The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.
A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it.
A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language
Breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing, some abstract quality, an inanimate object, or a nonexistent character.
The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.
A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited
Poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton
A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line.
A kind of poetry without rhymed lines, rhythm, or fixed metrical feet
A poem or prose selection that laments or mediates on the passing or death of something or someone of value
Grating, inharmonious sounds
A pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often (but not always) marked by punctuation
A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language
Inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects
A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. In the sentence "May was hot and June the same," the verb "was" is omitted from the second clause
An abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form
A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative
A person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set
"In the middle of things"--a Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events, but at some other critical point.
A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement
The excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to their death
A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical, or possibly an ethical meaning
Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is.
A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose.
A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity
