Lit Terms PresentationEmily Beaudette, Amy Bryant, Manuel Rios, Rebecca Stobby

Tercet● any three lines of poetry, whether as a stanza or as a poem,

rhymed or unrhymed, metered or unmetered● PB Shelley and Lord Byron often used tercet poetry form● Ter means three, so it’s easy to remember a tercet is any

three lines of poetry

Theme● An underlying meaning,

message, or moral of a literary work that is stated directly or indirectly

● Example: The theme of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is lying and deceiving others breaks trust.

● Way to remember theme: Theme Helps Evaluate Meaning Everywhere

Volta● The turn of thought or argument in a sonnet

○ For a Petrarchan sonnet, this occurs between the octave and the sestet○ For a Shakespearean sonnet, this occurs before the final two lines

● Example: When the poem changes from describing one’s flawed beauty to admiring the person’s inner beauty and qualities, this is the volta.

● The root vol means to turn!!

Zeugma● A figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses or

to two others of which it suits only one● Example: The farmers grew potatoes and bored. Queen Anne “dost sometimes

counsel take—and sometimes tea.” (“The Rape of the Lock”)● A way to remember: If you are doing Zumba (which sounds similar to zeugma),

your eyes and calves will be weeping.

Abstract● As applied to writing or literary works, abstract refers to words or phrases that

name things not knowable through the five senses. Can be a feeling. ● Example: Love or art can be abstract. ● Way to Remember: ABS-track. Someone brags about their abs, but you have to

squint to see them.

Allegory● A narrative technique in which characters representing objects or abstract ideas

are used to convey a message or teach a lesson. Allegory is typically used to teach moral, ethical, or religious lessons but is sometimes used for satiric or political purposes.

● Examples: ○ John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, George Orwell's Animal Farm and Golding’s lord of the

Flies○ Tortoise and the Hare: Slow and steady wins the race

● Way to Remember: All-are-gory. The message is that everyone is human, and sometimes we don’t look perfect.

Alliteration● The repetition of a speech sound in a sequence of nearby words. ● Example:

○ Sally sells seashells by the sea shore ○ Coleridge’s Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

● Ways to remember: All-iteration: iteration meant to repeat. L’s repeat in the word.

Ambiguity● Ambiguity is a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one

meaning, or a hidden one. Ambiguous words or statements can lead to vagueness and confusion.

● Examples: ○ Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

● Way to remember: ambiguity is a hidden meaning, and the word BIG is hidden in the word.

Analogy● Definition: A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of

explanation or clarification● Example: “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”● Way to remember (Mnemonic device):

The term has the word “log” in it so you can think of the analogy that someone is as important to you as logs to a fire (meaning they are very important). From that you can think of the definition being a comparison.

Anaphora● Definition: The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive

clauses.● Example: “Every century. Every year. Every month. Every day”● Way to remember (Mnemonic device): Imagine that

one person presenting in your class that does not know

how to use different vocabulary for the start of their

Sentences. (--------->) Annnnn...aphora…. And…...

Anastrophe● Definition: The inversion of the usual order of words or clauses.● Example: “Into the goal, the player shot the ball”● Way to remember (Mnemonic device): Just think about how Yoda talks (maybe

this picture will help more)

Anticlimax● Definition: A disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events.● Example: A person in a movie slowly walks down a long highway to a room

with a strange noise coming from inside with the door moving back and forth. Then he reaches the room and notices a toy car is continuously hitting the door and the television is playing the strange noise.

● Way to remember (Mnemonic device): “Anti-” means

opposite and climax is the most important or exciting part of

something, so think of the term as the opposite of exciting or

impressive.

Antithesis● Definition: A figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is

expressed by parallelism of words that are opposites of , or strongly contrasted with, each other.

● Example: John Milton writes in “Paradise Lost” that it is “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n”.

● Way to remember (Mnemonic device):

Again, “anti-” means opposite and thesis

means a statement, so think of the term as

a statement of “opposing” ideas.

EpigraphDefinition: a pertinent motto at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc.

Basically, it’s an attention getter. Have you ever used a quote to start off an essay? That was an epigraph! You used a well-known saying from a notable author to draw a connection to what you had to say.

Epi- means “before” and a graph is a connection of lines and shapes, so an epigraph is the quote that precedes the thematic connections you make in essays and writers make in literature.

AppositionDefinition: the setting of a second word beside a first as an adjunct term

Example: Peter, King of Narnia

Basically, it’s a descriptive repetition of the noun.

Maui,

shapeshifter,

demigod of the

wind and sea,

hero of men

EpistropheDefinition: the repetition of the same word at the end of clauses or sentences.

Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...we had everything before us, we had nothing before us” (A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)

AnadiplosisDefinition: repetition of a word, especially the last word, of one clause at the beginning of the next.

Example: Anna ran through the field of flowers. Flowers were her favorite part of springtime.