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Literary Studies > Definitions > Flashcards

Definitions Flashcards

1
Q

Literary Theories
Definition of ‘literature’

A
  • broad vs. narrow
  • normative vs. descriptive
  • extrinsic vs. intrinsic
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2
Q

literary communication system

A

Sender/Author -> Message/Code/Literary
Text-> Receiver/Reader

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3
Q

the 6 functions of language

A
  • emotive (addresser) - state something “wow!”
  • conative (addressee) - motivate to do something “go away!”
  • phatic (medium of contact) - establishing communication “Hello? Can your hear me?”
  • poetic (message) - focus on the message “Black and white”
  • metalingual (code) - language can be (non-) verbal expressive “An apple is a fruit”
  • referential (context/subject) “the earth is round”
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4
Q

Literal vs. Figurative

A

literal: actual example

figurative: metaphorical example to show your meaning

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5
Q

Denotative vs. Connotative

A

denotation: actual meaning of the word
connotation: the association made with the word

Example: snake
denotation: snake (meaning of the word)
connotation: devil/poisonous

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6
Q

Literary Periods according to Nünning (11)

A

500-1150 Old English Period
1150-1500 Middle English Period
1500-1649 Renaissance
1649-1660 Commonwealth
1660- 1700 Restoration
1700-1780 Neo-Classicism and Enlightenment
1780-1837 Romantic Period
1837-1901 Victorian Period
1901-1914 Edwardian Period
1914-1945 Modernism
since 1945 Post-War and Postmodernism

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7
Q

Intertextuality

A

interconnectivness of texts
- complex

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8
Q

(Literary) History
43, 1066, 1215, 1558, 1588

A

43 - Roman Conquest
1066 - Norman Conquest
1215 - First Constitution
1558 - Elizabethan Age begins
1588 - Defeat of the Spanish

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9
Q

(Literary) History
1603, 1620, 1642, 1688, 1707

A

1603 - James I becomes King
1620 - Mayflower arrives in America
1642 - First English Civil War
1688 - Glorious Revolution
1707 - England & Scotland uniteed

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10
Q

Discourse vs. story

A

Discourse: How is the story told?
Story: What is told in the story?

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11
Q

Taxonomy

A

Science of classification
- Literary History and Periodization
- Genres
- Stylistic Devices
- Languages
- Nationality
- Gender

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12
Q

Genre

A

three main genres:
- Drama (comedy, tragedy, history play,…)
- Narrative (short story, novel, fairytale,…)
- Poetry (sonnet, ballad, ode,…)

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13
Q

Paradigmatic/Syntagmatic
(Dichotomie)

A

paradigmatic: exchangeability of (linguistic) elements
syntagmatic: compability of elements

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14
Q

Nature and characteristics of Poetry (6)

A

tendency towards:
- relative brevity (mostly short)
- compression of thoughts
- musicality
- structural and phonological complexity
- morphological and syntactic complexity
- deviation from everyday language

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15
Q

Structural Elements
(Poetry)

A

stanza, verse, …

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16
Q

Stylistic Devices (poetry)

A
  • phonological devices (rhyme, metre, alliteration,…)
  • syntactic devices (parallelism,…)
  • Morphological devices (anaphora,…)
  • semantic devices (simile, metaphor,…)
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17
Q

Phonological figures

A

Alliteration: following words starting with the same letter/sound

Rhyme: a consonance between all phonemes following the last stressed vowel
Sull/perfect/true Rhyme: exact consonance of phonemes in the rhyming syllables

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18
Q

Rhyme schemes

A

rhyming couplets (aa bb cc)
cross rhyme (abab cdcd)
embracing rhyme (abba cddc)
chain rhyme (aba bcb cdc)
tail rhyme (aab ccb)

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19
Q

Stanzas
Poetry

A

couplets (2 lines)
Tercets
Quatrain
Quintet
sestet
Septet
Octave (8 lines)

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20
Q

syntactic figures
poetry

A

Ellipsis = words being left out of a sentence, but it is still understandable
Inversion = reversal of normal word order
Parallelism = Succession of sentences of same structure

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21
Q

morphological figures
Poetry

A

Anaphora = repitition of words at the beginning of successive clauses
Epiphora = Repitition of words at the end of successive clauses

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22
Q

semantic figures

A

most significant:
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Metonymy
- Synecdoche

=> all types of metaphors but specialized versions

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23
Q

Metaphor

A
  • something stands for something else
    “Eye of heaven” = the sun
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24
Q

Metonymy

A

something casually/logically connected stands for something else
- “The pen (writing) is mightier than the sword (war)”

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25
Q

Synechdoche

A

a metonymy but a part stands for the whole
- Sail -> ship
- Motor -> car
- Hands -> workers

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26
Q

Simile

A

comparison that is shown by the use of “like”, “as”,…
- Thou art like a toad, ugly and venomous.”

