All The Terms You Don't Know Flashcards
1
Q
What is the core idea of Deconstruction?
A
Texts have no fixed meaning; exposes contradictions
Key thinker: Jacques Derrida. Example: Analyzing Hamlet for unstable meanings.
2
Q
Which critic is associated with Psychoanalytic Criticism?
A
Sigmund Freud
Example: Oedipus Rex and repressed guilt.
3
Q
What is the focus of Marxist Criticism?
A
Class struggle and economic power
Key thinker: Karl Marx. Example: The Grapes of Wrath and labor issues.
4
Q
What does Ecocriticism examine?
A
Human-nature relationships
Key thinker: Cheryll Glotfelty. Example: Walden and environmental themes.
5
Q
What is the main challenge posed by Queer Theory?
A
Normative gender/sexuality assumptions
Key thinker: Judith Butler. Example: Orlando and gender fluidity.
6
Q
What does Narratology study?
A
Narrative structure (e.g., focalization, time)
Key thinker: Gérard Genette. Example: The Sound and the Fury time shifts.
7
Q
Define Menippean Satire.
A
Chaotic, multi-voiced critique of ideas
Example work: Gargantua and Pantagruel (Rabelais).
8
Q
What defines Epistolary Gothic genre?
A
Gothic tales told through letters
Example work: The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins).
9
Q
What is Cli-Fi?
A
Climate fiction focusing on environmental crises
Example work: The Drowned World (J.G. Ballard).
10
Q
What does Autofiction blur?
A
Memoir and fiction
Example work: My Struggle (Karl Ove Knausgaard).
11
Q
What is a Sestina?
A
6 stanzas of 6 lines + 1 tercet; 6 repeating end-words rotate
Example: Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop).
12
Q
Define Ghazal.
A
5+ couplets, each with a refrain and rhyme
Example: Ghazal (Agha Shahid Ali).
13
Q
What is the structure of a Pantoum?
A
4-line stanzas; lines 2 & 4 repeat as 1 & 3 in next
Example: Pantoum of the Great Depression (Donald Justice).
14
Q
What is Terza Rima?
A
Interlocking 3-line stanzas (ABA BCB CDC)
Example: Divine Comedy (Dante).
15
Q
What characterizes a Villanelle Variant?
A
19 lines with altered refrains for surprise
Example: The Waking (Theodore Roethke).
16
Q
Define Zeugma.
A
One word governs multiple sentence parts
Example: “She broke his car and his heart.”
17
Q
What is Litotes?
A
Understatement via negation
Example: “Not a bad effort” (meaning good).
18
Q
What does Synesthesia involve?
A
Blending senses for effect
Example: “The silence tasted bitter.”
19
Q
What is Antanaclasis?
A
Word repeated with different meanings
Example: “Time flies, but flies buzz.”
20
Q
What is Hypophora?
A
Asking then answering a question
Example: “Why fight? To win freedom.”
21
Q
Define Aposiopesis.
A
Sudden break-off for dramatic effect
Example: “I could tell you, but—”
22
Q
What is Close Reading?
A
Line-by-line analysis of language and form
Use case: Unpacking The Waste Land imagery.
23
Q
What does Intertextuality trace?
A
Connections between texts
Example: Linking Ulysses to The Odyssey.
24
Q
What does Discourse Analysis examine?
A
Power/language dynamics
Example: 1984 and propaganda.
25
Define Semiotics.
Interpreting signs/symbols
## Footnote
Example: The Raven and death symbols.
26
What is Reception Theory's focus?
Reader interpretation over author intent
## Footnote
Example: Catch-22 and varied responses.
27
What does Diachronic Study track?
Text evolution over time
## Footnote
Example: Shakespeare quartos vs. folios.
28
What is the advanced insight of Infinite Jest?
Metafiction on addiction and entertainment
## Footnote
Author: David Foster Wallace.
29
What is House of Leaves known for?
Typographic experimentation mirrors narrative
## Footnote
Author: Mark Z. Danielewski.
30
What does Nietzsche propose about tragedy?
Tragedy as life-affirming via art
## Footnote
Example: The Birth of Tragedy.
31
What is the alienation effect in Brecht's theory?
Provokes thought through audience distance
## Footnote
Example: Mother Courage and Her Children.
32
What concept does Girard's theory introduce?
Scapegoating and mimetic desire drive conflict
## Footnote
Example: Antigone as communal sacrifice.
33
What does Scheler's theory suggest about tragedy?
Tragedy from value conflicts, not just rights
## Footnote
Example: King Lear and filial loyalty.
