Literary Terms Flashcards

Need to know how to use and spell

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

structure

verse

A

written in lines

line breaks are a part of the poem punctuation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

structure

line break

A

where the line stops and goes to the next

black thoughts brim in the grim playground of my mind

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

structure

end-stop

verb: end-stopping

A

the line is stopped with punctuation; the sentence ends at the end of the line

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

structure

enjambment

verb: enjambing

A

continuation of a sentence through the end of a line or a line break

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

sound

rhythm

A

the pattern of stresses within a poem/verse/line

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

structure

stressed syllable

A

emphasized syllable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

structure

unstressed syllable

A

unemphasized syllable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

structure

prose

A

writing in which line breaks aren’t part of the work; lines run all the way to the bottom of page and continue

e.g. books, newspapers, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

figure

simile

A

a figure of speech that compares a literal thing (tenor) to a figurative thing (vehicle)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

figure

metaphor

A

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is figurative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

figure

tenor

A

the literal part of a simile/metaphor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

figure

vehicle

A

the figurative part of a simile/metaphor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

structure

anaphora

adj: anaphoric

A

repetition of certain words or phrases, especially the first part

e.g. “Give me liberty or give me death.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

figure

personification

A

when inanimate objects are given human-like qualities/actions

e.g. “The sun smiles down at me as I walk.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

structure

polysyndeton

A

use of more conjuctions than needed

e.g. “Anna and Kendall and Sam and Stewart came to prom.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

structure

asyndeton

A

use of no conjunctions

e.g. “The teacher was astonished, gaping, awestruck.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

sound

tone

A

writer’s attitude

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

diction

diction

A

word choice

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

diction

high/elevated/formal register

A

complex, formal, high-sounding speech

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

diction

low/colloquial/conversational register

A

casual, everday, easy-to-understand speech

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

structure

verse form

A

the shape/structure of a poem

like stanzas, groupings of lines, line breaks, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

general literature

genre

A

category of literary works; a stylistic category or sort, especially of literature or other artworks.

e.g. Romance, comedy, tragedy, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

general literature

speaker

A

the voice behind a literary work;

It’s important to note that the speaker isn’t always the author.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

genre

dramatic monologue

A

A poem where the voice of the poem is a fictional character and clearly not the poet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

structure

sonnet

A

a 14-line poem in iambic pentameter made up of an octave and a sestet with a rhyme scheme

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

structure

Italian sonnet

also called a Petrarchan sonnet

A

a type of sonnet with an octave and a sestet; tradionally with the following rhyme schemes:
ABBA;ABBA;CDC;CDC
or
ABBA;ABBA;CDCDCD

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

structure

octave

A

group of eight lines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

structure

sestet

A

group of six lines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

structure

quatrain

A

a stanza comprised of four lines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

structure

tercet

A

group of three lines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

structure

rhyme scheme

A

specific rhyming pattern of the last words of every line in a poem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

structure

end rhyme

A

last words of each line rhyme

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

structure

internal rhyme

A

when words within a line rhyme

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

sound

masculine rhyme

A

a single-syllable rhyme

e.g. “top” and “flop”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

sound

feminine rhyme

A

a multi-syllable (2-3 syllables) rhyme

e.g. “beaming” and “steaming”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

sound

perfect rhyme

A

a rhyme that perfectly overlaps over the two words

e.g. “face” and “trace”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

sound

slant rhyme

A

rhyme of words that are similar, but not identical

e.g. “poncho” and “crunchy”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

figure

volta

aka turn

A

shift in subject, tone, pacing, or another element of poem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

general literature

canon

A

a body of works deemed authentic, elite, or an essential part of a culture; works that have acheived the status of a “classic”

e.g. Shakespeare

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

genre

epic

(poetry)

A
  • a long, adventerous, narrative poem
  • written in high register
  • often involving heros & mythological beings
  • invocation of the muses
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

Greek context/culture

rhapsode

A

illiterate, often blind, storytellers that told stories (like epics)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

Greek context/culture

kleos

A

glory; often accumulated from patriarchal ancestry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