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27
Q

communication model poetry

A

Intra textual lvl = Characters & story (fictive speaker, lyric persona -> subject matter of speech -> fictive addressee)
Extra textual lvl = Narrative Transmission (real-author; real-reader)

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28
Q

Lyric Persona/
Lyrical “I”

A

fictive speaker in the text (not the real author)

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29
Q

Lyric “Thou”

A

fictive addressee in the text (not the real reader)

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30
Q

Explicit vs. Implicit
Poetry

A

Explicit: direct, fully stated, clearly perceptible, feelings and thoughts -> ouvert
Implicit: hidden, indirect, does not appear as an indfividualized lyric persona -> covert

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31
Q

English vs. Italian sonnett

A

English: Shakespeare
- 3 quatrains 1 couplet
- abab cdcd gg
- volta before climax in couplet

Italian: Petrach
- 1 octave a sestet
- abba abba cdccdc
- colta after octave

=> two typical features of a sonnett:
14 lines
Subject: love, beauty

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32
Q

Volta
Poetry

A

turn of thought within a sonnett/poem

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33
Q

plot vs. story
Narrative

A

Plot = squence of events + cause (causality)
Story = sequence of events (chronology)

Examples:
plot: “the king died and then the queen died of grief”
story: “the king died.”

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34
Q

Events
narrative

A
  • smallest unit of story/plot
  • are actions that change a given situation in the story
  • peoples action forward brings about change
  • not always equally important
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35
Q

Story time vs. Discours time
Narrative

A

story time: time it takes to narrate (time that passes in the story)
discourse time: time covered by the narrated event (time that it takes me to read the story)

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36
Q

Time Analysis
Narrative

A

3 aspects: duration, order, frequency

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37
Q

Time Analysis : Duration
Narrative

A

story time = st / discourse time = dt

Summary: dt < st
Scene: dt = st
Stretch: dt > st
Elipsis: no dt vs. only st
pause: only dt. vs. no st

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38
Q

Time Analysis: Order
Narrative

A

chronological vs. anachronological
- flash back
- flash forward

39
Q

Time Analysis: Frequency
Narrative

A

Singulative: event happens once
Repetitive: Event happens once, but is referred to various times
Herative = Event happens multiple times

40
Q

Point of view
Narrative

A
  • external vs. internal
  • Narrator vs. Character
41
Q

Modes of Representation
Narrative

A

Showing (mimesis): little or no narrational mediation, overtness or presence (no narrator)
Telling (diegesis): Narrator in overt control of action presentation

42
Q

Representation of Events
Narrative

A

mimetic
- direct discourse
- free indirect discourse
- indirect discourse
- report/summary
- comment

diegetic

43
Q

Representation of Consciousness
Narrative

A

‘purely’ mimetic
- free direct discourse
- direct discourse
- free indirect discourse
- indirect discourse
- diegetic summary

‘purely’ diegetic

44
Q

Examples
Direct Discourse
Indirect Discourse
Free Indirect Discourse

A

Direct Discourse: “She said, “I love Literary Studies”
Indirect Discourse: She said that she loved Literary Studies.
Free Indirect Discourse: She loved Literary Studies.

