus, Hypallage)
chant royaleA complex French form of the ballade, having various forms.
homonymParonym, Synonym)
enjambmentThe continuation of a complete idea (a sentence or clause) from one line or couplet of a poem to the next line or couplet without a pause
denotationThe minimal, strict definition of a word as found in a dictionary, disregarding any historical or emotional connotation
shao'erChinese earthenware whistle, often shaped like an animal
simulated glissandion some instruments (e.g., piano, harp), a bending of the tone or continuous sliding is not possible
sinhalesealso Singhalese, member of a Nothern Indian people now forming the majority of the population of Sri Lanka - also their language
analogyThe invocation of a similar but different instance to that which is being represented, in order to bring out its salient features through the comparison.
heroic verserhyming abababcc
tropeTrope has two meanings: (1) a rhetorical device or figure of speech involving shifts in the meaning of words--click on the tropes link for examples, (2) a short dialogue inserted into the church mass during the early Middle Ages as a sort of mini-drama.
end-stoppedDenoting a line of verse in which a logical or rhetorical pause occurs at the end of the line, usually marked with a period, comma, or semicolon.
gnomic poetryGnomic poetry consists of sententious maxims put into verse to aid the memory
tragicomedya play that combines the elements of tragedy and comedy
poetryA form of speech or writing that harmonizes the music of its language with its subject
abecedariusAn abecedarius is an acrostic in which the first letter of every word, strophe or verse follows the order of the alphabet
imagerybut often applied to other elements, such as dramatic structure, rhythmic
elisionOmission of a consonant (e.g., "ere" for "ever") or a vowel (e.g., "tother" for "the other"), usually to achieve a metrical effect.
oulipoOulipo (French pronunciation: [ulipo], short for French: Ouvroir de littérature potentielle; roughly translated: "workshop of potential literature") is a loose gathering of (mainly) French-speaking writers and mathematicians which seeks to create works using constrained writing techniques
onomatopoeiaThe use of words or sounds which appear to resemble the sounds which they describe
macaronic languageMacaronic refers to text spoken or written using a mixture of languages, sometimes including bilingual puns, particularly when the languages are used in the same context (as opposed to different segments of a text being in different languages)
paralipsisa figure of thought where less information is supplied than appears to be called for by the circumstances.
morala rule of conduct or a maxim for living (that is, a statement about how one should live or behave) communicated in a literary work
flat charactersee character
pathetic fallacyAn expression that endows inanimate things with human feelings.
metafictiona subgenre of works that playfully draw attention to their status as fiction in order to explore the nature of fiction and the role of authors and readers
conceitAn elaborate metaphor, artificially strained or far-fetched, in which the subject is compared with a simpler analogue usually chosen from nature or a familiar context
idealismImagism, Impressionism,                  Metaphysical, Realism, Romanticism, Symbolism)
euphonyNear Rhyme, Resonance, Sound Devices) (Compare Alliteration, Consonance, Modulation, Rhyme)
rhyme schemeThe pattern established by the arrangement of rhymes in a stanza or poem, generally described by using letters of the alphabet to denote the recurrence of rhyming lines, such as the ababbcc of the Rhyme Royal stanza form.
consonanceConsonance is the repetition of consonants or of a consonant pattern, especially at the ends of words.
unreliable narratorsee narrator
dieresisThe pronunciation of two adjacent vowels within a word as separate sounds rather than as a diphthong, as in coordinate; also, the mark indicating the separate pronunciation, as in naïve.
liturgical dramaLiturgical drama or religious drama, in its various Christian contexts, originates from the mass itself, and usually presents a relatively complex ritual that includes theatrical elements.
footIdiom: A word construction or verbal expression closely associated with a given language
shim shamor sham, originally a particular tap dance routine, the dance is credited to Leonard Reed, who originally called it 'Goofus', or to Willie Bryant
coupletA pair of successive rhyming lines, usually of the same length, termed "closed" when they form a bounded grammatical unit like a sentence, and termed "heroic" in 17th- and 18th-century verse when serious in subject, five-foot iambic in form, and holding a complete thought.
synonymA synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the language, such as joyful, elated, glad.
shoo flyone of the big circle figures danced by all couples in one large circle facing the centre which are traditionally associated with square dancing
idealismImagism, Impressionism,                  Metaphysical, Objectivism, Realism, Symbolism)
periphrasissome kennings are instances of metaphor
parallelismtwo or more expressions that share traits, whether metrical, lexical, figurative, or grammatical, and can take the form of a list.
mosaic rhymeA rhyme in which two or more words produce a multiple rhyme, either with two or more other words, as go for / no more, or with one longer word, as cop a plea / monopoly
didacticismit is usually intended as a moral criticism directed against the injustice or social wrongs
syllabic verseaccentual-syllabic verse
light endingLight ending may refer to:
letters - intellectualAn intellectual is a person who uses intelligence (thought and reason) and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.
rhymeA rhyme is a word that is identical to another in its terminal sound: 'while' is a rhyme for 'mile'.
deicticwords that point to particulars, as names and pronouns do for individual places and persons (such as Edwin Arlington Robinson's "Miniver Cheevy" and "Richard Cory"), and demonstrative-adjective-noun combinations (such as Benjamin Franklin King's "Here's that ten dollars that I owe" in "If I Should Die To-night") do for things.
shrew's fiddleso-called because it was originally used in the 18th century as a way of punishing women who were caught bickering or fighting, it was found also in medieval Germany and Austria, where it was known as a Halsgeige (literally 'neck viola' or 'neck violin') originally made out of two pieces of wood fitted with a hinge and a lock at the front
meterthe more or less regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
rhetorical questionA rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply (e.g.: "Why me?") Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to think about what the (often obvious) answer to the question must be
lost generationThe "Lost Generation" is a term used to refer to the generation that came of age during World War I
epithalamionLyric poem in praise of Hymen (the Greek god of marriage) or of a particular wedding, such as Edmund Spenser's "Epithalamion."
