Rhetorical Question:A question intended to pro-
voke thought, but not an expressed answer,
in the reader. It is most commonly used in
oratory and other persuasive genres.
Rhyme:When used as a noun in literary criticism,
this term generally refers to a poem in which
words sound identical or very similar and
appear in parallel positions in two or more
lines. Rhymes are classified into different
types according to where they fall in a line
or stanza or according to the degree of sim-
ilarity they exhibit in their spellings and
sounds. Some major types of rhyme are ‘‘mas-
culine’’ rhyme, ‘‘feminine’’ rhyme, and ‘‘triple’’
rhyme. In a masculine rhyme, the rhyming
sound falls in a single accented syllable, as
with ‘‘heat’’ and ‘‘eat.’’ Feminine rhyme is a
rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one
unstressed, as with ‘‘merry’’ and ‘‘tarry.’’ Tri-
ple rhyme matches the sound of the accented
syllable and the two unaccented syllables that
follow: ‘‘narrative’’ and ‘‘declarative.’’
Rhyme Royal:A stanza of seven lines composed
in iambic pentameter and rhymedababbcc.
The name is said to be a tribute to King
James I of Scotland, who made much use
of the form in his poetry.
Rhyme Scheme:SeeRhyme
Rhythm:A regular pattern of sound, time inter-
vals, or events occurring in writing, most
often and most discernably in poetry. Regu-
lar, reliable rhythm is known to be soothing
to humans, while interrupted, unpredictable,
or rapidly changing rhythm is disturbing.
These effects are known to authors, who
use them to produce a desired reaction in
the reader.
Rococo:A style of European architecture that
flourished in the eighteenth century, espe-
cially in France. The most notable features
ofrococoare its extensive use of ornamenta-
tion and its themes of lightness, gaiety, and
intimacy. In literary criticism, the term is
often used disparagingly to refer to a deca-
dent or over-ornamental style.
Romance:A broad term, usually denoting a nar-
rative with exotic, exaggerated, often ideal-
ized characters, scenes, and themes.
Romantic Age:SeeRomanticism
Romanticism:This term has two widely accepted
meanings. In historical criticism, it refers to a
European intellectual and artistic movement
of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries that sought greater freedom of
personal expression than that allowed by
the strict rules of literary form and logic of
the eighteenth-century neoclassicists. The
Romantics preferred emotional and imagi-
native expression to rational analysis. They
considered the individual to be at the center
of all experience and so placed him or her
at the center of their art. The Romantics
believed that the creative imagination
reveals nobler truths—unique feelings and
attitudes—than those that could be discov-
ered by logic or by scientific examination.
Both the natural world and the state of
childhood were important sources for
revelations of ‘‘eternal truths.’’ ‘‘Romanti-
cism’’ is also used as a general term to refer
to a type of sensibility found in all periods
of literary history and usually considered
to be in opposition to the principles of
classicism. In this sense, Romanticism sig-
nifies any work or philosophy in which the
exotic or dreamlike figure strongly, or that is
devoted to individualistic expression, self-
analysis, or a pursuit of a higher realm of
knowledge than can be discovered by human
reason.
Romantics:SeeRomanticism
Russian Symbolism:A Russian poetic movement,
derived from French symbolism, that flour-
ished between 1894 and 1910. While some Rus-
sian Symbolists continued in the French
tradition, stressing aestheticism and the impor-
tance of suggestion above didactic intent,
others saw their craft as a form of mystical
worship, and themselves as mediators between
the supernatural and the mundane.S
Satire:A work that uses ridicule, humor, and wit
to criticize and provoke change in human
nature and institutions. There are two major
types of satire: ‘‘formal’’ or ‘‘direct’’ satire
speaks directly to the reader or to a character
in the work; ‘‘indirect’’ satire relies upon the
ridiculous behavior of its characters to make
its point. Formal satire is further divided into
two manners: the ‘‘Horatian,’’ which ridicules
gently, and the ‘‘Juvenalian,’’ which derides its
subjects harshly and bitterly.
Scansion:The analysis or ‘‘scanning’’ of a poem
to determine its meter and often its rhymeGlossary of Literary Terms