(Also, a great collection of these terms, definitions and applicable uses with course literature is located in the literary terms guide in the student resources list.)
Alliteration-the repeating of consonant sounds, most often at the beginnings of words
Allusion-a reference in a work of literature to a character, place, or situation from another work of literature, music, or art
Analogy-resemblance of properties or relations or relations; similarity without identity
Anapest-a line of verse in which the metrical foot consists of two short or unaccented syllables followed by one long or accented syllable
Aphorism-a brief statement that expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation
Apostrophe-a figure of speech wherein the speaker speaks directly to a person or personified thing, either present or absent.
Assonance-the repeating of vowel sounds, especially in a line of poetry
Ballad-a short, musical, narrative poem, usually focused on a single dramatic situation
Blank Verse-poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
Cacophony-an unpleasant combination of sounds intended to create an effect
Caesura-a pause-metrical or rhetorical-within a line of poetry that may affect meter count
Concrete/Sensory Language-words that appeal to the senses
Concrete Poetry-usually resembles something concrete, poem shaped to look like object
Connotation-unspoken/unwritten meanings associated with a word beyond its denotation
Consonance-repetition of consonant sounds with differing vowel sounds in near words
Couplet-a stanza of two lines that usually rhyme
Dactyl-a metrical pattern consisting of one stressed and then two unstressed syllables
Denotation-the literal or dictionary meaning of a word
Diction-an author or poet's choice of words
Dramatic Poetry-poetry in which one or more characters speak
Elegy-a lyric poem lamenting death
Epic-a long narrative poem tracing the adventures of a hero
Foot-basic unit of measurement in rhythm, usually comprised of one accented syllable and one or more unaccented syllables
Free Verse-verse that has neither a regular rhyme nor meter, often uses cadences
Haiku-a 3-line 17-syll. (5-7-5) poem, usually about nature, often w/ a deeper meaning
Hyperbole-exaggeration used for emphasis or effect
Iamb-a metrical pattern of one unstressed, one stressed syllable
Image-a picture or likeness made w/ words to help the reader form a mental portrait
Imagery-excerpt that appeals to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, smell, hear
Irony-a term used to discuss the contrast between reality and what seems to be real
Lyric Poetry-short poetry that expresses a speaker's personal thoughts and feelings
Metaphor-fig. of speech that makes a comparison between 2 unlike things w/o 'like' or 'as'
Meter-a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that gives the poem rhythm
Narrative Poem-usually long poem that tells a story
Ode-a poem in praise of something divine or expressing some noble idea
Onomatopoeia-the use of a word or phrase that imitates the sound it describes--splash
Oxymoron-a combination of contradictory terms--jumbo shrimp
Personification-fig. of speech that gives human qualities to an animal, object, or idea
Poetry-writing that uses language, sound, and imagery to create an emotional effect
Pun-a play on words wherein a word is used to convey two meanings at the same time
Quatrain-a 4-line stanza that may be rhymed
Rhyme-the repetition of accented vowel sounds and all succeeding consonant sounds
Rhyme Scheme-pattern of rhymes formed by end rhyme of poem-new rhyme=new letter
Rhythm-pattern created by arranging stressed and unstressed syllables
Sarcasm-form of verbal irony, expresses sneering, personal disapproval in guise of praise
Satire-critical attitude w/ wit and humor to point out hypocrisy in human institutions
Simile-directly compares 2 unlike things using compare words such as 'like' or 'as'
Sonnet-14-line poem, usually iambic pentameter, with a varied rhyme scheme
Stanza-a group of lines forming a unit in poetry
Symbol-something that is of itself but represents something else, usually abstract, as well
Synesthesia-one sensory experience described in terms of another sensory experience
Theme-the main idea of a poem usually expressed as general statement about life
Tone-writer's attitude toward his readers and subject: mood or moral view
Understatement-expressing with less emphasis than actuality for effect