Elegy
A poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died
Epic Ballad
Long narrative poem with a hero's actions usually affecting a nation- The theme deals with a universal human problem
Exposition
The first part of plot where the characters, setting, background information, and usually the problem are all given
Allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference
Irony
A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens
Aside
a remark intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play
Apostrophe
A figure of speech in which a person not present or a personified nonhuman object is spoke
Alliteration
Repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together
Characterization
the qualities of a fictional character in a story
Folk Ballad
A poem that is meant to be sung- passed down from generation to generation- origin is usually unknown
Sestet
the last six lines of an Italian sonnet
Foreshadowing
The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot
Iambic Pentameter
a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable
Metaphor
A comparison between two unlike things
Quatrain
a stanza of four lines
Allegory
all or most of the characters, settings and events symbolize ideas qualities or figures beyond themselves
Theme
the main idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature
Soliloquy
an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play
Octave
a poem or stanza of eight lines; an octet
Motif
a distinctive feature phrase, image, or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition that is related to it's theme
Personification
Representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature
Hyperbole
A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration.
Caesura
A dramatic pause in the middle of a line of poetry
Sonnet
14 line poem, written in iambic pentameter, stressed followed by unstressed syllables
Symbolism
The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities; representation on a figurative level
Verse Epistle
a composition in prose or poetry written in the form of a letter to a particular person or group, derived from Horace's Epistles
Epigram
a short poem, especially a satirical one, having a witty or ingenious ending
Aphorism
a concise statement of a principle
Assoncance
similar sounds especially of vowels (as in "rise high in the bright sky")
Epitaph
an inscription on or at a tomb or a grave in memory of the one buried there