The OdysseyLiterary Terms: Please copy those that are NOT labeled review.

Alliteration (Review) Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Example: “Where shall a man find sweetness to surpass?”

Allusion (Review) A figure of speech that refers to a well-

known story, event, person, or object in order to make a comparison in the readers' minds.

Archetype A character, symbol, or behavioral

pattern that is basically a universal template for a character that is copied throughout all forms of storytelling. 

Example: The Hero Example: The Mother Figure Example: The Wise Old Man

Assonance (Review) Repetition of vowel sounds

Example: “before/ Odysseus’ door, the threshold to his court”

Example: Grab Bag

Caesura (Review) A pause or sudden break in a line of

poetry

Catalogs/Genealogies

Verse that presents a list; usually of people, objects, or abstract qualities.

Example: Character list at the beginning of an epic poem

Consonance (Review) Repetition of consonant sounds NOT

limited to the beginning of words.

Example: River and Ever

Elegy/ Elegiac Mood A mournful, melancholic or plaintive

poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.

End Rhyme (Review) Rhyming words that appear at the ends

of two or more lines of poetry

Example: “Nor till the ground, though grain . . .”Ripen in heaven’s rain . . .”

Enjambment (Review) Running over of a sentence or a thought

from one line to another

Epic Hero The main character in an epic poem--

typically one who embodies the values of his or her culture.

Epic Poem  A long, narrative poem that is usually

about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet.

Epic Simile Also called Homeric simile, an

extended simile often running to several lines, used typically in epic poetry to intensify the heroic stature of the subject and to serve as decoration.

Epithet A byname, or a descriptive term ,

accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It can be described as a glorified nickname.

Example: “Alexander the Great” Example: “Slayer of Argos”

Hyperbole (Review) Exaggerations to create emphasis or

effect.

Example: I tried 1,000 times

Imagery (Review) The use of vivid language that appeals

to the senses

“The Cyclops’ rams were handsome, fat, with heavy fleeces, a dark violet”

In Medias Res Latin: in the middle of the narrative.

*Many epics start this way.

Invocation The act of invoking or calling upon some

 agent for assistance A prayer asking God for help An appeal for inspiration and guidance from a Muse or deity at the beginning of a poem

Internal Rhyme (Review) Rhyme between a word within a line and

another either at the end of the same line or within another line.

Myth A traditional story, especially one

concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

Onomatopoeia Words for sounds.

Example: hiss

Oral Tradition Information passed down through the

generations by word of mouth that is not written down.

This includes historical and cultural traditions, literature and law.

Personification (Review) A figure of speech in which an animal,

object, force of nature, or idea is given human characteristics

Example: “Death sat there”

Point of View (Review) Vantage point from which the story is

told

Example: Some of the Odyssey is 1st person point of view, from the perspective of Odysseus

Rhapsodes/Bards Refers to a classic Greek performer of

epic poetry. Associated with the oral tradition

Rhyme (Review) Repetition of identical sounds

Rhyming Couplet (Review) Two consecutive lines that rhyme

Slant Rhyme (Review) Sounds that are similar but not identical

Example: again/them

Speaker (Review) The voice in a piece of writing that is

assumed by the writer.

Syllable A unit of pronunciation.

Theme (Review) The main idea or lesson in a literary

work.

*Should be a phrase or sentence– NOT ONE WORD!

Tone (Review) Attitude of a writer toward a subject or

an audience.* Tone is sometimes confused with mood.

T he author’s feelings M y feelings

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