45
Q

Narrative Situation (Stanzel)
Narrative

A
  • 1st person
  • Authorial
  • Figural
46
Q

1st person Narrator

A
  • involved in the story
  • “narrating I”/”experiencing I”
  • involved as protagonist (I-as-protagonist) or peripheral character (I-as-witness)
  • narrative situation: limited
    -> no insight into the thoughts/feelings of the other characters
47
Q

Authorial Narrator

A
  • situated outside the world of characters (god-like view)
  • present themselves as fictive individuals (by comments, moral judgements, etc. on events)
  • typical features: flashforwards, generalisations
  • narrative situation: unlimited
    -> omniscience (insight into the internal processes of all characters and familiarity with their thoughts and feelings
    -> omnipresence (invisible and fictive presence in all places where characters are alone, as well as presence in several locations at the same time)
    -> able to see the entire course of narrative events in the past, present and future
48
Q

Figural Narrator

A
  • generally recedes so far, that the narrative transmissions are barely noticable
  • narrated world is presented from the perspective of a character who is involved in the action -> ‘reflector’
  • gives the reader the impression of having a direct insight into the thoughts and feelings of characters
  • internal perspective -> doesn’t have the ability to see the entire course of events (like authorial narrator)
49
Q

Genette’s Structuralist Taxonomy
Narrative voice

A

narrative voice: Who speaks?
extradiegetic: first level narrator
intradiegetic: no first level narrator
(diegetic: telling extra: outside intra: inside)

heterodiegetic: narrator is not part of the story
autodiegetic: narrator is part of the story and protagonist
homodiegetic: narrator part of the story but not protagonist
(hetero: different auto: self homo: same)

-> two terms needed to analyse the narrative voice

50
Q

Genette’s Structuralist Taxonomy
Focalization

A

Focalization: who sees? -> can change within a story
internal: observer knows as much as character(s)
external: observer knows less than character(s)

51
Q

Short Story Theory (E.A.Poe)
Narrative

A

unity of plot
length/time
totality of Tone
limitation of place

=> unity of effect

52
Q

How to write a Short Story?

A
  • choose desired impression
  • pick a climax
  • consider length, tone
  • pick a place
  • determine necessary events

=> unity of effect

53
Q

William Shakespeare

A

1564-1616
- most important/popular author

54
Q

Types/Genres of Drama

A

most popular:
- comedy
- tragedy
- history

55
Q

Comedy
Drama

A
  • happy end
  • mostly ends in marriage
56
Q

Tragedy
Drama

A
  • sad/bad end
  • mostly ends in death
57
Q

History
Drama

A
  • not really popular
58
Q

Richard III
which genre?

A
  • complicated to put into one genre
    -> it is a play about history and historical characters
    -> but in a book it is called “The tragedy of Richard III”
59
Q

Drama to Theatre

A

Author <-> Dramatic text <-> Reader

Theatre/Apparatus <-> Performance Text <-> Audience

60
Q

Communication Model Narrative Texts
Levels of Communication

A
  • extra-textual Level of Communication: empirical author -> empirical reader
  • intra-textual level of communication I + II: Internal Communication System: character communication
61
Q

How does drama compensate for the lack of mediator?

A
  • through Dramtic Text (primary and secondary) and Theatrical Text
  • Plurimediality

primary: what actors say on stage
secondary: everything that’s not spoken, helps organise the play

62
Q

Plurimediality

A
  • usage of a lot of different medias/codes
63
Q

What is a chorus?

A

a character who is not part of the play is introduced to the audience

64
Q

epic tendencies
Drama

A

character talks directly to the audience
“breaks” the fourth wall between external and internal communication

65
Q

Codes and Channels of Theatre Communication

A

Channel: visual or acoustical
Code: verbal or non-verbal
Sender: Character or stage

acoustical & verbal -> linguistic or paralinguistic -> Character or stage

66
Q

from text to play
Drama

A

Theatre/Acting Company: commissions the writer
Writer: writes the Foul Papers, then reviews these and makes a fair copy
Foul Paper/Fair Copy: given to Master of Revels
Master of Revels: censors the Performance (decides if it’ll be played/printed)

Theatre/Acting Company: performs the Play OR
Printer: prints the play/text as Quarto or Folio

67
Q

Different Types of Speech

A
  • Dialogical Speech
  • Monological Speech
    -> Monologue
    -> Soliloguy
  • Asides
    -> Monological Aside
    -> Aside ad spectatores
    -> Dialogical Aside
68
Q

Dialogical Speech

A

two ore more characters talking to each other

69
Q

Monological Speech

A

character talks for an extended amount of time, alone
- Monologue: character is NOT alone on the stage, other characters are there
- Soliloguy: character is alone on stage

