Fiction Key Terms

Atmosphere – the emotional aura surrounding a certain setting

Example: In Virginia Woolf‟s “A Haunted House” (p. 129-130), the setting initially sets the

story up for an aura of fear, but as the story progresses, the emotional aura surrounding the

Haunted House is one of love (both past and present).

Setting – the time and place of a story

Example: Alice Munro‟s “Boys and Girls” (p. 218-231) takes place on a Huron County

farm in the Town of Jubilee post 1945.

Initiation Story – a story in which the main character, usually a child or adolescent,

undergoes an experience (right of passage) that prepares him or her for adulthood

Example: In Alice Munro‟s “Boys and Girls” (p. 218-231), both Mack's shooting and Flora's

escape are experiences that lead the narrator to finally accept her feminine identity.

Allegory – a device in which characters or events represent or symbolize ideas and concepts

Example: In Donald Barthelme‟s “The Glass Mountain” (p. 232-238), the narrator‟s quest of

climbing the glass mountain is symbolic of the writing process. Specifically, Barthelme

brings into question our conventional approaches to writing fiction and our view of

symbolism.

Total Omniscience: The Narrator, who is not present in the story, knows everything about all

or many of the characters‟ lives – past, present, and future, and may also reveal the thoughts

of any character in the story. An example of this is Joanna Russ‟, “Mr. Wilde‟s Second

Chance” (263-266).

Limited Omniscience: Limited or Selective Omniscience is when the narrator focuses on the

thoughts and perceptions of only a single character, being either a major or secondary

character. An example of limited omniscience is in Virginia Woolf‟s, “A Haunted House”

(129-130).

Style: refers to the characteristics and use of language in a particular story and to the same

characteristics in a writer‟s complete works. Style includes the author's word choice,

sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement, which are used to

establish mood, images, and meaning in the text. For example, John Cheever‟s, “Reunion”

(162-165), displays, for the most part, a straightforward, plain style.

Folk tale: a story originating in oral tradition

Eg. Barthelme “The Glass Mountain” (236; segment 80)

Picaresque: a piece of fiction depicting the adventures of a roguish character. The affairs of

the picaresque hero typically present a humorous satire of a given society

Eg. Wilde “The Sphinx without a Secret: An Etching” (91-96)

In medias res

o A type of dramatic structure in which the author opens with „blind‟ bit of action before

supplying context

o Usually describes a stable situation

o An example from our readings is Madeline Thien‟s “Simple Recipes.” Thien started the

story talking about the simplicity of making rice and the seemingly good relationship

between the father and daughter. As the daughter said at the end of the introduction “Then he

would rise, whistling, and clear the table, every motion so clean and sure, I would be convinced

by him that all was well in the world” (357). It made you think, as the reader, that the family

dynamic was good and that nothing could go wrong. That all changed when Thein brought

out the fish to symbolize the dying love the daughter has for her father

Complication

o Is a type of dramatic structure (def: the exact way in which our emotional involvement is

increased and relaxed)

o Definition: the appearance of some circumstance or event that shakes up the stable

situation begins the rising action of the story

o Can be internal or external, or a combination of both

o Complication is heightened by the conflict between two characters

o An example from our readings is in Alice Munro‟s “Boys and Girls” where the mother is

unhappy about the pelting going on in the house this is the „bump‟ in the road (pg. 218)

Rising action

o In the body of the story

o Contains a number of scenes, involving action and dialogue, builds to moments of crisis

(where resolution momentarily seems at hand but quickly disappears)

o An example from our readings is John Cheever‟s “Reunion” as rising action is evident with

the 4 episodes at 4 different restaurants. Despite getting kicked out of restaurants, the father

remains persistent with his negative behaviours and attitudes. This allows the reader to see

that the father has not changed at all and that the son has long surpassed the father in

respectability. The father, therefore, feels he has to impress his son. When being refused by

the fourth restaurant, the father says, “I Get it, you don‟t desire our patronage. Is that is? Well,

the hell with you…” (164).

