Literary Terms
Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance. Sentences can be the opposite to serve a special effect.
Balance
Offred addresses an unknown listener directly, suggesting this type of narration
First-person unreliable narrative
What type of POV were the stories of Cameron and Tova written in
3rd person Omniscient
How many Quadrants are in a sonnet? Couplets??
3 Quadrants and 1 Sonnet
Rhythm of a line, determined by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
Meter
The arrangement and order of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence to convey meaning
Syntax
What type of storytelling is this? (Why?)
Nonlinear
What is the story driven by (literary merit)
Character driven
How many lines are in a Sonnet
14
Rhythm
A long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage.
Soliloquy
This structure, alternating between Offred's current life in Gilead and flashbacks to the past, reveals how regime evolved.
Dual timeline structures
What Genre would this be put into
Contemporary fiction
In a Shakespearean sonnet, what are the stressed and unstressed syllables called?
Iambic Pentameter
This type of stanza or line break interrupts a thought or sentence mid-line, often creating tension or emphasis.
Enjambment
The repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.
Parallel Structure
This literary technique, used heavily in Offred's descriptions, emphasizes sensory detail and inner experience over action.
Imagery
What is the switching of narrators called
Alternating perspectives
There are 3 purposes of a sonnet, name 2.
Introducing the problem, setting the tone, resolving the problem
Type of poetry that follows a strict structure, often with regular meter and rhyme scheme
Formal verse
Device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences (opposite of an anaphora).
Epistrophe
The Handmaid's Tale is often categorized as this form of speculative writing, blending dystopian fiction with feminist critique.
Speculative fiction
When Marcellus reveals that Tova and Cameron are related, what structural element is that
Climax
A turn or shift in thought or emotion usually occurs between the octave and sestet
Volta
Type of poetry that has less structure and may not have a consistent meter or rhyme scheme
Free verse