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an implied comparison in which one thing is described in terms of another
Metaphor
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Lyricists interested in the things of the mind, the soul, and eternity. These poets used rich imagery and elaborate conceits to express devotional themes and the complexity and contradiction of life
Metaphysical Poets
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the measured rhythm of a poem.
meter
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a meter in which the first and third lines contain eight syllables and the second and fourth lines contain six syllables
Common meter
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a four-line stanza with each line containing eight syllables
long meter
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a meter in which the first, second, and fourth lines have six syllables and the third line has eight syllables
short meter
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substituting a word or phrase for another term closely related with it.
Metonymy
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The traditional moral values of the middle class based on Christian principles; often used by liberals as a derogatory term
Middle-class Morality
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A medieval play founded on the legend of a saint or on a miracle performed by a saint.
miracle play
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A dramatic allegory in which the vices and virtues waged for the possession of the human soul. The morality play became popular toward the end of the fourteenth century.
morality play
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A medieval play based on biblical history and scriptural themes. The mystery plays were first performed as part of the church services, but later they were performed outside in the town's streets or in another open space of the town or village
mystery play
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A European movement characterized by an interest in and imitation of classical works and styles, emphasizing conformity to fixed literary standards, proper patterns of outward social conduct, formality, restraint, polish, and elegance.
Neoclassicism
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A type of extended prose fiction. Means "new", and it is a form developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It has characters, a plot, a theme, and a setting
novel
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The original mystery and horror story setting the Middle Ages in a castle with dark rooms, squeaking doors, mysterious stairways, underground passages, and trapdoors-all used to create an uncanny atmosphere.
gothic novel
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Sought to show the spirit of a past age or to recreate a person or series of events of the past; introduced by Sir Walter Scott
Historical Novel
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Dealt with social customs and manners of a particular time and place; perfected by Jane Austen
novel of manners
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Works out through characters and incidents some central problem dealing with a special social, political, economic, or moral issue or problem and often strongly advocates a specific solution.
Novel of Purpose/ Problem Novel
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Novel dealing with the motives of characters as well as the problems they are faced with.
Psychological Novel
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An eight-line stanza often used to emphasize the first eight lines of an Italian sonnet.
Octave
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One of the most formal and most complex types of lyrical poetry. It has a fixed purpose and deals with one dignified theme. It may be written according to a variety of forms
Ode
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Using words which sound like what they mean.
Onomatopoeia
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A movement within the Anglican Church led by John Henry Newman from 1833 to 1845 which sought to return to the rituals and practices of the Roman Catholic Church
Oxford Movement
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A movable stage, platform, or scaffold upon which medieval dramas were performed. Often these movable stages were also called pageant wagons.
Pageant
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the false idea that the spirit of God dwells in nature and that to commune with nature is to commune with God
Pantheism
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A truth expressed in the form of an apparent contradiction
Paradox
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The repetition of ideas in slightly differing form; the construction of two or more thoughts in the same pattern
Parallelism
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a retelling of a work in one's own words. A paraphrase of poetry is usually a line-by-line translation of poetry into prose
Paraphrase
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A classical love song dealing with shepherd and rustic life, often presenting an idealized concept of rural life.
Pastoral
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A comparison in which human qualities are given to an inanimate object or animal
Personification
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The arrangement of events in a story or play; the sequence of related actions
Plot
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Language that is reserved for poetry only
Poetic Diction
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A court poet or official state poet.
Poet laureate
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the method of presenting the reader with the material of the story; the perspective from with the story is told
point of view
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The author tells the story from the viewpoint of one character, using either first or third person
limited point of view
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The author presents the characters in action with no comment, allowing the reader the come to his own conclusions about them
objective point of view
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an all-knowing author is the narrator who comments freely on the actions and characters as he is able to delve into the minds of all characters and tell what they think or feel
omniscient point of view
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A group of poets in the second holf of the eighteenth century who turned away from the formality of Alexander Pope and began writing poetry characterized by warmth of expression, a sense of mystery, a delight in wonder, a love for nature, an interest in the past, and a concern for simple country folk. These poets included William Cowper, Thomas Gray, Oliver Goldsmith, William Blake, and Robert Burns.
Pre-Romantics
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A hero who is usually in conflict with an opponent called the antagonist
protagonist
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a group of four lines or a four-line stanza pattern used in poetry.
Quatrain
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a phrase or sentence which is repeated at intervals, usually at the end of a stanza
Refrain
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The restoration of the Stuart monarchy to the throne with the return of Charles II from France in 1660; the literary period of the later part of the century of which the leading figure was John Dryden. Much of the literature of the Restoration Age reflects a reaction against Puritanism
restoration
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the similarity of sound between two words
rhyme
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Sound similarities that occur between words but which are not true rhymes
Approximate Rhyme
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The repetition of the accented vowel sound and all succeeding sounds in words which come at the end of lines of poetry
end rhyme
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Rhyme involving two or more syllables
Feminine Rhyme
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Rhyme that occurs within the line
Internal Rhyme
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rhyme involving only one syllable
Masculine Rhyme
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The regular recurrence of sounds
Rhythm
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