Greek context/culture

xenia

A

hospitality; expected from the host and the guest

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

Greek context/culture

nostos

A

journey home; homecoming

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

Greek context/culture

katabasis

A

journey to the underworld

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

Greek context/culture

anagnorisis

A

moment of recognition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

Greek context/culture

aristeia

A

a person’s (often a hero’s) shining moment/moment of glory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

Greek context/culture

deus ex machina

A
  • derived from Greek theatre, when, at the end, a god would be lowered onto the stage to solve all the problems
  • today’s meaning: an “artificial” ending; resolved too neatly

e.g. the end of the Odyssey when Athena stops the impending bloodshed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

Greek context/culture

supplication

verb: supplicate

A

to humble oneself and touch another’s knees to beg earnestly; often in an act of desperation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

Greek context/culture

libation

A

poured offerings to honor anyone who isn’t present; traditionally with mixed (diluted) wine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

Greek context/culture

portent

aka omen

A

a sign/warning that something, especially important, is likely to occur

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

literary theory

metamorphosis

A

a change in physical form

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

Greek context/culture

oath

A

an unbreakable promise

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

general literature

narrative

A

a work in the 1st person

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

general literature

narration

A

the action or process of giving a spoken or written account of a story
(in the 3rd person)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

Greek context/culture

in medias res

A

literal meaning: “in the middle”
often how epic poems begin

e.g. The Odyssey begins in medias res

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
57
Q

Greek context/culture

invocation

A

an address to the Muses in which a poet requests help in composing a poem/telling a story

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
58
Q

general literature

catalogue

A

a list

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
59
Q

general literature

exemplum

pl. exempla

A

a short story/anecdote (usually from myth/history) used to give advice/shed wisdom regarding a moral situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
60
Q

general literature

epithet

A

a stock phrase used to get the required number of syllables in lines; like puzzle pieces

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
61
Q

figure

epic simile

A

a long, intricate simile that often tells a short story

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
62
Q

figure

hypallage

aka transferred epithet

A

when a word that grammatically belongs to another word is moved to another place in the sentence

e.g. “Pale with fear” > “Pale fear”.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
63
Q

figure

apostrophe

A

when characters/narrator speak to someone/something who isn’t present

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
64
Q

figure

antithesis

adj. antithetical

A

assertion of the positive part vs the negative side

e.g. “Your enemies jealous, your friends delighted.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
65
Q

figure

irony

A

when there is tension between two underlying meanings; when the thing said contrasts the underlying meaning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
66
Q

structure

meter

adj. metrical

A

basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse

e.g. iambic pentamer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
67
Q

general literature

scansion

verb: scan

A

looking for stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry as well as feet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
68
Q

structure

poetic foot

A

rhymical unit of meters

e.g. iamb, trochee

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
69
Q

structure

iamb

adj. iambic

A

a poetic foot consisting of an unstressed then stressed syllable

to hèlp (` is supposed to be a stress mark)

(opposite of trochee)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
70
Q

structure

trochee

adj. trochaic

A

a poetic foot consisting of a stressed then an unstressed syllable

yòu need (` is supposed to be a stress mark)

(opposite of iamb)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
71
Q

structure

iambic pentameter

A

meter consisting of 5 iambs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
72
Q

structure

trochaic substitution

A

the subsitution of an iamb for a trochee, usually at the beginning of a line

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
73
Q

structure

blank verse

A

verse form of unrhymed iambic pentameter

e.g. Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey

74
Q

structure

monometer

A

meter with one foot

75
Q

structure

dimeter

A

meter with two feet

76
Q

structure

trimeter

A

meter with three feet

77
Q

structure

tetrameter

A

meter with four feet

78
Q

structure

pentameter

A

meter with five feet

most common meter in English language

79
Q

structure

hexameter

A

meter with six feet

80
Q

general literature

aesthetics

A

study of beauty and the appreciation of arts

81
Q

general literature

aesthetic experience

A

an experience of a work of art

82
Q

figure

ekphrasis

adj. ekphrastic

A

the use of detailed description of a work of visual art as a literary device

e.g. “The Archaic Torso of Apollo”

83
Q

figure

pastoral

(noun and adj.)