Denouement - The final part of a plot (also known as resolution). The term literally means

'untying of a knot,' and many stories conclude with what the future holds for the characters.

(Example: "Reunion" by John Cheever pg. 162)

Closed denouement - This ties up everything together and explains all answered questions

that the reader might still have. (Example: "Boys and Girls" by Alice Munro pg. 218)

Open denouement - This leaves the reader provoked in the sense that there are still

some questions that remain unanswered by the end of the text. (Example: "Reunion" pg. 162

- by the end of the story we still do not know why Charlie never sees his father again)

Frame Tale: a short story in which there are stories within that are "framed" by a larger

narrative. (ex. Thomas King, "A Coyote Columbus Story" --pg. 293 in anthology)

Literary Genre: a writing style; a style of expressing yourself in writing (ex. short stories)

Tales: narratives that contain elements that are exotic or supernatural and that depart from the

level of ordinary experience (ex. Oscar Wilde, "The Sphinx Without a Secret: An Etching --

pg. 91 in anthology)

Characternym: A characternym is a literary technique used to draw the reader‟s attention

the character‟s personality through their name. An example of this exists in Timothy

Findley‟s “Stones” (218) with the character Ben. In French, Benjamin also means youngest

which is reflects Ben‟s naive personality.

Point of View: The point of view is the how the author presents information to the reader.

Depending of the point of view, the perspective of the narrative can change. Examples of

different point of views include first person, second person, and third person. The author can

also include a distinct narrative time, telling the story from either the present, past or future.

Even the voice of the narration can be unique, from stream of consciousness to the use of

character voices.

First-Person Narration: “In first person narration, the narrator is a participant in the action.

He or she may either be a major character (which is the case with “Charlie in Reunion”

(Cheever, 162)) or a minor character, which may be close to the event in time or distant from

it.” (Gwynn & Campbell, 51).

Flat Character- A character that is described in terms of one underlying personality trait. The

author describes the character with limited detail and does not include any other additional

elements. An example of a flat character is the father in `Reunion` (162), who is depicted only

as a rude alcoholic. One can see this in his first interaction with a waiter: ' "Calm down, calm

down, sommelier," my father said. "If it isn't too much to ask of you-if it wouldn't be too much

above and beyond the call of duty, we would like a couple of Beefeater Gibsons" ' (Cheever,

163). The father goes on to have similar interactions all throughout the story, emphasizing

these negative characteristics. A flat character that is barely described at all is termed a stock

character- someone used simply to advance the plot.

Round Character- A round character is one that is described in substantially more detail than

a flat character. A round character is given many more traits to contribute to its personality.

These may add to or even contradict each other. The author will go to great lengths to give the

reader a history of the character, as well as the character's own perspective in order to help the

reader identify with him or her. Characters of this type are more realistic than flat characters,

and are usually the story's protagonist. An example of a round character is the in "Simple

Recipes" (356). He attempts to keep his family together while simultaneously beating his son to

get his message across. The reader is exposed to a joking, light-hearted father: "Wok on the wild

side!" (Thien, 362), and a brutal, rough father: "My brother is lying on the floor, as if thrown

down and dragged there. My father raises the pole into the air" (Thien, 363).

Static Character- A static character is one that does not change throughout the course of the

story. The character's personality is fixed from the beginning, and often the reader is unaware

of why the character constantly acts the way they do. An example of a static character is also the

father in "Reunion" (162). He is first described as: "..a stranger to me-my mother divorced him

three years ago and I hadn't been with him since" (Cheever, 162). The reader gets the sense that

he is unlike the narrator, and throughout the story the father is indeed revealed as one who is

not socially competent, and is unable to connect with his son. This image is never changed or

rectified, keeping the character at one consistent level.