34
Define Parataxis.
Juxtaposed clauses without conjunctions
## Footnote
Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."
35
What is Hypotaxis?
Subordinate clauses for complexity
## Footnote
Example: "Though he was tired, he kept going."
36
What does Asyndeton omit?
Conjunctions for pace
## Footnote
Example: "Blood, sweat, tears."
37
What is Polysyndeton?
Excessive conjunctions for emphasis
## Footnote
Example: "And I ran and I jumped and I fell."
38
Define Anacoluthon.
Sentence breaks mid-thought
## Footnote
Example: "I was going to—but then I didn’t."
39
What is Ellipsis?
Omission for brevity or implication
## Footnote
Example: "She could have, yet..."
40
What is a Syllogism Variant?
Beyond deductive, includes deceptive subtlety
## Footnote
Example: "An apple is a fruit; all fruit is good; apples are good."
41
What does Chiasmus do?
Reverses structure for emphasis and philosophical weight
## Footnote
Example: JFK’s "Ask not..." mirrors duty vs. entitlement.
42
What is Anaphora's impact?
Repetition builds emotional crescendo
## Footnote
Example: MLK’s "I have a dream" amplifies urgency.
43
Define Paradox.
Reveals hidden truths through contradiction
## Footnote
Example: "Less is more" critiques excess.
44
What is the origin of Aphorism?
Often rooted in cultural wisdom
## Footnote
Example: Ben Franklin’s maxims, e.g., "Early to bed..." reflects Puritan values.
45
What is the purpose of Persuade in author intent?
Subtle manipulation via emotional/logical hooks
## Footnote
Example work: How to Win Friends (Carnegie) uses flattery.
46
What does Inform aim to do in author intent?
Layers facts with cultural critique
## Footnote
Example work: The Paradox of Choice (Schwartz) on consumerism.
47
What is the goal of Entertain in author intent?
Emotional resonance as social commentary
## Footnote
Example work: Dave Barry’s humor mocks modern absurdities.
48
What defines Gothic Fiction?
Psychological terror over mere supernatural
## Footnote
Example work: The Monk (Lewis) explores sin’s descent.
49
What is the defining trait of Psychological Fiction?
Inner conflict as narrative driver
## Footnote
Example work: Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) guilt spiral.
50
What does a Novel of Manners provide?
Satirical lens on societal norms
## Footnote
Example work: Handful of Dust (Waugh) mocks privilege.
51
What characterizes a Picaresque Novel?
Episodic satire of societal flaws
## Footnote
Example work: Tom Jones (Fielding) skewers hypocrisy.
52
What is a Pastoral Novel's theme?
Idealized nature vs. corrupting society
## Footnote
Example work: Paul et Virginie (Bernardin) tragedy of civilization.
53
What is a Roman à Clef?
Veiled critique via real-world parallels
## Footnote
Example work: Animal Farm (Orwell) Soviet allegory.
54
What defines Bildungsroman Variants?
Growth through trauma or societal clash
## Footnote
Example work: Lord of the Flies (Golding) dark maturity.
55
What does Synecdoche imply?
Part-whole shorthand for thematic depth
## Footnote
Example: "All hands on deck" implies urgency.
56
Define Metonymy.
Subtle power dynamics via association
## Footnote
Example: "The White House issued..." for authority.
57
What is Apostrophe in literature?
Emotional address to absent entities
## Footnote
Example: Macbeth’s dagger speech heightens madness.
58
What does Anachronism create?
Intentional misplacement for irony
## Footnote
Example: Cell phone in Shakespeare disrupts time.
59
What is Apophasis?
Denies discussion to slyly highlight it
## Footnote
Example: "I won’t mention his scandals" implies guilt.
60
What is the structure of a Petrarchan Sonnet?
Octave sets problem; sestet resolves with volta
## Footnote
Example: Keats’ "On First Looking..." shifts awe.
61
What defines a Shakespearean Sonnet?
Couplet delivers punchy resolution
## Footnote
Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG (Shakespeare’s 154).
62
What is the evolution of Haiku?
From renga’s 13th-century roots to standalone
## Footnote
Example: Bashō’s frog splash captures a moment.
63
What does Elegy structure involve?
Lament-praise-consolation progression
## Footnote
Example: Whitman’s "O Captain!" mourns Lincoln.
64
What drives Ballad Narrative?
Quatrains drive dramatic storytelling
## Footnote
Example: Coleridge’s "Ancient Mariner" suspense.
65
What is a defining shift of Romanticism?
