Page 9

I amb
   See Scansion

Iambic Pentameter

   A poetic line containing five verse feet, with each foot iamb (an unstressed syllable followed by another unstressed syllable). Iambic Pentameter is the most common verse line found in English poetry.

  (ex. John Milton's "Paradise Lost" :

   "At once as far as angels ken he views
   The dismal situation waste and wild:
   A dungeon horrible on all sides round
   As one great furnace flamed, yet from those flames
   No light, but rather darkness visible..."
                          [lines 59-63]

   These lines are written in blank verse - unrhymed iambic pentameter.)

Imagery

   Words or phrases that are used to create images in the reader's mind. Images can appeal to all of the senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing and seeing.

Incremental Repetition

   The repetition of a line with a slight variation each time. This is commonly used in ballads to develop certain situations in the story.

   (ex. Poe's's "The Raven")

In Medias Res

   In writing, the technique of diving right into the middle or a story or situation and explaining the previous events later by flashback.

  (ex. John Milton's "Paradise Lost" and Homer's "Odyssey")

Interlocking Rhyme

   See Rhyme.

Interlude

   From the late fifteenth century, an Interlude is a play with a non-religious plot and characters.

Inversion

   Reversing the normal word order (subject, verb, object). This can be used to create a tone or can emphasis particular words and ideas. Poets also use inversion so it fits a certain meter or rhyme scheme.

  (ex. "I went to school" to "To the school went I". )

Invocation

   At the beginning of a poem, an invocation is the calling of a god, muse or spirit for inspiration.

  (ex. John Milton's "Paradise Lost" : Milton invokes the muse of sacred poetry, Urania, to inspire him.)

Irony

   A device used by the writer to express something contradictory. Usually it is the contrast between what's stated and what is really meant, or what is supposed to happen and what really happens. The three kinds of irony are verbal irony, dramatic irony, and irony of situation.

   (ex. Shakespeare's "Macbeth" : Scene 6 has Duncan and Banquo commenting on the beauty and of the setting while Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are plotting Duncan's murder.)

Top of Page   Next Page

InfoBar   Search   Main Menu

Email