Climax: a moment of great intensity is the plot of a literary work, generally bringing events to a

head and leading to a conclusion. An example of the climax in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro

is when the girl opens the gate and lets the horse out. This story can be found on page 218 of

the anthology.

Falling Action: the sequence of events that follow the climax and end in resolution. This is in

contrast to the rising action which leads up to the plot's climax. An example of falling action in

Reunion by John Cheever is when Charlie leaves his father at the train station and never sees

him again, this is the resolution of the story. This story can be found on page 162 of the

anthology.

Epiphany: a term in literary criticism for a sudden realization, a flash of recognition in which

someone or something is seen in a new light. An example of an epiphany in Reunion by John

Cheever is when Charlie realizes that his father is someone he would not be able to get along

with and chooses to leave him. This story is found on page 162 of the anthology.

Theme: is the main idea of the text, expressed directly or indirectly. An example of theme in

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is darkness, grief and insanity. The way in which the narrator

is speaking towards the raven hints themes of insanity, the imagery hints themes of darkness,

and grief comes from the narrator directly when he calls out for "Lenore." This story can be

found on page 458.

Third-person narration: Either omniscient or limited. Omniscient third person narration allows the author to play the role of an all-knowing narrator who can recount the action thoroughly and reliably but also enter the mind of any character at any time. Such a narrator can reveal and conceal at will. Unreliable narrator: A narrator that either through naiveté, ignorance, or impaired mental processes, relates events in such a distorted manner that the reader, who recognizes this, is forced to rely on characters for narrative accuracy. Omniscience: A term used to describe an “all-knowing” narrator. Dynamic character: A character that undergoes change (gains insight, or knowledge) during the narrative. Interior monologue: A mode of narrative intended to reveal to the reader the subjective thoughts, emotions, and fleeting sensations experienced by a character. Interior monologue is a type of stream of consciousness, in which a character’s subjective and ever-flowing mental commentary and observation are presented, usually though free and indirect discourse. Stream of consciousness: A literary technique that approximates the flow (or jumble) of thoughts and sensory impressions that pass through the mind each instant. Psychological association (rather than rules of syntax or logic) determines the presence or absence, as well as the order of elements in the “stream.” Protagonist: The most important or leading character in a work; usually identical to the hero or heroine, but not always. Antagonist: The principal character who is in opposition to the protagonist in a narrative work. Anti-hero: A protagonist in a modern work who does not exhibit the qualities of a traditional hero. Instead of being a grand and/or admirable figure—brave, honest, and magnanimous, for example—an anti-hero is all too ordinary and may even be petty or downright dishonest. Unified plot: A plot in which the action is more or less continuous within a single day. Example: Reunion Episodic plot: The form of a work containing a series of incidents or episodes that are loosely connected by a larger subject matter or thematic structure but that could stand on their own. Exposition: A part of dramatic structure that provides the reader with essential information—who, what, when, where—he or she needs to know before continuing.

Plot: The arrangement and interrelation of event in a narrative work, chosen and designed to engage the reader’s attention and interest . Flashback: A scene that interrupts the present action of a narrative work to depict some earlier event—often an event that occurred before the opening scene of the work—via reverie, remembrance, dreaming, or some other mechanism. Foreshadowing: A literary device used to hint at future actions in the story. An effective use of foreshadowing prevents a story’s outcome from seeming haphazard or contrived. Symbol (use the definition from the Introduction to Poetry section, p. 386): Any concrete thing or action that implies a meaning beyond its literal sense.

Poetry Key Terms:

Auditor- the person or persons spoken to in the poem

Example: “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, page 458-462, lines 97-102

Metaphor- a direct comparison between two unlike things.

Example: “Dulce et Decorum Est” Wilfred Owen, page 538-539, line 17

Volta/turn- usually a conjunction or conjunctive adverb like “but” or “then,” may appear at

the beginning of the sestet, signifying a slight change of direction of thought. Many Italian

sonnets have a strong logical connection between octave and sestet problem/solution,

cause/effect, question/answer and the volta helps to clarify the transition.

