Term	Pronunciation	Definition
ab ovo	ab OH-voh	The literary device of beginning a narrative, such as an epic poem, at the chronological beginning of a narrative. NOTE: In contrast, in medias res (in the middle) refers to starting at a crucial point in the middle of a series of events. The intent is to create an immediate interest from which the author can then move backward in time to narrate the story. (Compare anachronism, hysteron proteron)
abecedarian	ay-bee-see-DARE-ee-un	A poem having verses where the words or lines begin with the successive letters of the alphabet. (Compare acrostic poem, serpentine verses)
acatalectic		A verse having the metrically complete number of syllables in the final foot. (Compare catalectic, hypercatalectic)
accent		The rhythmically significant stress in the articulation of words, giving some syllables more relative prominance than others. In words of two or more syllables, one syllable is almost invariably stressed more strongly than the other syllables. In words of one syllable, the degree of stress normally depends on their grammatical function; nouns, verbs, and adjectives are usually given more stress than articles or prepositions. The words in a line of poetry are usually arranged so the accent. occur at regular intervals, with the meter defined by the placement of the accent. within the foot. Accent should not be construed as emphasis. NOTE: Two degrees of accent are natural to many multisyllabic English words, designated as primary and secondary. NOTE: When a syllable is accent.d, it tends to be raised in pitch and lengthened. Any or a combination of stress/pitch/length can be a metrical accent. NOTE: In English, when the full accent falls on a vowel, as in PO-tion, that vowel is called a long vowel; when it falls on an articulation or consonant, as in POR-tion, the preceding vowel is a short vowel. In the classical Greek and Latin quantitive verse, however, long and short vowels referred to duration, i.e., how long they were held in utterance. (See also cadence, ictus, modulation, rhythm, sprung rhythm, wrenched accent. (Compare caesura)
accentual verse		Verse in which the metrical system is based on the count or pattern of accented syllables, which establish the rhythm. The accents must be normal speech stresses rather than those suggested by the metrical pattern. The total number of syllables may vary. NOTE: Most modern English poetry is a combination of accentual and syllabic verse. (Contrast quantitive verse)
acephaly	ay-SEF-uh-lee	The omission of a syllable at the beginning of a line of verse. Such a line is described as acephalous. (Compare catalectic) (Contrast anacrusis)
acrostic poem		A poem in which certain letters of the lines, usually the first letters, form a word or message relating to the subject. Of ancient origin, examples of acrostic poems date back as far as the fourth century. NOTE: Strictly speaking, an acrostic uses the initial letters of the lines to form the word or message, as in the Argument to Jonson's Volpone. If the medial letters are used it is a mesostich; if the final letters, a telestich. The term acrostic, however, is commonly used for all three. When both the initial and final letters are used it is called a double acrostic. (Compare abcedarian poem, serpentine verses)
adonic		A verse consisting of a dactyl followed by a spondee or trochee. It is believed to be so named because of its use in songs during the Adonia, an ancient festival in honor of Adonis. NOTE: The festival of Adonia was celebrated by women, who spent two days alternating between lamentation and feasting. (See also sapphic verse)
adynaton	uh-DYE-nuh-tahn	A type of hyperbole in which the exaggeration is magnified so greatly that it refers to an impossibility, as "I'd walk a million miles for one of your smiles."
