Midyear Exam Literary Terms
Midyear Exam Literary Vocabulary
Sonnets & Poetry (21)
English
(Shakespearean) Sonnet, Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet, Iambic Pentameter,
Meter, Iamb, Rhyme Scheme, Volta, Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance,
Stanza, Octet, Sestet, Quatrain, Couplet, Enjambment, End rhyme, Full
rhyme, Near/Off/Half/Slant Rhyme, Sonnet Sequence/Sonnet
Cycle/Corona/Crown of Sonnets, Blank Verse
Other Types of Poems (5)
free verse, villanelle, sestina, terza rima, ballads
Other Poetic Techniques (3)
anaphora, epistrophe, inversion
Figurative Language (16)
figurative
language, simile, metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, personification,
apostrophe, conceit, hyperbole, pun, double entendre, rhetorical
question (=erotema), oxymoron, paradox, synesthesia, denotation,
connotation
Irony (4)
irony, verbal irony, situational irony, dramatic irony
Narration (5)
narration, first person narration, third person limited narration, third person omniscient narration, stream of consciousness
Writing Style (9)
style, voice, diction, syntax, tone, mood, dialect, colloquialism, vernacular
Character (13)
characterization,
direct characterization, indirect characterization, dynamic character,
static character, round character, flat character, foil, protagonist,
antagonist, tragic hero, antihero
Plot & Events (10)
Plot,
exposition, inciting action, rising action, climax, denouement
(resolution), flashback, foreshadowing, internal conflict, external
conflict,
Other Literary Terms from First Semester (4)
motif, symbol, epigraph, epiphany
Sestet -1. The last six lines of a sonnet
ReplyDeleteAny group of six lines (Dictionary.com).
Example:
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me. (Sestet).
Quatrain - 1. A stanza or poem of four lines, usually with alternate rhymes (Dictionary.com).
Example:
"Hope" is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all, (Quatrain).
Couplet - 1. a pair of successive lines of verse, especially a pair that rhyme and are of the same length. (Dictionary.com).
Example:
"Blessed are you whose worthiness gives scope,/Being had, to triumph; being lacked, to hope." (Couplet Examples).
Enjambment - 1. the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break. (Dictionary.com).
Example:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and asleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.” (Enjambment).
Works Cited
"Couplet Examples." YourDictionary. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
"Enjambment." Literary Devices. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
"Quatrain." Examples in Poetry. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
"Sestet." Examples in Poetry. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Inversion
ReplyDeleteDefinition:Inversion, also known as anastrophe, is a literary technique in which the
normal order of words is reversed in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis or
meter.
Example:It was a common practice in the days of William Shakespeare to use
inversions. Look at an example of inversion from “Romeo and Juliet”, Act 1, Scene 5
“Her mother is the lady of the house,
And a good lady, and wise and virtuous.
I nursed her daughter that you talked withal.
I tell you, he that can lay hold of her,
Shall have the chinks.”
LiteraryDevices Editors.”Inversion” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
Simile
Definition:An explicit comparison (using like or as)
Example: "Her lips are like roses."
Schwartz, Deborah B., Dr. "Figurative Language." Figurative Language. English Department, California Polytechnic State University, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
Figurative Language
Definition: Figurative language is language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation.
Example:Her head was spinning from all the new information.
"Figurative Language." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow, Corp., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
synesthesia- the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body.
ReplyDeleteex. a “warm color” or a “quiet color”
denotation- literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.
ex. “And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.”
In the above lines, the word “wall” is used to suggest a physical boundary which is its denotative meaning but it also implies the idea of “emotional barrier”.
connotation- an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
ex. the word “discipline” has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression
Works Cited
"Denotation - Examples and Definition of Denotation." Literary Devices. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
"Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Dramatic irony- irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.
ReplyDelete"Dramatic Irony." Dictionary.com. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Example: In a scary movie, the character walks into a house and the audience knows the killer is in the house.
"Dramatic Irony Examples." YourDictionary. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Narration- the act or process of telling a story or describing what happens
"Narration." Merriam-Webster. Web. 14 Dec. 2014..
Example: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.` 'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -Only this, and nothing more.'”
-Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”
"Examples of Narration." YourDictionary. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
First person narration- When the story you're reading is from the point-of-view of a character in the novel
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Literature Glossary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Example: “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.”
-Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
"Examples of Writing in First Person." YourDictionary. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Dialect: A variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar,and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially.
ReplyDeleteEx: Jim: “We’s safe, Huck, we’s safe! Jump up and crack yo’ heels. Dat’s de good ole Cairo at las’, I jis knows it.”
Huck: “I’ll take the canoe and go see, Jim. It mightn’t be, you know.”
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Colloquialism: A linguine phrase that is characteristic of or only appropriate for casual, ordinary, familiar, and/or informal written or spoken conversation, rather than for formal speech, standard writing, or paralinguistics.
Ex:“y’all” “wanna” “gonna”
"Colloquialism." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Vernacular: (of language) native or indigenous (opposed to literary or learned ).
Ex: French is the vernacular in France.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
"Vernacular Dictionary Definition | Vernacular Defined." Vernacular Dictionary Definition | Vernacular Defined. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Metaphor: 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.
ReplyDeleteEx. "All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances."- William Shakespeare
"Metaphor." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Metonymy: A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. Ex. Journalists talk about Washington or the White House when they mean the president or presidency of the USA
"Metonymy." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014
Synecdoche: A figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (as society for high society), the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (as boards for stage). Ex. The use of "9/11" to represent September 11, 2001.
"Synecdoche." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Rhetorical Question: a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply, EX: "If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?"
ReplyDeleteRhetorical Question." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Oxymoron: a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, EX: "found missing, Airline food, legally drunk"
"Oxymoron" Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Paradox: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. EX: "This sentence is false"
"Paradox" Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Syntax: the way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences
ReplyDeleteExample: “They left me alone and I lay in bed and read the papers awhile, the news from the front, and the list of dead officers with their decorations and then reached down and brought up the bottle of Cinzano and held it straight up on my stomach, the cool glass against my stomach, and took little drinks making rings on my stomach from holding the bottle there between drinks, and watched it get dark outside over the roofs of the town.”
(A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway)
"Syntax." Syntax. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Tone: suggests an attitude toward the subject which is communicated by the words the author chooses. Part of the range of tone includes playful, somber, serious, casual, formal, ironic. Important because it designates the mood and effect of a work.
Example: “If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she’s late? Nobody.” (Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger)
"Literary Terms." Purdue OWL: Literary Terms. Purdue University, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Mood: The atmosphere that pervades a literary work with the intention of evoking a certain emotion or feeling from the audience.
Example:Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.
(The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe)
"Glossary of Literary Terms." Glossary of Literary Terms. Hunter College Reading & Writing Center, 11 Mar. 1999. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Stream of consciousness: Stream of consciousness, also known as interior monologue, is characterized by a flow of thoughts and images, which may not always appear to have a coherent structure or cohesion.
ReplyDeleteLombardi, Esther. "Definition and Examples of Stream of Consciousness." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Example: Examples of stream of consciousness works are The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
"Popular Stream Of Consciousness Books." Popular Stream Of Consciousness Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
3rd person omniscient: In third person omniscient, the narrator knows all the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in the story.
Example: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is an example of a novel using 3rd person omniscient, because the narrator speaks in the point of view of several different characters.
Surber, Katie. "Third Person Omniscient." Education Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014
3rd person limited:In third person limited, the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.
Example: An example of an author using 3rd person limited is in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because the reader is aware of all of Harry’s thoughts and feelings without Harry narrating directly.
Wilson, Kara. "Third Person Limited." Education Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
ReplyDeletePersonification
Definition: A trope in which abstractions, animals, ideas, and inanimate objects are given human character, traits, abilities, or reactions
Exapmles: Ode on a Grecian Urn- Keat
"Literary Terms and Definitions P." Literary Terms and Definitions P. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. .
Conceit
Definition: An elaborate or unusual comparison--especially one using unlikely metaphors, simile, hyperbole, and contradiction.
Example: A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning- John Doane
"Literary Terms and Definitions P." Literary Terms and Definitions P. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. .
