allusion- an instance of indirect reference

Age of Reason- An era in which rationalism prevails, especially the period of the Enlightenment in England, France, and the United States

ballad- song that tells a story

Bildungsroman- A novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a usually youthful main character.

Enlightenment- A philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasized the use of reason to scrutinize previously accepted doctrines and traditions and that brought about many humanitarian reforms

free verse- poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

form- orderly method of arangement; also: a particular kind of instance of such arrangement <the sonnet form in poetry>

humanism- 1. devotion to the humanities; also: ther evival of classical letters charicteristic of the Renaissance 2. a doctrine or way of life centered on human interests or values

Hellenism- a body of humanistic and classical ideals associated with ancient Greece

iambic pentameter- line of poetry thtat contains five iambs

imagery- 1. The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. 2. The use of expressive or evocative images in art, literature, or music.

irony- 1a. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. b. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning. c. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect.

Libertarianism- the doctrine of free will

metaphysical- of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe

meter- a generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry

Neoclassicism- A revival in literature in the late 17th and 18th centuries, characterized by a regard for the classical ideals of reason, form, and restraint.

novel- a long invented prose narrative dealing with human experience through a connected sequence of events

oversoul- In New England transcendentalism, a spiritual essence or vital force in the universe in which all souls participate and that therefore transcends individual consciousness

Parnassians- 19th century French poets, who strove to achieve emotional detachment and rigidity of form through the portrayal of exotic and classic subjects

Realism- true and faithful portrayal of nature and of people in art or literature

Romanticism- a literary movement (as in early 19th century Egnland) marked especially be emphasis on the imagination and the emotions and by the use of autobiographical material

rhythm- musical quaility in language produced by repetition

satire- biting wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose vice or folly; also: a literary work having these quailities

Social Contract- An agreement among the members of an organized society or between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each

stanza- group of consecutive linesin a poem that form a single unit

symbol- a person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well

tone- the attidue a writer takes towards the audience, a subject, or a character

Transcendentalism- a philosophy holding that ultimate reality is unkowable or assertin gthe primacy of the spiritual over the material and empirical