Example: “Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare, page 416, lines 13-14

Neologism- “a word made up by a poet.” (p 380) Neologism is being utilized in the poem

“Pity this busy monster, manunkind” by e.e. cummings (p 543)

Petrarchan Conceit- “is a clichéd comparison usually relating to a woman‟s beauty.” (p 383-

384) Petrarchan Conceit is being utilized in “Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare (p 416)

Allusion- “a metaphor making a direct comparison to a historical or literary event or

character, a myth, a biblical reference, and so forth.” (p 384) Allusion is being utilized in the

poem “The Future” by Leonard Cohen (p 625)

Simile: a comparison using “like” or “as” or “than” as a connective device. (Anthology

pg.383)

Example: Shakespeare‟s “Sonnet 130”

My mistress‟ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips‟ red;

Conceit: an extended or far-fetched metaphor, in most cases comparing things that apparently

have almost nothing in common. (Anthology pg.383)

Example: Thomas‟ “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”

“Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,” (8)

Elegy: a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead. (Oxford Dict.)

Example: “The Raven” by Poe is an elegy because the narrator was devastated over his lover,

lamenting her. “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,”(1)

Prosody/metre: A pattern of rhythm in poetry (Dr. Y‟s lect. slide). The basic rhythmic

structure of a verse or lines in a verse. (goggle). Example= the rhythm in the lines of the poem

“Richard Cory”

Whenever Richard Cory went down town.

This pattern of rhythm (metre) is used through most of the poem.

Accentual-syllabic verse: the most important prosodic system in English. It requires that the

poet count both the strongly stressed syllables and the total number of syllable in the line.

(Course text. 393). This is where we talk of the trimeter(3) or the hexameter(6). For example:

Whenever Richard Cory went down town.

This has a metre consisting of 5 strongly stressed syllables so it is a pentameter.

Iamb: this is a metrical feet consisting of one stressed and unstressed syllable. (Course text.

393). For example:

˘ ´ / ˘ ´ / ˘ ´ / ˘ ´ / ˘ ´

Whenev/er Rich/ard Co/ry went/ down town.

The slashes “/” denote each metrical feet and each feet is composed of a stressed („) and

unstressed (˘) syllable which means it is an iamb. Since all its metrical feet contain a stressed

and unstressed syllable, it is an iambic pentameter.

Internal rhyme: rhyme between a word within a line and another word either at the end of

the same line or at the end of another line.

“While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “(Poe, The Raven, 458)

Rhyme scheme: the arrangement of rhymes in a stanza or poem.

Villanelle‟s, for example, have a set rhyme scheme:

A1 b A2/ a b A1/ a b A2/ a b A1/ a b A2/a b A1 A2

Dylan Thomas – Do \Not Go Gentle into That Good Night 573

Elizabeth Bishop – One Art 564-565

Prose poetry: a form of poetry where the author is not limited on the lengths of the lines they

can use, (as they are in verse poetry).

The Colonel by Carolyn Forche 682

Couplet: paired rhyming lines (aabbcc…)

Eg. Coleridge “Metrical Feet” (448-449)

Trochee-A stressed syllable followed by an unstressed (hard than soft)

The Raven-“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying

ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.” (Poe, 6-7)

Dactyl-A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed (hard,soft,soft)

Dulce et Decorum est-“Fitting the clumsy helmets"(Owen, 10)

Anapest-Two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed (soft,hard,hard)

Dulce et Decorum Est-“Till on the haunting flares(2) we turned our backs” (Owen,3)

Persona: - A technical word that is often used to designate the speaker of the poem (plural:

personae)

- The aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others.

Example: pg 690. My Mother, A Closet Full of Dresses by Janice Kulyk Keefer. (The persona is

the daughter of the mother who is the subject of the poem.)

Quatrain: - A stanza of four lines

Example: pg 515. Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson (Poem is composed of quatrains.)