70
Q

Asides

A

character breaks out (i.e. to the audience)
- Monological aside
- Aside ad spectatores
- Dialogical aside (talks to one character and suddenly breaks out to talk to another [without the first character hearing him])

-> the character he originally talks to, doesnt hear him

71
Q

Discrepant Awareness
Drama

A
  • superior audience awareness (dramatic irony -> the reader/audience knows way more than most of the characters)
  • inferior audience awareness
72
Q

Figure conceptions
Drama

A
  • static vs. dynamic
  • one-dimensional vs. multidimensional
73
Q

static vs. dynamic
Figure Conceptions (Drama)

A

static: character stays the same the whole time
dynamiic: characters views, etc. change/develop over time

74
Q

one-dimensional vs. multidimensional
Figure Conceptions (Drama)

A

one-dimensional: there’s not much to the character
multidimensional: the character is more complex

75
Q

Characterisation
(Drama)

A
  • Figural (explicit) Character communication
  • Figural (implicit) character’s presence
  • Authorial
76
Q

Figural (explicit) Character communication
Characterisation (Drama)

A

Self Commentary
- Monologue or
- Dialogue

Commentary by Others
- Monologue
-> before 1st appearance
-> after 1st appearance
- Dialogue
-> in praesentia
-> in absentia

77
Q

Figural (implicit) Character’s Presence
Characterisation (Drama)

A
  • non-verbal Characterisation
    -> stature, facial expressions, mask, costume, setting
  • Verbal Characterisation
    -> voice, rhetoric, register (dialect, jargon,…)
78
Q

Authorial
Characterisation (Drama)

A
  • Explicit
    -> Paratexts, Speaking names (Names with a meanign, ex.: Severus Snape -> Snape - Snake Symbol of Slytherin)
  • Implicit
    -> Contrasts and Parallels in the Configuration (i.e. form of texts)
    –> high class characters speak in verses (Gedichtsform), low class characters speak in prose (Blockabsatz)
79
Q

Exposition
(Drama)

A
  • transmission of information to do with the events and situations from the past that determine the dramatic present
    -> referential function (mostly related to the context of a message)
80
Q

Dramatic Introduction
(Drama)

A
  • used to simulate the audience’s attention and to attune it to the fictional world of the drama
    -> phatic function
    -> example: a chorus (not part of the play) introduces the fictional world
81
Q

Isolated vs. Integrated Exposition/Dramatic Introduction

A

isolated: not part of the play/Characters
integrated: a character of the play

82
Q

monological vs. dialogical exposition/dramatic introduction?

A

monological: character(person talks alone
dialogical: character/person talks with someone else

83
Q

Classical 5-Act Structure Drama
G. Freytag

A
  1. Act: Exposition
  2. Act: Rising Action (complication)
  3. Act: Climax and peripeteia (reversal)
  4. Act: Falling Action (unravelling/untying)
  5. Act: catastrophe or denoument
84
Q

Dramatic Conventions and concepts
Aristotle’s Unities

A
  • Unity of Action
  • Unity of Time
  • Unity of Place

=> not all plays stick to these unities

85
Q

Unity of Action
Aristotle

A
  • every part is important to the outcome and effect of the play
86
Q

Unity of Time
Aristotle

A
  • a play can’t cover more than a day
87
Q

Unity of Place
Aristotle

A
  • idealy only one place
    -> you can’t switch between several places during a play
88
Q

Aristotle’s Conception of Tragedy

A
  • usually has a tragic hero
    -> a man whose character is generally good, whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity but by some error
89
Q

Classical Conception according to Aristoteles

A
  • hubris
  • hamartia
  • peripeteia
  • anagnorisis
  • catharis
90
Q

hubris
Classical Conception Aristoteles

A
  • refers to the tragic hero at the beginning of the play
    -> over-confident
91
Q

hamartia
Classical Conception Aristoteles

A
  • translates to: tragic flaws
    -> hero has some ‘mistakes’
92
Q

peripeteia
Classical Conception Aristoteles

A
  • at some point of the play there’s a reversal of fortune
93
Q

anagnorisis
Classical Conception Aristoteles

A
  • change from ignorance to knowledge of own downfall
94
Q

catharis
Classical Conception Aristoteles

A
  • when reading a Tragedy we experience pity and fear
    -> through thi: purification of these emotions

Literary Studies (1 decks)

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