afflatus	uh-FLAY-tus	A creative inspiration, as that of a poet; a divine imparting of knowledge, thus it is often called divine afflatus. (See also helicon, muse, numen)
alba		A song or poem with a motif of greeting the dawn, often involving the parting of lovers, or a call for a beloved to arise, as in Shakespeare's Song from Cymbeline. NOTE: The dawn song is also known as an aubade (Provençal), aube (old French), and tagalied (German). (Compare serenade)
alexandrine		An iambic line of twelve syllables, or six feet, usually with a caesura after the sixth syllable. It is the standard line in French poetry, comparable to the iambic pentameter line in English poetry. It probably received its name from an old French romance, Alexandre le Grand, written about 1180, in which the measure was first used. NOTE: The last line of the spenserian stanza is an Alexandrine. (See hexameter, poulter's measure)
allegory		A figurative illustration of truths or generalizations about human conduct or experience in a narrative or description by the use of symbolic fictional figures and actions which resemble the subject's properties and circumstances. NOTE: Though similar to both a series of symbols and an extended metaphor, the meaning of an allegory is more direct and less subject to ambiguity than a symbol; it is distinguishable from an extended metaphor in that the literal equivalent of an allegory's figurative comparison is not usually expressed. NOTE: Probably the best-known allegory in English literature is Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. (Compare aphorism, apologue, didactic poetry, epigram, fable, gnome, proverb) (See also metaphor, personification)
alliteration		Also called head rhyme or initial rhyme, the repetition of the initial sounds (usually consonants) of stressed syllables in neighboring words or at short intervals within a line or passage, usually at word beginnings, as in "wild and woolly" or the line from Shelley's The Cloud: I bear light shade for the leaves when laid NOTE: Alliteration has a gratifying effect on the sound, gives a reinforcement to stresses, and can also serve as a subtle connection or emphasis of key words in the line, but alliterated words should not "call attention" to themselves by strained usage. (See also euphony, modulation, resonance) (Compare assonance, consonance, rhyme, sigmatism)
alliterative verse		Poetry in which alliteration is a formal structural element in place of rhyme; it was prevalent in a number of old literatures prior to the 14th century, including Anglo-Saxon. In alliterative verse, the first half-line is united with the second half by alliterating stressed syllables; in the first half-line generally two (but sometimes three) syllables alliterate, while in the second half usually only one. Sometimes one alliterating sound is carried through successive lines: In a somer seson, whan softe was the sonne, I shoop me into shroudes as I a sheep were, In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes, Wente wide in this world wondres to here. --The Vision of Piers Plowman, by William Langland, 1330?-1400? NOTE: To facilitate maintaining the alliterative pattern, poets made frequent use of a specialized vocabulary, consisting of many synonymous words seldom encountered outside of alliterative verse. NOTE: By the 14th century, rhyme and meter displaced alliteration as a formal element, although alliterative verse continued to be written into the 16th century and alliteration retains an important function as one of a poet's sound devices.
altar poem		Poetry in which the letters, words, and lines are configured in such a way that the poem's printed appearance on the page forms a recognizable outline related to the subject, thus conveying or extending the meaning of the words. NOTE: Also referred to as pattern poems, carmina figurata, and shaped verse, altar poems are of ancient origin, dating back as far as the 3rd century B.C. In the 16th and 17th centuries they were popularly known as emblem poems, an example of which is George Herbert's Easter Wings. NOTE: Altar poetry differs from concrete poetry mainly in that it retains its meaning when read aloud, apart from its typography. (Compare occasional poem, visual poetry)
ambiguity		Applied to words and expressions, the state of being doubtful or indistinct in meaning or capable of being understood in more than one way. (See also denotation, paronomasia, pun) (Compare connotation)
amphibrach	AM-fuh-brak	A metrical footconsisting of a long or accented syllable between two short or unaccented syllables, as condition or infected.
amphigouri		A verse composition which, while apparently coherent, contains no sense or meaning, as in Nephelidia, a poem written by A. C. Swinburne as a parody of his own alliterative-predominant style, which begins: From the depth of the dreamy decline of the dawn through a notable nimbus of nebulous noonshine, Pallid and pink as the palm of the flag-flower that flickers with fear of the flies as they float, (See also macaronic verse, nonsense poetry)
anachronism	uh-NAK-ruh-nizm	The placement of an event, person, or thing out of its proper chronological relationship, sometimes unintentional, but often deliberate as an exercise of poetic license. (Compare hysteron proteron, in medias res)
anacreontic	uh-nah-kree-AHN-tik	A poem in the style of the Greek poet, Anacreon, convivial in tone or theme, relating to the praise of love and wine, as in Abraham Cowley's Anacreontiques. NOTE: Francis Scott Key's 1814 poem, The Star-Spangled Banner, was set to the tune of a popular song of the day, To Anacreon in Heaven, composed by John Stafford Smith. It was later to become the U.S. national anthem.