Confessional Poetry: - Emphasizes the intimate, and sometimes unflattering, information

about details of the poet's personal life.

- It can be called autobiographical poetry.

- Not necessarily criminal or religious. It is more of the poet's emotional

responses to situations than biographical facts about them.

Example:pg 651. I Go Back to May 1937 by Sharon Olds

Feminine Rhyme: rhyming words that match two syllables, the first stressed and the second

unstressed

Example: “The Raven” (pg 458, 3-5)

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door

Napping, tapping, rapping, are all words with two syllables, the first stressed and second

unstressed and they rhyme. Therefore, they are feminine rhymes

Slant Rhyme: known as near and off rhyme, contains hints of sound repetition but are not

exactly rhymes (the words sound similar but lack correspondence)

Example: “What lips my lips have kisses, and where, and why” (pg.537, 4-5)

Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh

Upon the glass and listen for reply

Sign and reply sound like rhymes in these lines, but are actually not. Therefore, they are slant

rhymes.

End rhyme: when rhymes occur at the end of the lines follow a pattern (the pattern is then

known as rhyme scheme)

Example: “The Raven” (pg 458, 1-6)

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, A

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore – B

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, C

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door – B

“ 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door – B

Only this and nothing more." B

The end rhyme pattern is “ABCBBB” throughout the poem.

Another example is “Neither Our Far nor in Deep” (pg. 517). The rhyming scheme is “ABAB”

throughout the poem.

Symbol - any concrete thing or action in a poem that implies a meaning beyond its literal

sense. Example from "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe (pp 458-462): the raven as a symbol of

the narrator's madness.

Irony - the element of tone by which a poet may imply an attitude that is contrary to what

his or her words appear to say.

Example from "History Lesson" by Jeanette Armstrong (pp 74-675): stanzas 4 and 5.

Alliteration - the repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Example from "My Mother, a Closet Full of Dresses" by Janice Kulyk Keefer (pp 690-691):

"though it was still Depression/designers a dime a dozen." (line 29-30)

Free Verse: no consistent metrical pattern, rhyme can be terse and/or clipped. (Sharon Olds

“I Go Back to May 1937” pg 651-652)

Concrete Poetry: Arrangement of the poem on the page that differentiates it from prose.

Also known as a visual poetry, where the arrangement of words is important to the poem‟s

meaning. (George Herbert “Easter Wing” pg 420)

Stanza: how lines are arranged in a poem, especially how they are grouped into blocks.

Uniform stanza: when all grouped lines are equal to other groups (Robert Frost

“Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” pg 517-518)

Irregular ode: stanzas of varying length (Florence Cassen Mayers “All American

Sestina” pg 642-643)

2 line stanza is a couplet.

3 line stanza is tercet (Dylan Thomas “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” pg

573, line 1-3)

4 line stanza is quatrain (Robert Frost “Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” pg 517-518, line

1-4)

5 - quintet

6 - sestet

7 - septet

8 – octave

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Sonnet: consists of fourteen lines of rhymed iambic pentameter. The English sonnet, also

known as the Shakespearean sonnet employs a different rhyme scheme that takes into

consideration the relative scarcity of rhymes in English (compared with Italian). The English

sonnet has a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFG and is usually printed as a single stanza.

The pattern of three English quatrains plus a heroic couplet often forces a slightly different

organizational scheme on the poet, although many of Shakespeare's sonnets still employ a

strong volta at the beginning of the ninth line.

Example: William Shakespeare Sonnet 18, p. 414

Lyric: originally comprised of brief poems that were meant to be sung or chanted to the

accompaniment of a lyre. Lyric poetry has now become such a large category that it includes

virtually all poems that are about a subject, such as the poet's emotions, an abstract ideas, a

satirical insight or a description of a person/place, and contains little narrative.

