Literary Studies

Question 1

Discourse

Answer 1

The body of statements, analysis, opinions, etc., relating to a particular domain of intellectual or social activity, esp. as characterized by recurring themes, concepts, or values; also the set of shared beliefs, values, etc., implied or expressed by this

Question 2

Code

-codify, decode, encode

Answer 2

A shared set of rules or conventions by which signs can be combined to permit a message to be communicated from one person to another; it may consist of a language in the normal sense or of a smaller-scale “language” such as the set of hand signals, horns, grimaces and flashing lights used by motorists.

Question 3

Broad Definition (of literature)

Answer 3

• Encompasses all written communication

- Excludes orally mediated literature

Question 4

Narrow Definition (of literature)

Answer 4

• No direct reference to reality (menu, map)

- Imaginative: Dynamic interplay between literature and reality (Form)

Question 5

Normative Definition (of literature)

Answer 5

• Has to follow certain rules

- These rules are there!

Question 6

Descriptive Definition (of literature)

Answer 6

-Look at literary works and define them according to certain criteria

Question 7

Taxonomy

Answer 7

Science of classification

• Literary History and Periodization
• Genres
• Stylistic Devices
• Languages
• Nationality
• Gender

Question 8

Genre

Answer 8

Three Main Genres

• Drama
• Poetry
• Narrative

Question 9

Subgenre

Answer 9

Further classification of the main genres

E.g.: Revenge tragedy, epic poem, ballad, short story (…)

Question 10

Literary History by Nünning

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Literary History by Sanders

Answer 11

500-1066  Old English Literature
1066-1510 Medieval Literature
1510-1620 Renaissance and Performance
1620-1690 Revolution and Restoration
1690-1780 Eighteenth-Century Literature
1780-1830 Romantic Period
1830-1880 High Victorian Literature
1880-1920 Late Victorian and Edwardian Literature
1920-1945 Modernism and its Alternatives
since 1945 Post-War and Post-Modern Literature

Question 12

Tendencies of Poetry

Answer 12

Poetry has the tendency towards certain aspects

• relative brevity
• compression, condensation
• increased subjectivity
• musicality and proximity to songs
• structural and phonological complexity
• morphological and syntactic complexity
• deviation from everyday language and increased artificiality
• increase aesthetic self-referentiality

Question 13

Stylistic Devices

Answer 13

• Phonological Structures
• Morphological Structures
• Syntactic Structures
• Semantic Structures

Question 14

Phonological Structures

Answer 14

-work on the level of sound

Question 15

Morphological structures

Answer 15

Work on level of words and word formation

Question 16

Syntactic Structures

Answer 16

Work on level of sentence structure

Question 17

Semantic Structures

Answer 17

Work on level of meaning of the words and expressions

• Metaphor
• Metonymy
• Synecdoche
• Simile

Question 18

Metaphor

Answer 18

Metaphor
Something stands for something else
E.g.: “Eye of heaven” = sun
(Semantic Structure)

Question 19

Metonymy

Answer 19

Metonymy
Something causally/ logically connected stands for something else
E.g.: “The pen (= writing) is mightier than the sword (= violence)”
(Semantic Structure)

Question 20

Synecdoche

Answer 20

Synecdoche
“Pars pro toto” A metonymy, but a part stands for the whole

E.g.:
Sail = ship
Motor = car
Hands = Workers

(Semantic Structure)

Question 21

Simile

Answer 21

Simile
Comparison that is shown by the use of “like”, “as” etc.
(Semantic Structure)