Imagination over Enlightenment reason
## Footnote
Notable work: Keats’ "Chapman’s Homer" discovery.
66
What characterizes the Victorian era?
Realism meets moral complexity
## Footnote
Notable work: Dickens’ Great Expectations.
67
What defines Modernism?
Fragmentation reflects post-war chaos
## Footnote
Notable work: Eliot’s The Waste Land.
68
What is the defining trait of the Renaissance?
Humanism revives classical forms
## Footnote
Notable work: Shakespeare’s sonnets.
69
What characterizes the Neoclassical period?
Order and satire dominate
## Footnote
Notable work: Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel.
70
What is the deeper theme of Frankenstein?
Ethics of creation vs. abandonment
## Footnote
Author: Mary Shelley.
71
What theme does 1984 explore?
Surveillance as psychological prison
## Footnote
Author: George Orwell.
72
What does The Great Gatsby critique?
Hollow pursuit of status over love
## Footnote
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald.
73
What theme is present in Wuthering Heights?
Passion as destructive force
## Footnote
Author: Emily Brontë.
74
What does The Tell-Tale Heart explore?
Guilt’s auditory manifestation
## Footnote
Author: Edgar Allan Poe.
75
What is the theme of To His Coy Mistress?
Carpe diem as seduction strategy
## Footnote
Author: Andrew Marvell.
76
What is Aristotle's view on core conflict in tragedy?
Hero’s hamartia (e.g., Oedipus’ ignorance)
## Footnote
Example: Oedipus Rex.
77
What is Hegel's perspective on tragedy?
Clash of valid rights (e.g., Antigone’s duty vs. state)
## Footnote
Example: Antigone.
78
What outcome does Aristotle associate with tragedy?
Catharsis via downfall
## Footnote
Example nuance: Macbeth’s hubris in prophecy trust.
79
What resolution does Hegel propose for tragedy?
Resolution through mutual destruction
## Footnote
Example nuance: Hamlet’s justice vs. political stability.
80
What is Circumfix?
Rare dual affixation in English
## Footnote
Example: "Enlighten" (en- + -en).
81
What does an Absolute Phrase add?
Vivid, non-essential detail
## Footnote
Example: "The sun shining brightly, we went..."
82
What is a Caesura?
Mid-line pause for rhythm or emotion
## Footnote
Example: "To be, or not to be— that is..."
83
What does Enjambment do in poetry?
Spills meaning across lines for tension
## Footnote
Example: Milton’s Paradise Lost flowing lines.
84
What does the analytical technique of poetry analysis involve?
Scan meter (e.g., iambic vs. trochaic)
## Footnote
Trace volta or tonal shifts.
85
What is argument evaluation?
Distinguish stated vs. unstated premises
## Footnote
Test syllogistic logic for hidden flaws.
86
What is genre contextualization?
Compare Gothic psychological depth (Poe) vs. satire (Waugh)
## Footnote
Map historical influences (e.g., Victorian East Lynne sensationalism).
87
What does Apophasis imply in rhetorical strategy?
Rhetorical denial to subtly emphasize a point
## Footnote
Example: "I won’t speak of his scandals" implies guilt.
88
What is Circumlocution?
Indirect phrasing for evasion or style
## Footnote
Example: Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart narrator’s tangents.
89
What is Ekphrasis?
Vivid description of art within text
## Footnote
Example: Keats’ "Ode to a Nightingale" evokes imagery.
90
What does Palimpsest reveal?
Layered text revealing erased histories
## Footnote
Example: Finnegans Wake (Joyce) linguistic overlays.
91
What is Prosopopoeia?
Voice given to absent or imaginary entities
## Footnote
Example: Dickinson’s "Death—He kindly stopped...".
92
What defines Tanka as a poetic form?
5-7-5-7-7 syllables, Japanese evolution of haiku
## Footnote
Nature pivot in Daphnis and Chloe echoes.
93
What is the structure of a Cinquain?
2-4-6-8-2 syllables, American modernist form
## Footnote
Imagist brevity like Pound’s haiku twist.
94
What is the Sijo form?
Korean 3-line form, 14-16 syllables per line
## Footnote
Reflective tone akin to Wordsworth’s odes.
95
What characterizes Ottava Rima?
8-line iambic pentameter, ABABABCC rhyme
## Footnote
Byronic satire mirrors Don Quixote wit.
96
What is the structure of Chant Royal?
5 stanzas of 11 lines + envoi, medieval French
## Footnote
Chaucer’s Nun’s Priest’s Tale grandeur.
