| Question | Answer |
| ANTHROMORPHISM | representation of an object as having human forms or traits. (ex. gods) |
| APOSTROPHE | someone dead/ something not human addessed as if they could respond |
| BOMBAST | a pompous/ pretentious talk or writing |
| CARICATURE | a copy/imitation so distorted as to be ludicrous |
| ABSTRACT | refers to ideas that cannot be felt with any of the five senses |
| ALLEGORY | represents an abstract idea with a physical manifestation; (ex. a boy gives a girl flowers because he cares about her, he can't give her 'care') |
| ANALOGY | comparison between two different subjects to highlight a similarity |
| IN MEDIAS RES | describing a narrative that begins in the middle of the story ( The Odyssey) |
| LAMENT | express sorrow or grief |
| ASIDE | actor/actress who says something to the audience that the rest of the case is not meant to hear |
| SYNTAX | pattern/formation of sentences/phrases; the "flow" of a sentence/phrase |
| EPITAPH | an inscription on a tomb |
| APHORISM | short phrase revealing a truth or opinion |
| DICTION | choice of words |
| ANACHRONISM | state of being out of place/time |
| LYRIC | thoughts or emotions in a song like form |
| BILDUNGSROMAN | a book showing a character's development (owen meany, or any coming of age story) |
| COLLOQUIALISM | informal expressions used in every day language (slang?) |
| DIRGE | funeral song/tune |
| ALLITERATION | literary device that uses the same consonant for majority of the words in a phrase |
| BALLAD | simple poem of folk origin that tells a story |
| ELEGY | mournful/melancholy poem/song for he dead |
| FARCE | a light, humerous play whose plot depends on the skillfully exploited situation |
| FOIL | a character who serves as a contrast to another character highlighting the other character's traits |
| ARCHAISM | a word/phrase that is old fashioned |
| IMPLICIT | implied rather that directly stated |
| MELODRAMATIC | an over exaggeration of emotions |
| GENRE | literary "species" or form (comedy, tradegy, romance, sci-fi, etc) |
| CONNOTATION | the deeper meaning/understanding behind the word |
| AESTHETIC | not necessarily physically beautiful, but beautiful in its idea |
| ENJAMBMENT | flow of words without syntax; a poem without any order |
| METAPHOR | a comparison that DOESN'T use the words 'like' or 'as' |
| HUBRIS | excessive arrogance |
| CONCEIT | a genius metaphor |
| CANTO | main divisions of long poetry |
| INTERIOR MONOLOGUE | a continuous stream of thoughts without any syntax |
| IRONY | discrepency between the expected results and the actual results |
| FREE VERSE | a kind of verse that does not conform to any meter ( in the style of the poet T.S. Eliot) |
| COUPLET | a verse of two lines that rhymes with equal lines |
| EUPHEMISM | substitution of a mid/indirect/ vague statement for one thought to be offensive |
| ANECDOTE | a short account of an interesting or humerous incident |
| FOOT | the rhythm that makes up a verse |
| NEMESIS | an opponent or situation that cannot be overcome easily |
| CATHARSIS | a purifying of emotions, especially pity or fear; described by Aristotle as an effect of tragic drama |
| CADENCE | balanced with rhythmic flow, as of poetry |
| ALLUSION | a figure of speech that makes a reference to something well known |
| EPIC | long narrative poem that chronicles a journey over a long period of time |
| FORESHADOWING | to show/indicate future events |
| SIMILIE | a comparison using like or as |
| ANTI-HERO | someone who shows heroism traits in unconventional ways. |
| HYPERBOLE | a gross exaggeration |
| DENOTATION | dictionary definition of a word; a word's literal meaning |
| BLACK HUMOR | bitter/ironic humor that deals or represents with unpleasent aspects of life |
