Literary Term #512: Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within the internal structure of a verse or sentence.  In fact, it’s one of the cornerstones of poetry, and the use of it is far more sophisticated than merely rhyming words.  Here’s an example from Robert Louis Stevenson:
The crumbling thunder of seas…
Note the repetition of the ‘u’ sound.  [...]

Literary Terms to Know #3

Apostrophe (ə-pŏs’trə-fē)  – a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as “O Death, where is thy sting?”
Don’t worry if you didn’t know this existed, either. I didn’t. He told us at the beginning of the year, my teacher, but then I forgot. Finally, [...]

Literary Terms to Know #2

Didactic (dahy-dak-tik) – intended for instruction; instructive.
On the AP American Literature test you will most likely see this word in refrence to Puritan literature, and more specifically, Johnathan Edwards. An example would be Edward’s Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God. The definition is self explanatory, I would say. Almost like a fable, but [...]

Literary Terms to Know #1

I started to realize how many new words I learn in my literature class, and how many of them I didn’t know before at all. I thought it would be handy if I started a daily lit word sort of things. Note to all you AP Juniors: These are AP terms, too!
Caesure (si-ˈzyu̇r-ə, -ˈzhu̇r-) —A [...]

Literary Term #7: Kennings

So here’s an unusual literary term for you: Kennings.
A ‘Kenning’ is simply a figurative expression usually composed of two or three words, though not always, that is used in place of the normal noun for a person, place, or thing.  The best way to understand a Kenning is to look at some examples:

Defender of the [...]

Literary Term #83: Personification

I want you to pick up a newspaper.  It could be paper or online; Drudge Report may actually be the best as it’s a collection of headlines, and that’s what we are going to look at first.Looking at the current issue of Drudge Report, I see the following headlines:

Kid’s BBC Site Offers Curious 9/11 Explanation
Iran [...]

Literary Term #865743: Metaphor

Last time, I covered similes and so it’s only fitting to go over metaphors this time around.
Similes and metaphors are both used as tools of comparison to relate an often abstract or convoluted idea with as few words as possible. They are most often employed in poetry, although you will find both used throughout [...]

Literary Term #3: Simile

The simile is perhaps the most easily understood literary term, and one of the first, if not the first, that you learn in elementary school. However, like most things, what you learn in elementary school just scratches the surface.
At its most basic level, a simile is the comparison of two unlike things using “like” [...]

Literary Term #1237: Verisimilitude

Verisimilitude is a perfect example of why it’s good to know Latin; the word comes directly from the Latin word “Verisimilitudo,” meaning probable or likely.  However, that’s a very obscure Latin word, and you would be much more likely to know that the root of “Verisimilitude” and “Verisimilitudo” comes from the Latin verb “Veritas,” meaning [...]

Literary Term #87: Hyperbole

Hyperbole is another one of those famous literary terms and means to exaggerate, usually grossly exaggerate.  “He’s as big as a house,” or “I’m as hungry as a horse,” are two famous ones, but you can come up with them aplenty.  So try coming up with a few yourself!