97
What cross-cultural influence does Arabic tradition have on Western literature?
Storytelling richness (e.g., 1001 Nights)
## Footnote
Canterbury Tales episodic structure.
98
What influence does Japanese tradition have on Western literature?
Haiku’s minimalist impact on Imagism
## Footnote
Pound’s "Petals on a wet, black bough".
99
What impact does Greek (Homeric) tradition have on Western narratives?
Epic heroism shapes Renaissance narratives
## Footnote
Faust echoes Odysseus’ trials.
100
What influence does Indian tradition have on Romanticism?
Mythic archetypes in Romanticism
## Footnote
Shelley’s Ozymandias ruin motif.
101
What balance does Chinese tradition introduce in Victorian morality?
Confucian balance
## Footnote
Eliot’s Mill on the Floss duty clash.
102
What does Hermeneutics focus on?
Interpretive layers of meaning
## Footnote
The Waste Land’s spiritual subtext.
103
What does Phenomenology examine?
Experience as text’s essence
## Footnote
Herzog’s letter-writing subjectivity.
104
What does Structuralism identify?
Binary oppositions drive narrative
## Footnote
Antigone’s family vs. state.
105
What does Post-Structuralism destabilize?
Fixed meanings
## Footnote
Tristram Shandy’s narrative chaos.
106
What does Archetypal Criticism analyze?
Jungian universal symbols
## Footnote
Moby-Dick’s whale as shadow archetype.
107
What is a defining feature of the Sentimental Novel?
Emotional excess as moral catalyst
## Footnote
Example: Pamela’s virtue under siege.
108
What characterizes the Sensation Novel?
Victorian melodrama with shocking twists
## Footnote
Example: East Lynne’s disguised governess plot.
109
What does Military Manners satirize?
Wartime social codes
## Footnote
Example: Sword of Honour’s absurd honor.
110
What is Metafiction?
Self-aware narrative disruption
## Footnote
Example: Tristram Shandy’s blank pages.
111
What blends myth with historical grounding?
Mythic Historical
## Footnote
Example: The King Must Die’s Theseus realism.
112
What hidden layer does Finnegans Wake reveal?
Cyclical language as dream logic
## Footnote
Author: James Joyce.
113
What absurd fate does The Castle of Otranto illustrate?
Giant helmet
## Footnote
Author: Horace Walpole.
114
What does Herzog express?
Epistolary madness as existential cry
## Footnote
Author: Saul Bellow.
115
What gothic roots does The Moonstone represent?
First detective novel’s gothic roots
## Footnote
Author: Wilkie Collins.
116
What critiques social norms in Nouvelle Héloïse?
Sentimentalism
## Footnote
Author: Rousseau.
117
What unique angle does Schopenhauer provide in Tragic Theory?
Tragedy as inevitable suffering
## Footnote
Example: Wuthering Heights’s doomed passion.
118
What existential despair does Kierkegaard associate with tragedy?
Drives tragic choice
## Footnote
Example: Hamlet’s indecision as leap of faith.
119
What does Nietzsche affirm about tragedy?
Affirms life via aesthetic sublime
## Footnote
Example: Faust’s knowledge quest as art.
120
What repressed desires did Freud associate with tragedy?
Fuel tragic downfall
## Footnote
Example: Macbeth’s ambition as id unleashed.
121
What does Assonance create in literature?
Vowel repetition for tonal mood
## Footnote
Example: "Rain in Spain" musicality.
122
What is Paronomasia?
Pun or play on words
## Footnote
Example: "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."
123
Who is associated with the concept of tragedy as inevitable suffering?
Schopenhauer
124
What is Wuthering Heights’s doomed passion an example of?
Tragedy as inevitable suffering
125
Which philosopher suggests that existential despair drives tragic choice?
Kierkegaard
126
Hamlet’s indecision is described as what kind of leap?
Leap of faith
127
According to Nietzsche, how does tragedy affirm life?
Via aesthetic sublime
128
What does Faust’s knowledge quest represent in Nietzsche's philosophy?
Art
129
What fuels tragic downfall according to Freud?
Repressed desires
130
What aspect of Macbeth is considered as unleashed ambition?
Macbeth’s ambition
131
Define Assonance in linguistic nuances.
Vowel repetition for tonal mood
132
Provide an example of Assonance.
"Rain in Spain" musicality
133
What is Paronomasia?
Pun-based wordplay for layered meaning
134
Give an example of Paronomasia.
"Put it on my bill" duck humor
135
What does Ellipsis create in literature?
Ambiguity or pace
136
Provide an example of Ellipsis.