stressa syllable uttered in a higher pitch than others
alliterationAlliteration is the repetition of the same starting sound in several words of a sentence: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper is an example of alliteration.
sierra(Spanish f.) saw
shorthandany system of rapid handwriting which can be used to transcribe the spoken word
epica long narrative poem, usually depicting the values of a culture through the adventures of a hero
elisionomission of a consonant (e.g., "ere" for "ever") or a vowel (e.g., "tother" for "the other"), usually to achieve a metrical effect.
tropea general term for any figure of speech which alters the literal sense of a word or phrase: so metaphor, simile and allegory are all tropes, since they affect the meaning of words
stanza'A group of lines of verse (usually not less than four), arranged according to a definite scheme which regulates the number of lines, the metre, and (in rhymed poetry) the sequence of rhymes; normally forming a division of a song or poem consisting of a series of such groups constructed according to the same scheme' (OED)
chorus(1) A group of singers who stand alongside or off stage from the principal performers in a dramatic or musical performance
monodramaA monodrama (also Solospiel in German; "solo play") is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.
triviumIn medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects that were taught first: grammar, logic, and rhetoric
society verseand verse with puns
abstract languagewords which represent broad qualities or characteristics (e.g., interesting, good, fine, horrible, lovely)
simultaneity successionin music and music theory a simultaneity succession is a series of different groups of pitches or pitch classes, each of which is played at the same time as the other pitches of its group
eponymoushaving a name used in the title of a literary work
enjambmentWhen a sentence, phrase, or thought moves from one line to the next without stopping.
sistro(Italian m.) or sistrum, an instrument invented in 17th-century Italy consisting of a series of small bells attached to a frame
terminus ad quemThe latest possible date that a literary work could have been written, a potential ending point for dating a manuscript or text
enjambmentA line ending in which the syntax, rhythm and thought are continued and completed in the next line, for example ‘With candles and with lanterns/throwing giant scorpion shadows/on the sun-baked walls/they searched for him’ (Night of the Scorpion by Nissem Ezekiel).
shibboleth(Hebrew) a word that because of difficulties or variations in pronunciation may be used to distinguish or identify persons of different classes, districts, parties or sects
ambiguityApplied to words and expressions, the state of being doubtful or indistinct in meaning or capable of being understood in more than one way, in the context in which it is used.
progymnasmataProgymnasmata (Greek "fore-exercises", Latin praeexercitamina) are rhetorical exercises gradually leading the student to familiarity with the elements of rhetoric, in preparation for their own practice speeches (gymnasmata, "exercises") and ultimately their own orations.
atmospherethe mood or pervasive feeling insinuated by a literary work.
reader-response criticismReader-response criticism is a school of literary theory that focuses on the reader (or "audience") and his or her experience of a literary work, in contrast to other schools and theories that focus attention primarily on the author or the content and form of the work.
caesuraA caesura is a distinct pause or break in the flow of a line of verse, usually towards the middle.
symbolicand synesthetic
adverbA word which qualifies or adds to the action of a verb: as in 'he ran quickly', or 'he ran fast'
tautologyA statement redundant in itself, such as "The stars, O astral bodies!"
haikuThe haiku is often described as a short non-rhyming poem, usually with a seasonal reference, with seventeen syllables, in three phrases of five, seven and five syllables.
epistropheSuccessive phrases, lines, or clauses that repeat the same word or words at their ends.
vulgateThe Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin version of the Bible, and largely the result of the labors of St
sipsia wind instrument made out of bone, wood or reed
bowdlerizeThomas Bowdler (pronounced /ˈbaʊdlər/) (11 July 1754 â€" 24 February 1825) was an English physician who published an expurgated edition of William Shakespeare's work, edited by his sister Harriet, intended to be more appropriate for 19th century women and children than the original.
anachronismThe placement of an event, person, or thing out of its proper chronological relationship, sometimes unintentional, but often deliberate as an exercise of poetic license.
sine waveor 'sine tone', a signal put out by an oscillator in which the voltage or equivalent rises and fall smoothly and symmetrically, following the trigonometric formula for the sine function (i.e
plot summarya brief recounting of the principal action of a work of fiction, drama, or narrative poetry, usually in the same order in which the action is recounted in the original work rather than in chronological order.
melic verseusually irregular rather than uniform, generally of considerable length and sometimes continuous, sometimes divided in accordance with transitions of thought and mood in a complexity of stanzaic forms; it often has varying iambic line lengths with no fixed system of rhyme schemes and is always marked by the rich, intense expression of an elevated thought, often addressed to a praised person or object.
portmanteau wordLewis Carroll's phrase for a neologism created by combining two existing words
sixteenth century dancealso called 'late Renaissance dance'; the sources for this period are English texts, formerly known as the 'Inns of Court manuscripts', and manuals of a number of Italian dancing masters
stressA syllable uttered in a higher pitch than others
aufklärungThe German term for the philosophical movement called in English "the Enlightenment" or the Neoclassical movement
paraphraseA brief restatement in one's own words of all or part of a literary or critical work, as opposed to quotation, in which one reproduces all or part of a literary or critical work word-for-word, exactly.
sitera floor-standing plucked zither, smaller than the cemplung, each tuning, slendro and pelog, needing its own siter, which gives its name to a genre of Javanese traditional music called siteran
audienceAn audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called the "reader"), theatre, music or academics in any medium
tonethe attitude expressed by the writer toward the subject