Apostrophe
Definition: Not to be confused with the punctuation mark, apostrophe is the act of addressing some abstraction or personification that is not physically present
Example: King Lear
"Literary Terms and Definitions P." Literary Terms and Definitions P. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. .
Assonance
ReplyDeleteDefinition: Assonance takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.
Example: “Men sell the wedding bells.”
Consonance
Definiton: Consonance refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase.
Example: the words chuckle, fickle, and kick are consonant with one and other due to the existence of common interior consonant sounds (/ck/)
Stanza
Definition: In poetry, a stanza is a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter or rhyming scheme.
Example:“Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter–and the Bird is on the Wing.”
Octet
Definiton: the first 8 lines of a sonnet
Example: Being one day at my window all alone,
So manie strange things happened me to see,
As much as it grieveth me to thinke thereon.
At my right hand a hynde appear’d to mee,
So faire as mote the greatest god delite;
Two eager dogs did her pursue in chace.
Of which the one was blacke, the other white:
With deadly force so in their cruel race
"You Searched for Assonance - Literary Devices." Literary Devices. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
"Consonance - Examples and Definition of Consonance." Literary Devices. N.p., 03 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
"Stanza - Examples and Definition of Stanza." Literary Devices. N.p., 22 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
"Sonnet - Definition and Examples of Sonnets." Literary Devices. N.p., 06 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
1) Irony: A figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality.
ReplyDeleteEx. “I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.”
LiteraryDevices Editors. "Irony - Examples and Definition of Irony." Literary Devices. LiteraryDevices.net., 25 June 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
2) A plot device in which events turn out contrary to expectation yet are perversely appropriate.
Ex. “After successfully going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, the stunt man goes home, takes a shower, slips on the soap, and breaks his leg.”
WrightStateUniversity Editors. "Definitions of Irony." Definitions of Irony. Wright State University, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
3) A trope in which the meaning ostensibly expressed “differs sharply from” what the speaker really means. A common type of verbal irony is sarcasm.
Ex. “‘Oh, you’re God’s great gift to women, you are!’” (Abrams)
WrightStateUniversity Editors. "Definitions of Irony." Definitions of Irony. Wright State University, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
What are the actual words for 2 and 3, what kind of irony are those
DeleteIt appears that #2 is situational and #3 is verbal.
Delete1) Characterization: the act of describing the character or qualities of someone or something
ReplyDeleteEx. He cautiously knelt down to pet the injured puppy.
"Characterization." Characterization. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.
2) Direct Characterization: how an author tells his or her reader about a character. Direct characterization occurs when the author specifically reveals traits about the character in a direct, straightforward manner
Ex. Albert is mean, rude, and says many offensive things.
"Direct Characterization: Definition & Examples." Education Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.
3) Indirect Characterization: This is when authors indirectly portray characters using dialogue, appearance, actions, relationships and overall place in the world.
Ex. Karen bit her pencil repeatedly and began shaking right before a big test.
"Direct Characterization: Definition & Examples." Education Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.
4) Dynamic Characterization: a literary or dramatic character who undergoes an importantinner change, as a change inpersonality or attitude
Ex. a dynamic character is Ebenezer Scrooge. His evolution was dramatic as he went from a miserly scrooge to a generous giver after encounters with three ghosts.
"Dynamic Vs. Static Character Definitions and Examples." Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.
1) English Sonnet (noun): a sonnet consisting three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg —called also Elizabethan sonnet
ReplyDeleteEx: I met a boy with half a brain today,
A strange and cruel trick of Providence
To form a child in such a dreadful way
And thrust him on the world without defense.
His careful speech was slow and slurred,
His blond-haired head was often pitched askew,
His questing eyes were wide and inward turned,
And every sight and sound was strange and new.
'Twas he alone who greeted me with grace,
And held the door for me with great delight,
Then said goodbye with sad but fierce embrace,
With fondness waved 'till I was out of sight.
Thus I discovered this important fact:
Fate's trick was played on us, with brains intact.
(Copyright 2009, by Douglas Twitchell)
"Elizabethan Sonnet." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
2) Italian Sonnet (noun): a sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abba abba and a sestet rhyming in any of various patterns (as cde cde or cdc dcd) —called also Petrarchan sonnet
Ex: May You Guide
And determine our stride
That we stay on course
While we Carey this Cross
I trust in You
That this path is true
They say You only give us what we can bare
I have faith in You that the conclusion will be fair
May You Bless us All
We will need your strength
So we do not fall........