Krapp’s Last Tape’s sparse dialogue
137
What is Polyptoton?
Word repetition in varied forms
138
What is an example of Polyptoton?
"Love means never..." shifts emphasis
139
Define Hypallage.
Transferred epithet for poetic twist
140
Give an example of Hypallage.
"Cold comfort" in Cold Comfort Farm
141
What genre is characterized by growth within educational confines?
Bildungsroman
142
Provide an example of a School Bildungsroman.
Tom Brown’s School Days (Hughes)
143
What does Pastoral Satire mock?
Rural ideal with biting wit
144
Name a work that is an example of Pastoral Satire.
Cold Comfort Farm (Gibbons)
145
What does Political Allegory critique?
Power structures
146
Provide an example of a Political Allegory.
Absalom and Achitophel (Dryden)
147
What genre combines sensual horror with taboo undertones?
Erotic Gothic
148
Name a work in the Erotic Gothic genre.
Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty series
149
What is a defining contribution of Caribbean literary tradition?
African oral fusion with colonial critique
150
What is an example of Caribbean literature?
The Joy Luck Club’s cultural clash
151
What unique contribution does Classical Roman literature provide?
Stoic philosophy in narrative form
152
Name a classic Roman work.
The Aeneid’s duty echoes Faust
153
What does Native American literature often include?
Oral healing rituals in prose
154
Provide an example of Native American literature.
Ceremony (Silko) parallels Tayo
155
What does African literature contrast?
Pre-colonial richness vs. imperial rupture
156
Name a work reflecting African literature themes.
Things Fall Apart’s Igbo roots
157
What literary technique involves vowel fusion for metrical flow?
Synaeresis
158
What is an example of Synaeresis?
"The rain in Spain" elision
159
What does Diaeresis achieve in literature?
Vowel separation for distinct sound
160
Give an example of Diaeresis.
"Coöperate" in older texts
161
What is Aposiopesis?
Sudden break for dramatic silence
162
Provide an example of Aposiopesis.
"I could tell you, but—" (implied)
163
What does Hendiadys link?
Two nouns for one idea
164
Give an example of Hendiadys.
"Sound and fury" (Shakespeare)
165
What is Tmesis?
Word split by insertion
166
Provide an example of Tmesis.
"Abso-bloody-lutely" (informal echo)
167
What is Anagnorisis in tragic elements?
A shift in fate’s perception
168
Provide an example of Anagnorisis.
Oedipus’ blinding insight
169
What does Nemesis represent?
Cosmic justice, not just punishment
170
Name an example of Nemesis in literature.
Macbeth’s witches as fate’s agents
171
What is Peripeteia?
Pivot from stability to chaos
172
Provide an example of Peripeteia.
Hamlet’s play-within-a-play revelation
173
What does Mimesis reveal?
Universal truths
174
Give an example of Mimesis.
Lord of the Flies’s societal mirror
175
What does Spectacle amplify in tragedy?
Emotional weight
176
Provide an example of Spectacle.
The Castle of Otranto’s giant helmet
177
What does Anadiplosis achieve?
Flow by repeating the last word
178
Give an example of Anadiplosis.
"Fear leads to anger, anger to hate"
179
What is Pleonasm?
Redundant phrasing for emphasis
180
Provide an example of Pleonasm.
"I saw it with my own eyes"
181
What does Oxymoronic Paradox deepen?
Complexity
182
Give an example of Oxymoronic Paradox.
"This statement is false" circularity
183
What is Bathos used for?
Humor or deflation
184
Provide an example of Bathos.
Tristram Shandy’s absurd tangents
185
What does Epenthesis add?
Sound for rhythm
186
Give an example of Epenthesis.
"A-thuh-lete" (dialectal shift)
187
What literary period is characterized by anti-establishment roots?
Beat Generation (1944-62)
188
Name a work from the Beat Generation.
Herzog’s lettered rebellion
189
What does Surrealism disrupt?
Narrative norms
190
Provide an example of Surrealism.
Finnegans Wake’s non-sequiturs
191
What shapes medieval forms in the Patristic period?
Christian allegory
192
Give an example of a work from the Patristic period.
Canterbury Tales’s moral undertones
193
What fusion occurs during the Elizabethan period?
Drama with humanism and spectacle
194
Name a work from the Elizabethan period.
Henry V’s patriotic pageantry
195
What tension is explored during the American Renaissance?
Transcendentalism vs. slavery
196
Provide an example of a work from the American Renaissance.
Whitman’s "O Captain!" Lincoln elegy
