magical realism free association of whimsy, dream, and fantasy with realistic detail.
masculine rhyme an arrangement of stresses ending on an accented syllable.
metaphor an implied comparison of unlike objects or thoughts.
meter the pattern of stressed and unstressed beats in poetry to form a rhythm. The five standard meters are iambic (-'), trochaic ('-), dactylic ('––), anapestic (––'), and spondaic (''). The number of feet in a line gives a name to the rhythm, as in monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, and hexameter.
mood the controlling atmosphere of a work, which may be tense, uplifting, sad, or a blend of atmospheres.
motif an obvious pattern of events, characters, or themes.
naturalism a type of literary study that depicts humans as animals controlled by heredity and environment, but not by supernatural forces or gods.
octave a set of eight lines of verse; an octet.
ode a lengthy ceremonial stanza that studies a single dignified subject and theme.
onomatopoeia an echo word or phrase that imitates the sound it represents, as with gurgle, thump, hum, and snort.