By: Ninette Carey
"Italian Sonnet." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
3) Iambic Pentameter (noun): a commonly used type of metrical line in traditional poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm that the words establish in that line, which is measured in small groups of syllables called "feet"
Ex: da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM
"Iambic Pentameter." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
4) Meter (noun): the rhythm established by a poem, and it is usually dependent not only on the number of syllables in a line but also on the way those syllables are accented. This rhythm is often described as a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Ex: Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
By: Andrew Marvel
"VirtuaLit: Elements of Poetry." VirtuaLit: Elements of Poetry. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
5) External Conflict (noun): A struggle between a character and an outside force
Ex: harry potter and voldemort
"Engrade › Wikis › Conflicts in Literature." Conflicts in Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSestina: a fixed verse form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, normally followed by a three-line envoi.
ReplyDeleteSymbol: a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
Terza rima: a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. It was first used by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri.
Ballad: a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally "dancing songs".
Anaphora: the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Works Cited: Google Inc. "Google." Google. Google Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. .
Epiphany:
ReplyDeletea (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure
Example:
“I used to smoke a lot. Everyone let me know that it was bad for my health however, I didn’t pay any notice. One day I saw my two years of age offspring trying for a used cigarette within an ashtray. Seeing this, abruptly it dawned upon me how terrible smoking was and I stopped smoking.”
Works Cited
"Epiphany - Examples and Definition of Epiphany." Literary Devices. 17 June 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
"Epiphany." Merriam Webster. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
ReplyDeleteNear/off/half/slant rhyme: Words that are close but not close enough to rhyme. Usually the last consonant have a similar sound.
Ex) hello my dear,
standing over there by the door,
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Literature Glossary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 21 Dec. 2014. .
Sonnet Sequence/Sonnet Cycle/Corona/Crown of Sonnets: A sequence of Sonnets usually addressed to one person or being. Each Sonnet however explores a different perspective in relation to the object/theme/thing being compared.
Ex) http://thepoetsgarret.com/sonnet/crown.html
"World Heritage Encyclopedia." Crown of Sonnets. Web. 21 Dec. 2014. .
End Rhyme: A rhyme in a piece of poetry that occurs at the end of each line.
Ex) There lies a little tree,
On which there is a bee,
"End Rhyme | Poetry." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 21 Dec. 2014. .
Full Rhyme: The stressed part of the syllables in the ending of a word that is identical to the prior word intended to be rhymed with.
Ex) Part, Heart, Dart, Fart, Mart, Bart, Cart, Tart
"Full Rhyme Definition, Full Rhyme Meaning | English Dictionary." Full Rhyme Definition. Web. 21 Dec. 2014. .
Epigraph: A quote put at the beginning of a piece of literature to hint at the theme of the story.
Ex) http://flavorwire.com/246590/the-25-greatest-epigraphs-in-literature
"Epigraph." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 21 Dec. 2014. .
Protagonist- the main character in a literary work
ReplyDeleteex. Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist of the Hunger Games
Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary
Antagonist- one that contends with or opposes another person
ex. Jack is Ralph’s antagonist in the Lord of the Flies
Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary
Tragic Hero- a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy
ex. A tragic hero, Oedipus unknowingly fulfilled the prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, leading him to blind himself and die in exile.
Source: Random House Dictionary Online (dictionary.com)
Antihero-a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities
ex. Shrek the Ogre
Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary
Climax-the point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action
ex. At the novel's climax, the main character finds herself face to face with the thief.
Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary
Iamb:
ReplyDeleteAn iamb is a literary device that can be defined as a foot containing unaccented and short syllables followed by a long and accented syllable in a single line of a poem (unstressed/stressed syllables). Two of Robert Frost’s poems “Dust of Snow” and “The Road not Taken” are considered two of the most popular examples of iamb
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Rhyme Scheme:
The repetition of syllables, typically at the end of a verse line. Rhymed words conventionally share all sounds following the word’s last stressed syllable. Thus “tenacity” and “mendacity” rhyme, but not “jaundice” and “John does,” or “tomboy” and “calm bay.” A rhyme scheme is usually the pattern of end rhymes in a stanza, with each rhyme encoded by a letter of the alphabet, from a onward (ABBA BCCB, for example). Rhymes are classified by the degree of similarity between sounds within words, and by their placement within the lines or stanzas.
