Literary Terms: Beowulf
Term
Alliteration
Definition
the repetition of the initial (first)
consonants used for sound effect
Allusion
a reference to literature or history
with which the author believes the
reader is familiar (such as the Bible
or Shakespeare)
Archetype
a character, action, or situation that
occurs over and over through
literature; a pattern or example (the
hero, the villain)
Caesura
a pause within a line of poetry- can
be a physical space, or noted with a
comma or other punctuation
Diction
an author’s word choice
Elegy
a poem that mourns the death of a
person or laments something lost
Epic
a quest or journey story on a grand
scale
Epic Hero
this main character represents the
values of his society
Specific example
Extended Metaphor
a comparison that is made
throughout a passage or a work
Imagery
Descriptive phrases that conjure an
image (usually visual, but also
sound, smell, etc) in the mind of the
reader
Juxtaposition
placing two (or more) items side-byside for the purpose of comparison
or contrast
Kenning
a mini-metaphor that is found in
Anglo-Saxon poetry and is usually
two hyphenated words
Motif
a recurring image or symbol
throughout a work
Repetition
when a word or phrase is used over
and over (repeated) for emphasis
Simile
a comparison made between two
unlike things using like or as
Universal Theme
a concept or theme (such as loyalty
or revenge) that is found universally
– not to be confused with the theme
statement or archetype