Literary Terms 1

writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally

poem with a shape that suggests its subject

the act of creating and developing acharacter. 

highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life

a poetic line consisting of 5 ft lines;each ft consists of 1 unstressed and 1 stressed syllable

a passing reference to something or someone outside the immediate scope of the work

a symbolic figure or shape presented through the arrangement of the lines of a poem

poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern, or meter

poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines

a lengthy comparison

sounds like ordinary speech and is often used in drama and poetry. 

an appeal to a Muse or other divine being forhelp in writing a poem

a folk song and/or poem that tells a story of an incident, usually tragic

the repetition of consonant sounds in stressed syllables containing dissimilar vowel sounds:

word choice

the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables containing dissimilar consonant sounds

a struggle between opposing forces; can be internal or external

the descriptive language used to re-create sensory experiences

this philosophy’s basic tenet is that people create their own fate by how they live

the complete writings on, or attributed to, a subject recognized as authentic. 

any work that pulls apart the conventions of a genre and shows them in a new light

a term used to describe a literary work that is creative, innovative, and experimental

verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker

literary techniques that involve surprising,interesting, or amusing contradictions

a story with a hidden meaning beneath its surface

prose writing about imaginary characters and events

the character whose actions are inspiring or noble; often struggle to overcome foes

a section that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time

a pair of rhyming verse lines equal in length

the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

a generally humorous verse form of five lines

a long, narrative poem about the adventures of gods or of a hero

a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work

a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a hidden message

the high point of emotional intensity in a work of literature

a metaphorical phrase, used in Anglo-Saxon poetry to replace a concrete noun

the main opponent of the protagonist in a literary work

a natural pause, or break, in the middle of a line of poetry

a long, florid poem usually denoting the death of a friend or notable person

a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the senses

any rhymed pair of lines in iambic pentameter

a line that concludes with a break in the meter and in the meaning. 

a simile or metaphor, often fantastic, used to explain an idea or opinion

the treatment of horrific or sinister subjects in a humorous way

an association that a word calls to mind in addition to its dictionary/literal meaning

the spoken words used by interacting characters

usually a character that embodies a universal concept or idea 

the repetition of initial consonant sounds

a detailed examination covering all aspects of a work