foot
-a basic unit used in the scansion or measurement of verse
blank verse
-unrhymed iambic pentameter
synecdoche
-a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole
epitaph
-an inscription written on a tomb or burial place
ode
-a serious poem written to honor people, commemorate events, or respond to natural scenes
paradox
-a statement or situation containing apparently contradictory or incompatible elements but actually represents a truth
sestet
-a six line stanza
metanomy
-a figure of speech that substitutes something closely related for the thing actually meant
epigram
-a pointed, brief statement in prose or in verse
catharsis
-a term used by Aristotle to describe some sort of emotional release experienced by the audience at the end of a successful tragedy
modernism
-an international movement in the arts during the early 20th century
understatement
-a figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one means with less force than the occasion warrants
allegory
-a narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one
euphony
-a smooth, pleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds
mock epic
-a poem about a trivial matter written in the style of a serious epic
imagery
-the representation through language of sense experience
kenning
-a metaphorical phrase used in Anglo-Saxon poetry
consonance
-the repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words
couplet
-two successive lines, usually in the same meter, linked by rhyme
sonnet
-a fixed for of fourteen lines, normally iambic pentameter, with a rhyme scheme
tetrameter
-a metrical line containing four feet
mood
-the atmosphere created in a written work
trochee
-a metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by one unaccented syllable
theme
-central idea of a literary work
apostrophe
-a figure of speech in which something absent or dead or something non-human is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply
tone
-a writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject, the audience, or himself or herself
allusion
-a reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history
overstatement
-a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used in the service of truth
carpe diem
-seize the day
epiphany
-a term used to describe a moment of insight in which a character recognizes some truth
oxymoron
-a figure of speech that fuses two contradictory or opposing idea, thus suggesting a paradox in just a few words
cacaphony
-a harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds
climax
-the turning point or high point in a plot
deus ex machina
-“god from the machine”