A

description of nature as a literary device

84
Q

general literature

utopia

adj. utopian

A

an world in which everything is perfect

85
Q

general literature

grotesque

(noun and adj.)

A

distortion, weird, unnatural

also means gross/disgusting

86
Q

general literature

elegy

adj. elegiac

A

a form of poetry in which the poet or speaker expresses grief, sadness, or loss

87
Q

figure

anachronism

adj. anachronistic

A

the presence of something in a time period in which it doesn’t belong in

e.g. jeans in Ancient Greek society

88
Q

figure

allusion

adj. allusive

A

an indirect reference to something

89
Q

figure

intertextuality

adj. intertextual

A

when a text is intricately intertwined with another so you need to know the latter to understand the former

e.g. “Ulysses” and The Odyssey are intertextual.

90
Q

diction

archaic diction

A

old-fashioned way of speaking

91
Q

structure

ellipsis

adj. elliptical

A

omitting a portion of the sequence of events

leaving out words that can be implied by a parallel structure

92
Q

figure

litotes

A

ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary

e.g., you won’t be sorry, meaning you’ll be glad

understatement through double negatives

93
Q

general literature

Aristotle’s Poetics

A

the work in which Aristotle introduces elements that he thought literature include, like mimesis

94
Q

literary theory

mimesis

adj. mimetic

A

the representation of reality in works of art

95
Q

general literature

lyric

adj. lyrical

A

a short poem, often with songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker’s personal emotions and feelings.

e.g. elegies, odes, and sonnets

Historically intended to be sung and accompany musical instrumentation, lyric now describes a broad category of non-narrative poetry

96
Q

general literature

drama

adj. dramatic

A

a genre, or style of writing used to create a play/performance in theatre

pretty self explanatory

97
Q

general literature

tragedy

adj tragic

A

a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible/sorrowful events that befall a main character

traditionally intended to invoke catharsis in audience

98
Q

Greek context/culture

dithyramb

A

a choral hymn sung to Dionysus

99
Q

general literature

dialogue

A

spoken conversation between two people

100
Q

general literature

monologue

A

a long speech a character gives

101
Q

figure

paradox

adj. paradoxial

A

a contradictory statement, idea, or figure of speech

something that seems impossible; direct contradiction

102
Q

figure

oxymoron

adj. oxymoronic

A

two-word paradox

e.g. black sunlight

103
Q

structure

stichomythia

A

quick/rapid/short exchanges between characters in a dialogue

104
Q

drama

chorus

adj. choral

A
  1. group of actors who describe and comment upon the main actions in a play
  2. long, complex poems at the ends of each section/scene of a play
105
Q

drama

choral lyric

A

a lyrical poem sung by the chorus in a play

106
Q

drama

parados

A

1st song/stanza sung by the chorus when it first comes onto the stage

107
Q

drama

stasimon

A

all chorus stanzas starting from the second until the end of the play; all chorus stanzas apart from the parados

108
Q

general literature

Hegelian dialectic

adj dialectical

A

the fusion of two opposing concepts so that they make sense together

having a contradiction in conflict and resolving it by combining the aspects of the things on polar opposites

109
Q

drama

tragic hero

A

the hero in a tragedy

often makes a fatal mistake that causes their downfall

110
Q

Greek context/culture

Κάθαρσις

catharsis - adj. cathartic

A

greek word for unbottling all emotions, purging oneself of negative emotions

pity and fear you feel when a tragic hero undergoes a downfall; means purgation

111
Q

drama

peripeteia

A

turning point where people’s positions are flipped

e.g. the high of society learn they might lose everything at a turning point of a play

112
Q

Greek context/culture

hamartia

A

the moment of error that leads to the downfall of a character in a tragedy

113
Q

general literature

Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy

A

Nietzsche thought that Greek tragedy was a way that Greeks tried to grapple with despair & to combine Dionysian and Apollonian ideas.

