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Terms for subject
Literature
(1061 entries)
sentence
A grammatical unit consisting of a subject and verb. It is generally end-stopped and begins with a capital letter.
septet
A stanza of a poem that contains seven lines, frequently defined by a rhyme or pattern.
sequel
A complete literary work, which continues the narrative of an earlier composition.
Sergeant At Arms
SAA
series
A number of works connected to each other by plot, setting, character etc.
sestet
A group of six lines of poetry, which can either be a whole poem in itself or simply a stanza.
setting
The place or period within which a narrative or play is located. In drama, setting comprises of any stage scenery.
Shakespearean tragedy
Where a character has a fatal flaw that leads to his demise, despite having free will. Othello is an example of a Shakespearean Tragedy.
short meter
A quatrain, usually iambic, made up of three trimeters and a third line of tetrameter. The rhyme scheme is abcb or abab
short story
A prose narrative of fiction, which is relatively short and more concise, often depicting only one event or climax.
sibilance
repetition, or alliteration, of the letter "s" and the sound it makes. For example, 'the snake slithered soundlessly across the stony ground'.
3. The Miltonic sonnet
similar in form to the petrarchan sonnet, however the Miltonic sonnet does not divide its ideas between the octave and the sestet. The train of thought instead runs straight from the eighth to ninth line. Furthermore, Milton develops the sonnet's scope to encompass not only the theme of love, as the earlier sonnets did, but also to incorporate politics, religion, and personal matters.
simile
A comparison of two things not usually paired, made by using the adverbs like or as. Similes contrast with metaphors; however, both devices bring out a deeper meaning.
skaz
A form of story telling or oral narrative.
slang
Informal diction and vocabulary, often used by youth culture. For instance, a formal greeting might be: "Greetings. How are you?" Whereas the slang might be: "Yo. Whassup?"
slant rhyme
see inexact-rhyme.
slapstick comedy
Low comedy where humour depends almost completely on physical actions.
slave narrative
A narrative - often autobiographical - about a slave's life. It often includes details of the original capture, punishments and daily labour, and escape to freedom. An example is Frederick Douglass's abolitionist writings and speeches.
Solid Gold Speakers Club
SGS
soliloquy
A monologue spoken by a character who believes himself to be alone during the scene. The device, usually employed in Elizabethan theatre, often exposes a character's innermost thoughts, state of mind, motives or intentions. As such the soliloquy imparts essential but otherwise unattainable information to the audience. The dramatic convention dictates that whatever is said in a soliloquy must be true, or at least true as far as the character speaking is concerned. Well-known examples come from Shakespeare's work, for instance speeches by Iago in Othello.
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