English Literature and Composition Heroic Couplet - Transition

In poetry, a rhymed couplet written in iambic pentameter (five feet, each with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable).

Insolence, arrogance, or pride.

An extreme exaggeration for literary effect that is not mean to be interpreted literally.

A five-foot line made up of an unaccented follower by an accented syllable. It is the most common metric foot in the English-language poetry.

Anything that affects or appeals to the reader’s senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell.

In literature, a work that begins in the middle of the story.

A literary technique used in poetry and prose that reveals a character’s unspoken thoughts and feelings.

A rhyme that is within the line, rather than at the end.

A switch in the normal word order, often used for emphasis or for rhyme scheme.

Fourteen-line poem divided into two parts: the first is eight lines (abbaabba) and the second is six (cdcdcd or cdecde).

Affirmation of an idea by using a negative understatement. The opposite of hyperbole.

A fairly short, emotionally expressive poem that expresses the feelings and observations of a single speaker.

A radical change in a character, either physical or emotional.

A figure of speech which compares two dissimilar things, asserting that one thing is another thing, not just that one is like another. Compare with analogy and simile.

The rhythmical pattern of a poem.

Just as all words are pronounced with accented (or stressed) syllables and unaccented (or unstressed) syllables, lines of poetry are assigned similar rhythms.

A figure of speech that replaces the name of something with a word or phrase closely associated with it. Similar to synecdoche.

A story, usually with supernatural significance, that explains the origins of gods, heroes, or natural phenomena.

A poem that tells a story.

A rhyme based on an imperfect or incomplete correspondence of end syllable sounds.

Words that imitate sounds.

A figure of speech that combines two contradictory words, placed side by side: bitter sweet, wise fool, living death.

A short story illustrating a moral or religious lesson.

A statement or situation that at first seems impossible or oxymoronic, but which solves itself and reveals meaning.

The repeated use of the same grammatical structure in a sentence of series of sentences.This device tends to emphasize what is said and thus underscores the meaning. Can also refer to two or more stories within a literary work that are told simultaneously and that reinforce one another.

A comical imitation of a serious piece with the intent of ridiculing the author or his work.

A poem, play, or story that celebrates and idealizes the simple life of shepherds.

The quality of a literary work or passage which appeals to the reader’s or viewer’s emotions–especially pity, compassion, and sympathy.

A sentence that delivers its point at the end; usually constructed as a subordinate clause followed by a main clause.

The attribution of human characteristics to an animal or to an inanimate object.

Perspective of the speaker or narrator in a literary work.

The main or principle character in a work; often considered the hero or heroine.

Humorous play on words that have several meanings or words that sounds the same but have different meanings.

Four line stanza.

Repetition or a line, stanza, or phrase.

A word or phrase used more than once to emphasize an idea.

A question with an obvious answer, so no response is expected; used for emphasis or to make a point.

The use of humor to ridicule and expose the shortcomings and failings of society, individuals, and institutions, often in the hope that change and reform are possible.

A six-line stanza of poetry; also, the last six lines of a sonnet.

In writing, a movement from one thought or idea to another; a change.

A comparison of unlike things using the word like, as, or so.

A character’s speech to the audience, in which emotions and ideas are revealed.

Traditionally, a fourteen line love poem in iambic pentameter, but in contemporary poetry, themes and form vary.

A grouping of poetic lines; a deliberate arrangement of lines of poetry.

A stereotypical character; a type. The audience expects the character to have certain characteristics. Similar to conventional character and flat character.

A form of writing which replicates the way the human mind works. Ideas are presented in random order; thoughts are often unfinished.

The particular way in which parts of a written work are combined.

The way a writer uses language. Takes into account word choice, diction, figures of speech, and son on. The writer’s “voice”.

A concrete object, scene, or action which has deeper significance because it is associated with something else, often an important idea or theme in the work.

A figure of speech where one part represents the entire object, or vice versa.

The way in which words, phrases, and sentences are ordered and connected.

The central idea of a literary work.

Refers to the author’s attitude toward the subject, and often sets the mood of the piece.

Expressing a thought in a way that appears to be sincere, but is actually joking.

Traditionally, a defect in a hero that leads to his downfall.

The means to get from one portion of a poem or story to another; for instance, to another setting, to another character’s viewpoint, to a later or earlier time period. It is a way of smoothly connecting different parts of a work.