114
Q

Greek context/culture

Apollonian

A

lawfulness, order, rationality, intellect

named after Apollo, Greek god of order and knowledge, among other things

traits of Apollo; more serious than Dionysian

115
Q

Greek context/culture

Dionysian

A

ecstasy, frenzy, excitement, freedom

traits of Dionysus; more relaxed/intoxicated

116
Q

Greek context/culture

satyr play

A

a comedic play often shown in between tragedies to lighten the mood of the audience

117
Q

general literature

parody

adj. parodic

A

an imitation of the style and manner of a particular writer or school of writers

often with a negative/satirical intent

118
Q

general literature

translationese

A

awkwardness or ungrammaticality of translation, such as due to overly literal translation of idioms or syntax

119
Q

genre

Romance

A

a long work of prose that contains both realistic and supernatural elements

not to be confused with the contemporary definition of romance: a love story

120
Q

genre

novel

adj. novelistic

A

a realistic, long work of prose

121
Q

genre

short story

A

a work of prose fiction that can be read in one sitting—usually between 20 minutes to an hour

the average short story is 1,000 to 7,500 words

122
Q

genre

fiction

adj. fictional

A

a work of prose pertaining of unrealistic elements

123
Q

genre

drama

adj. dramatical

A

plays, choreography, screenplays, and other art that is intended to be performed

124
Q

genre

free verse

A

poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter

125
Q

structure

parallelism

A

the use of successive verbal constructions in poetry or prose which correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc

126
Q

structure

ballad stanza

aka hymn stanza

A

four lines where the first and third lines are iambic tetrameter and the second and fourth are iambic trimeter

ABCB rhyme scheme

Example:
[“The Brain—is wider than the Sky—”]
Emily Dickinson

The Brain—is wider than the Sky— (iambic tetrameter)

For—put them side by side— (iambic trimeter)

The one the other will contain (iambic tetrameter)

With ease—and you—beside— (iambic trimeter)

127
Q

general literature

hymn

A

a religious song or poem of praise to God or a god

128
Q

miscellaneous

feminism

A

the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes

129
Q

figure

synecdoche

A

where a part of a whole represents the whole

eg. mast (the pole to hold the sails) representing ship

130
Q

figure

chiasmus

A

a sentence where 2 words in the first half are reversed in the second half

(eg. All for one and one for all!”)

131
Q

general literature

semiotics

adj. semiotic

A

the study of signs and their use/interpretations

132
Q

general literature

signified

A

the meaning or idea expressed by a sign

133
Q

general literature

sign

A

anything that communicates a meaning that is not the sign itself to the interpreter of the sign

134
Q

general literature

signifier

A

a sign’s physical form (such as a sound, printed word, or image)

135
Q

general literature

proverb

A

a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice

136
Q

general literature

necessary condition

A

a condition that must be present for an event to occur

137
Q

general literature

sufficient condition

A

a condition or set of conditions that will produce the event

138
Q

figure

allegory

A

a conceit that can be interpreted to reveal another meaning, often a moral or political one

139
Q

miscellaneous

subjunctive

A

relating to or denoting a mood of verbs expressing what is imagined or wished or possible.

Ex: I wish he were here.

140
Q

miscellaneous

archaic

A

old linguistic terms used to generate an older/ancient feel

141
Q

Greek context/culture

Δεινος (Deinos)

A

Greek word that means horrifying and brilliant; extraordinary, awe-inspiring.

142
Q

-dos

A

way

143
Q

miscellaneous

compensation

A

something, typically money, awarded to someone as a reward/amend/gift for loss, injury, or suffering

144
Q

general literature

interpolation

A

later insertions of text in a work

145
Q

Greek context/culture

maenads

A

female cult worshippers of Dionysus

146
Q

Greek context/culture

Dionysia

A

yearly festival in honor of Dionysus where people would compete to make the best theatrical performance.

147
Q

structure

periphrasis

adj. periphrastic

A

the use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression; a roundabout or indirect manner of writing or speaking.