Example: Leonard Cohen's The Future, p. 625

Italian/ Petrarchan sonnet: often described as the original form of the sonnet. Usually cast in

two stanzas, an octave rhyming abbaabba and a sestet with a variable rhyme scheme;

cdcdcd, cdecde, and cddcee are some of the possible patterns. Many Italian sonnets have a

strong logical connection between octave and sestet problem/solution, cause/effect,

question/ answer and the volta helps to clarify the transition.

Example: Edna St. Vincent Millay; What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why,

p. 537

Onomatopoeia: Individual words like "buzz" or "thump", which have meanings closely

related to their sounds. Uses: to enhance auditory imagery. Onomatopoeia is used best in the

course in the poem Metrical Foot by S. T. Coleridge (448), specifically the words "thundering"

and "march".

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Villanelle: A nineteen lined poem which is typically written in iambic pentameter. It contains

five tercets (3 lines) plus a quatrain. The poem contains two refrains that are repeated

throughout, marked as A1 and A2: A1bA2 / abA1 / abA2 / abA1 / abA2 /abA1A2. An example

would be Dylan Thomas's poem, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night (573).

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Sestina: A thirty-nine lined poem that can be either in free verse or metered form. Each line

uses 6 words, each of which end in a different word of the six. There are 6 sestets (6 lines

each) with different patterns for the end words of each stanza (ABCDEF, FAEBDC,

CFDABE, ECBFAD, DEACFB, BDFECA), plus a final stanza that is a tercet (3 lines)

which must incorporate all six words. The tercet ends in either ECA or ACE form, with the

words B, D, and F also used between the three lines FIX. One example of this poem through

the course is Florence Cassen Mayers' poem, All American Sestina (page 642-643). This

sestina is backwards with each of the six words beginning the lines

Diction

Definition: Choice of words and phrases in speech or in writing.

Text where it is utilized: Everything we've read in the class. Ever.

English/Shakespearean Sonnet Definition: A sonnet form, popularized by Shakespeare, which the following rhyme scheme:

abab cdcd efef gg.

Text where it is utilized: Sonnet 130

Imagery (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory)

Definition: Visual imagery is what you see, Auditory what you hear, Olfactory what you

smell, Gustatory what you taste.

Text where it is utilized: Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night ("Grave men, near death,

whosee with blinding sight")

reve – (U) <- U shaped symbol

· Symbol used to mark unstressed syllables (lecture note: October 19 “Sound,

Repetition, Rhythm)

Ictus – (/)

· Symbol used to mark stressed syllable (lecture note: October 19 “Sound, Repetition,

Rhythm)

The following are all found on page 394:

Trimeter – three feet

Tetrameter – four feet

Pentameter – five feet

Hexameter – six feet

Heptameter – seven feet

Octameter – eight feet

Masculine Rhyme-Occurs in single stressed syllable

Caesura:

The separation of metrical feet in a poem. When scanning a poem it would be marked with “/”

when dividing the feet.

End-stopped lines:

When the lines of poetry have punctuation that indicate a break in the reading (comma,

period, semi colon etc.)

Ex. R.S. Gwynn “Approaching a Significant Birthday, He Peruses The Norton Anthology of

Poetry”

o Stanza 3:

“The woods decay, the woods decay and fall –

Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sing.

Assonance-Repetition of similar vowel words

-ex. „pity this busy monster,manunkind, not. Progress is a comfortable disease: your victim

(death and life safely beyond) plays with the bigness of his littleness...” (page 543)

Consonance-Repetition of similar consonant words

-ex. “...though it was still Depression designers a dime a dozen...” (page 691)

What but design of darkness appall?

An aged man is but a paltry thing.”

Enjambed lines:

Lines of a poem that runs on to the next without punctuation that indicates a stop

Ex. Janice Kulyk Keefer “My Mother, a Closet Full of Dresses”

o Stanza 1:

“In Poland, needing address

For the potato masher to become a doll,

she cut out a patch from somebody‟s

Sunday skirt – black silk, good enough

to be buried in; waterfalling folds –

no one would notice. Before the whole church,

Baba bent to kiss the icons; her skirts

fanned, the missing patch a window

to her starched white drawers.