And here on this turning of the stair
Between passion and doubt,
I pause and say a double prayer,
One for you, and one for you;
And so they cancel out.
Volta
Italian word for “turn.” In a sonnet, the volta is the turn of thought or argument: in Petrarchan or Italian sonnets it occurs between the octave and the sestet, and in Shakespearean or English before the final couplet.
1. He turned the fourteenth glass and said, “Begin.”
2. and I had fourteen minutes left to live;
3. and I had fourteen unrepented sins,
4. and fourteen people whom I would forgive,
5. and fourteen unread books upon my shelf,
6. and fourteen loves I knew I’d loved in vain,
7. and fourteen dreams I’d kept within myself
8. (the fourteen I’d most wanted to explain.)
9. But fourteen minutes quickly passed away.
10. I filled my pen with fourteen drops of ink-
11. the fourteenth glass had offered one delay;
12. and fourteen final grains retained the brink.
13. This sonnet flowed like fourteen final breaths-
14. the fourteenth line, the fourteenth grain, then death.
Alliteration
Alliteration is derived from Latin’s “Latira”. It means “letters of alphabet”. It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.
Consider the following examples:
But a better butter makes a batter better.
A big bully beats a baby boy.
Internal Conflict
An internal or psychological conflict arises as soon as a character experiences two opposite emotions or desires; usually virtue or vice, or good and evil inside him. This disagreement causes a character to suffer mental agony. Internal conflict develops a unique tension in a storyline marked by a lack of action.
“To be, or not to be–that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep…”
Works Cited
"Alliteration - Examples and Definition of Alliteration." Literary Devices. 17 June 2013. Web. 22 Dec. 2014. .
"Conflict - Examples and Definition of Conflict." Literary Devices. 15 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. .
"Glossary Terms." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Web. 22 Dec. 2014. .
"Iamb - Definition and Examples of Iamb." Literary Devices. Literary Devices, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
"Volta or Turn in a Sonnet." Sonnettics. 02 Feb. 2012. Web. 22 Dec. 2014. .
ReplyDeleteA blank verse is a poem with no rhyme but does have iambic pentameter. This means it consists of lines of five feet, each foot being iambic, meaning two syllables long, one stressed followed by an unstressed.
"What Is a Blank Verse Poem?" Young Writers. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
Free Verse :poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.
Google
A villanelle (also known as villanesque) is a nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain. There are two refrains and two repeating rhymes, with the first and third line of the first tercet repeated alternately until the last stanza, which includes both repeated lines.
"Villanelle." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
A sestina is a fixed verse form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, normally followed by a three-line envoi.
"Sestina." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
A Motif is a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic,or musical work.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
"A double entendre, or adianoeta,
ReplyDeleteis an expression that can be understood in two different ways: an innocuous, straightforward way, given
the context, and a risque way that indirectly alludes ´
to a different, indecent context"
Kiddon, Chloe, and Yuriy Brun. "That's What She Said: Double Entendre Identification." (n.d.): n. pag. 2011. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
"The pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.[1][2] These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic, homographic, metonymic, or metaphorical language."
"two different sets of ideas are expressed, and we are confronted with only one series of words"
Chaney, A. "Pun." Pun. Princeton University, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
Foreshadowing: “A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.”
ReplyDeleteExample:In Heart of Darkness, Conrad foreshadows the horrific events Kurtz has caused by the way people speak of him; how is power hungry and ivory hungry.
Literarydevices.net
Diction: “Style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer.”
Example: The diction in Heart of Darkness makes Marlow’s story seem less formal, because of his use of slang and swears.
Literarydevices.net
Voice: “The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator.”
Example: We have determined that Marlow’s voice is particularly racist, even though this may not be the voice of Conrad himself.