anacrusis	an-a-KROO-sis	One or more unaccented syllables at the beginning of a line of verse that are regarded as preliminary to and not part of the metrical pattern. (See also procephalic) (Compare feminine ending, hypercatalectic) (Contrast acephaly)
anadiplosis	an-uh-duh-PLOH-sus	Also called epanadiplosis, the repetition of a prominent (usually the final) word of a phrase, clause, line, or stanza at the beginning of the next, often with extended or altered meaning, as in: "His hands were folded -- folded in prayer," or Keat's repetition of the word,"forlorn," linking the seventh and eighth stanzas of Ode to a Nightingale. (Compare anaphora, chain rhyme, echo, epistrophe, epizeuxis, incremental repetition, parallelism, polysyndeton, refrain, stornello verses)
anagoge, anagogy	AN-uh-go-jee	The spiritual or mystical interpretation of a word or passage beyond the literal, allegorical or moral sense.
analogy		An agreement or similarity in some particulars between things otherwise different; sleep and death, for example, are analogous in that they both share a lack of animation and a recumbent posture. NOTE: Prevalent in literature, the use of an analogy carries the inference that if things agree in some respects, it's likely that they will agree in others. (Compare simile)
anapest, anapestic		A metrical foot with two short or unaccented syllables followed by a long or accented syllable, as in intervene or for a while. William Cowper's Verses Supposed to be Written by Alexander Selkirk is a poem in which anapestic feet are predominately used, as in the opening line, I am mon | arch of all | I survey NOTE: In English poetry, with the exception of limericks, anapestic verse is seldom used for whole poems, but can often be highly effective as a variation. (See also meter, rhythm)
anaphora	uh-NAF-or-uh	Also called epanaphora, the repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases for rhetorical or poetic effect, as in Lincoln's "We cannot dedicate- we cannot consecrate-we cannot hallow this ground" or from Fitzgerald's The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám: Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer, and--sans End! (See also epistrophe, symploce) (Compare anadiplosis, echo, epizeuxis, incremental repetition, parallelism, polysyndeton, refrain, stornello verses)
anastrophe	uh-NAS-truh-fee	A type of hyperbaton involving the inversion of the natural or usual syntactical order of a pair of words for rhetorical or poetic effect, as "hillocks green" for "green hillocks" or "high triumphs hold" for "hold high triumphs" in Milton's L'Allegro or from the same poem, Meadows trim, with daisies pied, Shallow brooks, and rivers wide; (Compare antistrophe, chiasmus, hypallage)
antanaclasis	an-tuh-NAK-luh-sis	A figure of speech in which the same word is repeated in a different sense within a clause or line, as "While we live, let us live." NOTE: Since the play on senses can be used to create homonymic puns, antanaclasis is related to paronomasia. (See also epanalepsis, epizeuxis, ploce, polyptoton)
anthology		A collection of selected literary, artistic, or musical works or parts of works. (See also canon, companion poem, cycle, lyric sequence, sonnet sequence.)
antibacchius	AN-ti-ba-KEE-us	A metrical foot consisting of two long syllables followed by a short syllable.
antiphrasis	an-TIF-ruh-sus	The ironic or humorous use of words in a sense not in accord with their literal meaning, as in "a giant of three feet four inches." (Compare burlesque, hudibrastic verse, parody, satire)
antispast	AN-ti-spast	A metrical foot consisting of two long syllables between two short syllables.