My Mother whipped until she could not sit;

the baba never setting foot

in church again.”

Metrical substitution is the term used to describe a poet's departure from 'regular meter'. A

poem's 'regular meter' is the metrical pattern upon which the poem is based. Sometimes,

separate stanzas will have different metrical patterns, in which case, you can speak of each

stanza as having its own regular meter. Then, you can think of 'metrical substitution' as the

occasional substitution of a word or words that do not fit into the 'regular' pattern of meter

that belongs to the poem or stanza.

Pyrrhic: consists of stressed syllables

Spondee: consists of two stressed syllables

Example: The poem “Metrical Feet” (448), which Samuel Taylor wrote for his sons,

illustrated these variations.

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Feminist

Freudian

Colonialism

Conceit - extended [or far-fetched] metaphor [in most cases comparing things that apparently have almost nothing in common]

Petrarchan conceit - named after the first great master of the sonnet, is a clichéd comparison usually relating to a woman's beauty; used in love poetry

Alliteration - repetition of the initial consonant sound Assonance - Repetition of similar vowel sounds Consonance- repetition of similar consonant sounds Masculine rhyme - rhyme between single stressed syllable Feminine rhyme- (a.k.a. double rhyme), matches two syllables, the first is stressed the

second usually unstressed Prose poetry- not concerned about the length of individual lines and is governed by the

width of the paper being used Prosody/meter- system of measurement of poetry Iamb- metric foot with two syllables; unstressed, stressed Trochee - metric foot with two syllables; stressed, unstressed Dactyl - metric foot with three syllables; stressed, unstressed, unstressed Anapest- metric foot with three syllables; unstressed, unstressed, stressed Caesura- pause within a line End-stopped lines- clearly pause at conclusion Enjambed lines- run onto next line with no pause regardless of using new line Metrical substitution- a foot of a different type are substituted for what the meter

calls for Pyrrhic- two syllable foot with two unstressed syllables Spondee- two syllable foot with two stressed syllables Free verse - poetry with no consistent metric pattern Concrete poetry- places emphasis/importance on topographical arrangement of the

poetry to convey a message Italian/Petrarchan sonnet - Petarche - Father of sonnet; 14 line sonnet written in

iambic pentameter; two sections: first 8 lines is the Octava - abbaabba, remaining 6 lines is the sestet and can have 2 or 3 rhyming sounds: cdcdcd, cddcdc, cdecde,cdeced, cdcedc

English/Shakespearean Sonnet- 14 lines of iambic pentameter; ababcdcdefefgg end rhyme pattern

Villanelle- fixed verse form poetry, 19 line poem; 5 tercets followed by a quatrain, 2 refrains and 2 repeating rhymes with no established meter; A1bA2, abA1, abA2 ... abA1A2

Volta - in literature is a turn or shift at the point of dramatic change; used in sonnets at the end of the octave to shift from problem to solution (Petarchan) or in the last two lines (Shakesperean)

Elegy- lyric on the occasion of death Neologism- the process whereby the author makes up his or her own word Cacophony- sounds that are deliberately unpleasant Euphony- a series of pleasant sounds Italian / Petrarchan sonnet abba abba cdcdcd