148
Q

structure

iambic tetrameter

A

a meter of 4 iambs

149
Q

structure

iambic trimeter

A

a meter of 3 iambs

150
Q

general literature

pathetic fallacy

A

projecting one’s emotions onto nature or interpreting nature as sharing one’s mood/feelings

151
Q

miscellaneous

Essentialism

A

the idea that people and things have ‘natural’ characteristics that are inherent and unchanging

152
Q

miscellaneous

Anti-Essentialism

A

the idea that for every individual and every property, there are possible worlds in which the individual has the property and possible worlds in which it does not; social constructionism

instead of a universal truth, there is no one truth

153
Q

parody

A

funny or humored imitation of something

154
Q

maenads

A

female cult worshippers of Dionysus; killed Pentheus

155
Q

miscellaneous

ambiguity

adj. ambiguous

A

having an unclear answer, result, or reason; having multiple potential reasons/outcomes

156
Q

novella

A

little novel

novel: a long work of narrative fiction, traditionally so realistic that it “could be real”; however, modern-day the term just refers to a book in general

157
Q

firgure

parataxis

adj. paratactic

A

the omission conjunctions in a list of clauses/phrases

*omission (of) conjunctions?

158
Q

figure

hypotaxis

adj. hypotactic

A

the arrangement of a sentence in which the main clause is built upon by phrases or subordinate clauses

list?

159
Q

general literature

aphorism

A

a short statement that has a deeper meaning

Ralph Waldo Emerson is known for these.

160
Q

general literature

sonnet sequence

A

a collection of sonnets which tradionally track a love story

161
Q

structure

English sonnet

aka Shakespearean sonnet

A

comprised of 3 quatrains and one couplet, often with the rhyme scheme ABAB;CDCD;EFEF;GG

162
Q

figure

couplet

A

2 rhyming lines often at the end of a larger poem

163
Q

general literature

Hermeneutics

A

the theory/methods of interpretation

164
Q

diction

alliteration

adj. alliterative

A

the repetition of the same consonant sound (in poems, on a stressed syllable)

165
Q

Greek context/culture

Triumph

A

a ceremony after a battle of a victor in which the victor parades around showing his/her spoils of war and prisoners of war.

166
Q

Greek context/culture

Triumph of Love

A

a triumph in which Cupid parades around with his prisoners (people in love)

This represents everyone who is in love because they aren’t in control of their actions/feelings/behavior; everything they do and think is controlled by Love, so in a sense, those in love are Cupid’s prisoners (hence the Triumph of Love).

167
Q

structure

Spenserian sonnet

aka Spenserian stanza

A

a sonnet with the rhyme scheme ABAB;BCBC;CDCD;EE

invented by Edmund Spenser

168
Q

genre

devotional poetry

A

poetry praising/about devotion to God

169
Q

structure

caesura

A

an abrupt break in the middle of a line

170
Q

genre

Polemic

adj. polemical

A

writing about or relating to war

171
Q

general literature

metapoetic

A

the self-reference, self-acknowledgement, or self-reflexive nature of a poem

172
Q

figure

conceit

A

an extended metaphor/simile

173
Q

figure

pun

A

a joke that plays on a double-meaning of a word

174
Q

Greek context/culture

epithalamion

A

a bridal song

175
Q

drama

aside

A

when a character in a play says something to the audience and/or themselves, which cannot be heard by other characters

176
Q

genre

verse drama

A

a drama written in verse

like the play The Murder of Gonzago within Hamlet

177
Q

structure

metonymy

adj. metonymic

A

the replacement of one word with another word that is logically connected to it

e.g. “He is the sharpest sword in the army.”
“sword” replaces what is really meant here, which is “soldier”.

178
Q

figure

free indirect discourse

A

a prose writing technique of presenting a character’s voice partly mediated by the voice of the author with their voices effectively merged

179
Q

genre

literary realism

A

realistic fiction

180
Q

genre

modernism

A

a very experimental period of literature and poetry that began around the early 1900s and continued until the early 1940s.

181
Q

structure

epigraph

A

a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme