文学术.docVIP

Literary Terms 文学术语 Alexandrine: an iambic hexameter line--that is, a poetic line consisting of six iambic feet. The last line of a Spenserian stanza is an alexandrine. Allegory: a tale in verse or prose in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. Thus, an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Alliteration: the repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants or consonant clusters, in a group of words. Sometimes, the term is limited to the repetition of initial consonant sounds. Allusion: a reference to a poem, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects the reader to recognize and respond to. An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion. Analogy: a comparison made between two things to show the similarities between them. Analogies are often used to illustration or for argument. Antagonist: a person or force opposing the protagonist in a narrative; a rival of the hero or heroine. Antithesis: the balancing of two contrasting ideas, words, phrases, or sentences. An antithesis is often expressed in a balanced sentence, that is, a sentence in which identical or similar grammatical structure is used to express contrasting ideas. Aphorism: a concise, pointed statement expressing a wise or clever observation about life. Apostrophe: a figure of speech in which an absent or a dead person, an abstract quality, or something nonhuman is addressed directly. Aside: in drama, lines spoken by a character in an undertone or directly to the audience. An aside is meant to be heard by the audience, but it is supposedly not heard by the other characters onstage. Assonance: the repetition of similar vowel sounds, especially in poetry. Atmosphere: the prevailing mood or feeling of a literary work. Atmosphere is often developed, at least in part, through descriptions of setting. Such descriptions help to create an emotional climate for the work that serves t