English / Shakespearean sonnet abab cdcd efef gg

Villanelle 19 line poem usually written in iambic pentameter has 2 refrain lines a1& a2

volta conjunction adverb signifies a slight change in thought

accentual-syllabic verse poet has count the strongly stressed syllables and total amount of syllables

caesura pause within a line usually expressed through punctuation

concrete poetry a rhyme scheme using a purely visual design

sestina 39-lines 6 stanzas repetition of the end words in the first stanza

elegy poem meant for the dead

conceit extended metaphor of things that have almost nothing in common

Petrarchan conceit cliché comparison usually to a women’s beauty

Allusion compares to something well-known

alliteration repetition of the initial consonant sounds

assonance repetition of similar vowel sounds

consonance repetition of similar consonant sounds

masculine rhyme occurs between single stressed syllables

feminine rhyme matches 2 syllables 1st stressed 2nd unstressed

slant rhyme contains hints of sound repetition

prose poetry writing that uses language in a poetic manner but avoids any type of metre

prosody / metre how rhythm is expressed in the poem

enjambed lines rhyming scheme carries into another line

metrical substitution feet of a different type is substituted for what the meter calls for

pyrrhic 2 unstressed syllables

spondee 2 stressed syllables

free verse has no consistent meter

stanza consistent patterns in the individual units of the poem

Sonnet: consists of fourteen lines of rhymed iambic pentameter. The English sonnet, also

known as the Shakespearean sonnet employs a different rhyme scheme that takes into

consideration the relative scarcity of rhymes in English (compared with Italian). The English

sonnet has a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFG and is usually printed as a single stanza.

The pattern of three English quatrains plus a heroic couplet often forces a slightly different

organizational scheme on the poet, although many of Shakespeare's sonnets still employ a

strong volta at the beginning of the ninth line.

Example: William Shakespeare Sonnet 18, p. 414

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Villanelle: A nineteen lined poem which is typically written in iambic pentameter. It contains

five tercets (3 lines) plus a quatrain. The poem contains two refrains that are repeated

throughout, marked as A1 and A2: A1bA2 / abA1 / abA2 / abA1 / abA2 /abA1A2. An example

would be Dylan Thomas's poem, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night (573).

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Sestina: A thirty-nine lined poem that can be either in free verse or metered form. Each line

uses 6 words, each of which end in a different word of the six. There are 6 sestets (6 lines

each) with different patterns for the end words of each stanza (ABCDEF, FAEBDC,

CFDABE, ECBFAD, DEACFB, BDFECA), plus a final stanza that is a tercet (3 lines)

which must incorporate all six words. The tercet ends in either ECA or ACE form, with the

words B, D, and F also used between the three lines FIX. One example of this poem through

the course is Florence Cassen Mayers' poem, All American Sestina (page 642-643). This

sestina is backwards with each of the six words beginning the lines

reve – (U) <- U shaped symbol

· Symbol used to mark unstressed syllables (lecture note: October 19 “Sound,

Repetition, Rhythm)

Ictus – (/)

· Symbol used to mark stressed syllable (lecture note: October 19 “Sound, Repetition,

Rhythm)

The following are all found on page 394:

Trimeter – three feet

Tetrameter – four feet

Pentameter – five feet

Hexameter – six feet

Heptameter – seven feet

Octameter – eight feet

2 line stanza is a couplet.

3 line stanza is tercet (Dylan Thomas “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” pg

573, line 1-3)

4 line stanza is quatrain (Robert Frost “Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” pg 517-518, line

1-4)

5 - quintet

6 - sestet

7 - septet

8 – octave

Picaresque: a piece of fiction depicting the adventures of a roguish character. The affairs of

the picaresque hero typically present a humorous satire of a given society

Eg. Wilde “The Sphinx without a Secret: An Etching” (91-96)

In medias res

o A type of dramatic structure in which the author opens with „blind‟ bit of action before

supplying context

o Usually describes a stable situation

o An example from our readings is Madeline Thien‟s “Simple Recipes.” Thien started the

story talking about the simplicity of making rice and the seemingly good relationship

between the father and daughter. As the daughter said at the end of the introduction “Then he

would rise, whistling, and clear the table, every motion so clean and sure, I would be convinced

by him that all was well in the world” (357). It made you think, as the reader, that the family

dynamic was good and that nothing could go wrong. That all changed when Thein brought

out the fish to symbolize the dying love the daughter has for her father

Feminist

Freudian

Colonialism