- Iamb: a two syllable 'foot' or pattern - unstressed/stressed, or short/long. "Computer" is an iamb.
- Pentameter: a meter with five (Gr. = 'penta') feet (two-syllable pairs) in a line.
- Iambic Pentameter: a line of poetry, such as found in a sonnet or in blank verse, with five iambs. From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks" is iambic pentameter.
- Trochee: opposite of an iamb: two syllable 'foot' or pattern - stressed/unstressed, or long/short. "Stephen" is an trochee.
- Anapest: a metrical foot of three syllables, unstressed/unstressed/stressed. " Called the 'galloping foot' because is reads as "quick-quick-hard." (SFU's motto -- Nous Sommes Prêts -- is an anapest.
- Dactyl: opposite of an anapest -- stressed/unstressed/unstressed. "Canada" is a dactyl.
- Spondee: a stressed/stressed foot. In sonnet 43, the penultimate line opens with a spondee: "Smiles, tears...."
- Anaphora: a repeated word or phrase. "I love thee..." is the anaphora in sonnet 43.
- Octave: the first eight lines of a sonnet.
- Sestet: the six lines concluding a sonnet.
I have put a link to a useful informal online guide to literary terms in the "Pertinent & Impertinent" link list. As always, use the Library for scholarly -- i.e. assignment -- research.
No comments:
Post a Comment