Literary Studies Flashcards
Discourse
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
Code
-codify, decode, encode
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.
Broad Definition (of literature)
- Encompasses all written communication
- Excludes orally mediated literature
Narrow Definition (of literature)
- No direct reference to reality (menu, map)
- Imaginative: Dynamic interplay between literature and reality (Form)
Normative Definition (of literature)
- Has to follow certain rules
- These rules are there!
Descriptive Definition (of literature)
-Look at literary works and define them according to certain criteria
Taxonomy
Science of classification
- Literary History and Periodization
- Genres
- Stylistic Devices
- Languages
- Nationality
- Gender
Genre
Three Main Genres
- Drama
- Poetry
- Narrative
Subgenre
Further classification of the main genres
E.g.: Revenge tragedy, epic poem, ballad, short story (…)
Literary History by Nünning
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
Literary History by Sanders
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
Tendencies of Poetry
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
Stylistic Devices
- Phonological Structures
- Morphological Structures
- Syntactic Structures
- Semantic Structures
Phonological Structures
-work on the level of sound
Morphological structures
Work on level of words and word formation