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| Verbal Irony |
Figure of speech in which the speaker intends to be understood as meaning something that contrasts with the literal or usual meaning of what he says |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Tone |
The attitude of the writer towards the subject |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Theme |
An abstract idea or concept that occurs frequently in literature |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Suspense |
1) a feeling of uncertainty and interest in the outcome of certain events (10/6), 2) the growing of excitement felt by an audience or individual while awaiting the climax of a story due mainly to its concern for the welfare of a character they sympathize with, or the anticipation of a violent act |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Soliloquy |
A speech delivered by a character when he or she is alone on the stage. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Situational Irony |
When the character/reader expects one thing to happen, and then another unexpected thing actually occurs |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Round Character |
A life-like, three-dimensional character. This character is believable enough to have actually lived. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Romance |
Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Roman A Clef |
A novel in which actual persons, places, or events are depicted in fictional guise. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Pseudonym |
A fictitious name used when the person performs a particular social role |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Picaresque Novel |
A popular subgenre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts in realistic and often humorous detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his or her wits in a corrupt society. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Persona |
An actor's portrayal of someone in a play |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Pastoral |
A literary work stressing rural events and characters. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Paradox |
A statement that contradicts itself |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Parable |
A short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Novella |
A written, fictional, prose narrative longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Motif |
A unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Mood |
Atmosphere of a certain scene or setting |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Melodrama |
A play characterized by stereotypical characters, exaggerated emotions, and simplistic conflict. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Malapropism |
The unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar: “Lead the way and we'll precede.” |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:30 GMT |
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| Local Color/Regionalism |
Fiction or poetry that focuses on specific features - including characters, dialects, customs and topography - of a particular region. Since the region may be a recreation or reflection of the author's own, there is often nostalgia and sentimentality in the writing. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Jargon |
Language that is used or understood only by a select group of people. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Gothic Novel |
Elements include setting in a castle, an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, an ancient prophecy, omens/portents/visions, supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events, high or even overwrought emotion, women in distress, women threatened by a powerful/impulsive/tyrannical male, elements of doom/gloom/horror, vocabulary of the gothic |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Freytag’s Pyramid/Triangle |
1. exposition- provides the background information needed to properly understand the story
2. rising action- the basic conflict is complicated by the introduction of related secondary conflicts, including various obstacles that frustrate the protagonist’s attempt to reach their goal
3. climax (or turning point)- marks a change, for the better or the worse, in the protagonist’s affairs.
4. falling action- the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist.
5. dénouement (comedy) or catastrophe (tragedy)-the protagonist is better off than at the story’s outset. The tragedy ends with a catastrophe in which the protagonist is worse off than at the beginning of the narrative. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:21:32 GMT |
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| Frame Story |
A narrative structure containing or connecting a series of otherwise unrelated tales OR a secondary story or stories embedded in the main story. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Foreshadowing |
A literary device in which the author provides subtle hints or clues that will occur later on in the story |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Folklore |
The traditional customs, beliefs, stories, etc. of a people, country, or region |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Flat Character |
Character with only one or two sides of a personality and can be summed up in one or two sentences. This character, or caricature, lacks surprises or complexity. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Flashback |
A literary device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Farce |
A light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Fabliau |
A medieval verse tale characterized by comic, ribald treatment of themes drawn from life. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Fable |
A short moral story |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Explication |
To explain meticulously or in great detail |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Euphemism |
The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.” |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Epithet |
A word or phrase that expresses a character trait of someone or something |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Epitaph |
A commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person buried at that site. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:11:33 GMT |
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| Epiphany |
A literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Epigraph |
A motto or quotation, as at the beginning of a literary composition, setting forth a theme. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Epigram |
A witty saying |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:41:03 GMT |
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| Epic |
A long narrative poem about a mythical or historic event (i.e. The Iliad, The Odyssey) |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Elegy |
A mournful poem |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Dramatic Monologue |
A poem that dramatizes someone's thoughts and actions; the persona of the poem talks directly to "us" or an unseen other. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Dramatic Irony |
Situation in which the audience knows information that the character(s) do not know |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Drama |
A literary work in which the characters experience some sort of internal or external conflict. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Dirge |
A funeral song or tune, or one expressing mourning in commemoration of the dead. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Diction |
Choice of words |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Deus Ex Machina |
Resolution of the plot by the appearance of a new character or a god |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Denotation |
A word that names or signifies something specific: “Wind” is the denotation for air in natural motion. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Courtly Love |
An idealized and often illicit form of love celebrated in the literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in which a knight or courtier devotes himself to a noblewoman who is usually married and feigns indifference to preserve her reputation. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Context |
The set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event. This includes the political, social, historical, psychological and institutional factors that shape the way we understand the event |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Connotation |
The emotional response associated with a word as opposed to a word’s literal meaning. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Conflict |
1) A struggle between opposing forces, 2) Driving force of the story (10/2), Different kinds of conflicts: man v. man, man v. society, man v. nature, man v. God/fate, man v. self |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Comedy |
A type of drama, opposed to tragedy, usually having a happy ending. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Colloquialism |
A word, phrase, or form of pronunciation that is acceptable in casual conversation but not in formal, written communication. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Cliché |
An overused word or phrase. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Characterization |
1) Descriptions of a character that are based upon one’s interpretations (9/15); 2) The methods used by a writer to develop a character, which include (1) showing/detailing the character’s appearance, (2) displaying the character’s actions, (3) revealing the character’s thoughts, (4) allowing the character to speak, and (5) revealing the reactions, thoughts, or comments of others towards the specific character |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Character Sketch |
A brief narrative that reveals a fictional (or real) character’s traits or personality. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Canon |
1) A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field; 2) The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Bildungsroman |
A coming of age novel (i.e. Catcher in the Rye) |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Ballad |
A narrative poem that tells a story. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Aside |
A literary device in which a character speaks to the audience (or another character), but is not heard by anyone else. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Archaic |
The use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Aphorism |
A brief statement containing an important truth or fundamental principle. (i.e. Believe nothing you hear, and only half of what you see. –Mark Twain) |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Anecdote |
A brief narrative offered in a text to capture the audience's attention or to support a generalization of claim. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Ambiguity |
Uncertainty of meaning, usually caused by words or phrases that convey more than one meaning. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:09:13 GMT |
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| Allegory |
1) A representation of an abstract or spiritual meeting through concrete or material form; 2) A form of extended metaphor in which objects and actions in a narrative are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious or political significance and characters are often personification of abstract ideas. Thus, an allegory is a story with two meanings: a literal and a symbolic. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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| Allusion |
A reference in a written or spoken text to another text or to some particular body of knowledge. |
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Kaitlyn5k Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:29 GMT |
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