antistrophe	an-TIS-troh-fee	The second division in the triadic structure of pindaric verse, corresponding metrically to the strophe; also, the stanza following or alternating with and responding to the strophe in ancient lyric poetry; also, in rhetoric, the reversal of terms mutually dependent on each other, as from "the captain of the crew" to "the crew of the captain." (See also epode) (Compare anastrophe)
antonomasia	an-tuh-no-MAY-zhuh	The use of a name, epithet or title in place of a proper name, as Bard for Shakespeare. (Compare cataphora, metonymy)
antonym		One of two or more words that have opposite meanings. (Compare homonym, paronym, synonym)
aphaeresis, apheresis	uh-FEHR-uh-sus	A type of elision in which a letter or syllable is omitted at the beginning of a word, as 'twas for it was. (Compare apocope, syncope, synaeresis, synaloepha) (See also aphesis)
aphesis	AFF-uh-sus	A form of aphaeresis in which the syllable omitted is short and unaccented, as in round for around.
aphorism		A brief statement containing an important truth or fundamental principle. (Compare allegory, apologue, didactic poetry, epigram, fable, gnome, proverb)
apocope	uh-PAH-kuh-pee	A type of elision in which a letter or syllable is omitted at the end of a word, as in morn for morning. (Compare aphaeresis, syncope, synaeresis, synaloepha)
apologue		An allegorical narrative, usually intended to convey a moral or a useful truth. (Compare allegory, aphorism, didactic poetry, epigram, fable, gnome, proverb)
aposiopesis	ap-uh-sy-uh-PEE-sis	Stopping short of a complete thought for effect, thus calling attention to it, usually by a sudden breaking off, as in "He acted like--but I pretended not to notice," leaving the unsaid portion to the reader's imagination. (See ellipsis)
apostrophe	uh-PAHS-truh-fee	A figure of speech in which an address is made to an absent person or a personified thing rhetorically, as in William Cowper's Verses Supposed to be Written by Alexander Selkirk: O solitude! Where are the charms That sages have seen in thy face? An apostrophe is also a punctuation mark used to indicate the omission of letter(s) in an elision. NOTE: When the poet addresses a muse or a god for inspiration, it is called an invocation. (Compare prosopopeia)
arcadia		A region or scene characterized by idyllic quiet and simplicity, often chosen as a setting for pastoral poetry, from Arcadia, a picturesque region in ancient Greece. (See also bucolic, eclogue, idyll, madrigal)
archaism	AHR-kee-izm	A word or expression no longer in general use, for example, thou mayst is an archaism meaning, "you may." NOTE: Archaisms are often deliberately used for effect, as in Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
arsis		The accented or longer part of a poetic foot; the point where an ictus is put. NOTE: In classical prosody the arsis was the unaccented or shorter part of a foot, but a misunderstanding which occurred in the definitions of poetic feet caused the meaning to become reversed. (Contrast thesis)
assonance		The relatively close juxtaposition of the same or similar vowel sounds, but with different end consonants in a line or passage, thus a vowel rhyme, as in the words, date and fade. NOTE: The effective use of internal assonantal sounds is displayed throughout Byron's She Walks in Beauty. (See also euphony, near rhyme, resonance, sound devices) (Compare alliteration, consonance, modulation, rhyme)
asyndeton	uh-SIN-duh-tahn	The omission of conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words and phrases, as in "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." (Contrast polysyndeton)
atmosphere	AT-mo-sfeer	The overall combination of the scene, senses, attitude, feel, texture, tone, and layout of a poem to create the illusion of a reader being part of the work. (See also burden, motif, theme)
aubade	OH-bahd	A song or poem with a motif of greeting the dawn, often involving the parting of lovers, or a call for a beloved to arise, as in Shakespeare's Song from Cymbeline. NOTE: The dawn song is also known as an alba (Provençal), aube (old French), and tagalied (German). (Compare serenade)
avant garde		The innovating artists or writers who promote the use of new or experimental concepts or techniques. (See imagism, impressionism, objectivism, realism, symbolism)

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