Lit Terms Set 2

Front

Allegory

Back

A form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, places, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings outside the narrative itself. It represents one thing in the guise of another.

Front

Apostrophe

Back

A tool in which a speaker addresses someone or something who is usually not present or cannot or will not respond.

Front

Canto

Back

Sections or divisions in a long poem.

Front

Digression

Back

A temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing. It involves the insertion of material which is often off-topic or reiteration of material to the subject.

Front

Grotesque (literary)

Back

Concerned with the distortion/transgression of boundaries, be they physical, psychological, or anything in between. It involves exaggeration and fits between the real and the fantastic, often containing a fusion of human with animal, vegetable, machine, or other combinations.

Front

Perspective

Back

The viewpoint from which the author wants the reader to follow or understand the work. It can be manipulated through change of narrator and is connected to narrator point of view.

Front

Poetic Justice

Back

An outcome, either a reward or punishment, which can be ironic, the opposite of what is expected, or perfectly suited to the character or situation.

Front

Poetic License

Back

The liberty taken by an author to achieve a desired effect; it may involve changes in sound, syntax, diction, or factual changes in setting, events, or situations.

Front

Terza Rima

Back

A three-line stanza, supposedly devised by Dante for The Divine Comedy, rhymed aba, bcb, cdc, etc.

Front

Irony (Situational)

Back

An event or outcome that is the opposite of what is or might be expected.