Nordquist, Richard, “Voice (rhetoric)”
Abouteducation.com
Style:” The way a writer writes and it is the technique which an individual author uses in his writing”.
Example: Conrad’s style is almost hypnotic; when you read Heart of Darkness you are entranced by the syntax of the words and the intricate structure of the novel.
Literarydevices.net
dynamic character
ReplyDeletea literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important innerchange, as a change in personality or attitude
Hamlet is a dynamic character because he changes from avoiding avenging his father’s death, to willing to do whatever it takes to avenge his father’s death.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. .
static character
noun
1.
a literary or dramatic character who undergoes little or no innerchange; a character who does not grow or develop.
Polonius is a static character, because he does not grow or develop in the play.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. http://dictionary.reference.com/
round character
noun
1.
a character in fiction whose personality, background, motives, andother features are fully delineated by the author.
Example: Huckleberry Finn is a round character because the author fully describes his personality, background and motives.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. .
flat character
noun
1.
an easily recognized character type in fiction who may not be fully delineated but is useful in carrying out some narrative purpose of theauthor.
Example: In Jane Eyre Grace Poole is not a fully delineated character, but she contributes to the plot of the story as the person that Jane initially blames for the strange occurrences in the house.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. .
Foil Definition
noun
In literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other character.
Example:
Blanche Ingram is a foil for Jane, because her beauty, love for money, and lesser intelligence are in contrast with Jane’s “ugliness”, lack of a love for money, and intelligence.
"Foil - Examples and Definition of Foil." Literary Devices. 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. .
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ReplyDeletePlot
ReplyDeletenoun. Also called storyline. the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.
Exposition
noun. Writing or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain; a detailed statement or explanation; explanatory treatise
example would be a paper written to explain the law of gravity
Inciting Action
noun. An event that to stirs, encourages, or urges on; stimulates or prompts the protagonist to action
an example would be how Tris in Divergent was urged to act against the system once they found out she was divergent
Rising Action
noun. A related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest.the part of the plot where obstacles stand in the way of the protagonist achieving his goal.
an example would be the events in Jane Eyre that impeded her from marrying Rochester and caused her to move away
Denouement (resolution)
noun. The final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.
an example would be Harry Potter finally standing up to Voldemort and killing him
Flashback
noun. A device in the narrative of a motion picture, novel, etc., by which an event or scene taking place before the present time in the narrative is inserted into the chronological structure of the work.
an example would be the narrative of Holden in Catcher in the Rye
External Conflict
noun. Struggle between a literary or dramatic character and an outside force such as nature or another character, which drives the dramatic action of the plot
an example would the conflict between Katniss Everdeen and President Snow in The Hunger Games
Dictionary.com
PLOT:
ReplyDeleteThe literary term plot is used to describe the events that make up (the main part of) a story.
EX. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The plot of the story begins when Harry learns that Professor Snape is after the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Professor lets loose a troll, who nearly kills Harry and his friends. In addition, Harry finds out that Hagrid let out the secret of the giant dog to a stranger in return for a dragon which means that Snape can now reach the Sorcerer’s Stone.
LiteraryDevices Editors. “Plot” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. Web. 11 January 2015.
EXPOSITION:
A literary device used to introduce background information on events, characters, and settings to readers.
EX. Star Wars
The exposition in Star Wars is the opening title sequence that gives information about the past events to the audience. The scrolling text on the screen at the beginning of each film gives the audience every piece of information they need to understand the upcoming events.
LiteraryDevices Editors. “Exposition” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. Web. 11 January 2015.
INCITING ACTION:
The event(s) that begin or set off the rest of the scenes that make up the plot. Also referred to as inciting incidents, which can sometime “push” the main characters into motion.
EX. The Wizard of Oz
In the movie The Wizard of Oz the inciting incident is when the tornado carries Dorothy and Todo to the Land of Oz; setting up the rest of the story.
D'Costa, H.R. "The Inciting Incident: Definition & Examples." Scribe Meets World: Story Structure Made Simple. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
RISING ACTION:
The events leading up to the climax of a storyline. These events often increase the tension and complication of the plot.
LiteraryDevices Editors. “Plot” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. Web. 11 January 2015.