Literary Terms

                              Some important  Literary Terms:

Alliteration:

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

"the alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’"

Simile: a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion ).

o    the use of similes as a method of comparison.

"his audacious deployment of simile and metaphor"

Metaphor:

A metaphor is a figure of speech that identifies something as being the same as some unrelated thing for rhetorical effect, thus highlighting the similarities between the two.

Iambic pentameter: Iambic pentameters refers to a certain kind of line of poetry, and has to do with the number of syllables in the line and the emphasis placed on those syllables. Many of Shakespeare's works are often used as great examples of iambic pentameter.

Satire:

Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption.

Allusion Definition:

Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

Allegory Definition

Allegory is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events. It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story with a purpose of teaching an idea and a principle or explaining an idea or a principle. The objective of its use is to preach some kind of a moral lesson.

Definition of Blank Verse:

Blank verse is a literary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter. In poetry and prose, it has a consistent meter with 10 syllables in each line (pentameter); where, unstressed syllables are followed by stressed ones and five of which are stressed but do not rhyme. It is also known as un-rhymed iambic pentameter.

Conceit:

 conceit  is a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphor

Exaggeration:

 Exaggeration is a statement that makes something worse, or better than it really is. In literature and oral communication, writers and speakers use it as a literary technique for extra stress and drama in a piece of work or speech.

Definition of Humor:

Humor is a literary tool that makes audience laugh, or that intends to induce amusement or laughter. Its purpose is to break the monotony, boredom and tedium, and make the audience’s nerves relaxed. The writer uses different techniques, tools, words and even full sentences in order to bring to light the new and funny sides of life. Humor is often found literature, theater, movies and advertising, where the major purpose is to make the readers and the audience happy.

Definition of Sonnet:

The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word “sonetto”. It means a small or little song or lyric. In poetry, a sonnet has 14 fourteen lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme and a “volta” or a specific turn.

Theme Definition

Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.