Other Important Terms (3)

Question 1

Abstractionism

Answer 1

A representation having no reference to concrete objects or specific examples.

Question 2

Allegory

Answer 2

Method of storytelling with two levels of meaning:
First: the literal meaning that follows the story itself
Second: second meaning usually points to a more universal problem that may be social, political, or cultural.

Question 3

Alliteration

Answer 3

The repetition of initial sounds of close words.

Question 4

Allusion

Answer 4

References in literature to actual events

Question 5

Antithesis

Answer 5

Combines two ideas that seem to contradict each other but together make a larger point. Favored by Augustan poets and users of the heroic couplet. Example: Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities.

Question 6

Assonance

Answer 6

Repetition of vowel sounds.

Question 7

Chivalric romance

Answer 7

Consists of prose and narrative verse popular among Medieval aristocracy. The stories are filled with marvel, heroes, etc.

Question 8

Chronicles

Answer 8

A historical account of events arranged by order without analysis

Question 9

Colloquialism

Answer 9

The use of ordinary words or phrases.

Question 10

Conceit

Answer 10

A comparison of two unlike things in a clever way.

Question 11

Consonance

Answer 11

Repetition of consonant sounds.

Question 12

Dramatic Irony

Answer 12

The full significance of a character’s words or actions is understood by the audience but not by the character.

Question 13

Eclogue

Answer 13

A poem written in a classical style on a pastoral subject.

Question 14

Epiphany

Answer 14

A moment in the story where the character achieves a realization of something that has happened.

Question 15

Epistolary novel

Answer 15

A novel written as a series of documents

Question 16

Expressionism

Answer 16

A revolt against realism and naturalism to achieve psychological and spiritual reality rather than record external events in logical sequence. Franz Kafka and James Joyce followed this style.

Question 17

Harangue

Answer 17

A lengthy aggressive speech.

Question 18

Hyperbole

Answer 18

An exaggeration; it is a figure of speech used to make a point

Question 19

Imagery

Answer 19

Refers to the words and figures of speech used to create a picture of events

Question 20

Imagism

Answer 20

Part of the early 20th century Modernist movement

Question 21

Irony

Answer 21

A figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning differs from the actual meaning of the words.

Question 22

Metaphor

Answer 22

A comparison between unlike things without using “like” or “as

Question 23

Metonymy

Answer 23

A figure of speech where a thing is not called by its name but by something associated with it

Question 24

Mock Epics

Answer 24

Satires and parodies that mock classical hero stories.

Question 25

Naturalism

Answer 25

A philosophical style focusing on the study of humans/characters through their relationships with their natural environment.

Question 26

Neoclassicism

Answer 26

A style that tried to imitate the style of the ancient Greeks

Question 27

Novel of manners

Answer 27

A realistic story focusing on the customs and conversations of a certain class of people

Question 28

Onomatopoeia

Answer 28

A figure of speech that uses a specific word to capture or imitate the sounds of what is being described

Question 29

Parallelism

Answer 29

The use of successive verbal constructions that correspond in structure

Question 30

Parody

Answer 30

An exaggerated imitation of a subject to create comedy.

Question 31

Pastoral

Answer 31

Writing that illustrates an idyllic rural life.

Question 32

Pathetic fallacy

Answer 32

Attributing human emotion to inanimate things or animals.

Question 33

Pathos

Answer 33

A quality that provokes pity or sadness.

Question 34

Personification

Answer 34

When writers attribute human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects

Question 35

Post Colonialism

Answer 35

A discourse on colonization and its effects.

Question 36

Propaganda

Answer 36

Information used to promote political causes or perspectives.

Question 37

Prosody

Answer 37

The study and actual use of meters and forms of versification.

Question 38

Roman a clef

Answer 38

A novel where real people and events appear with invented names.

Question 39

Romanticism

Answer 39

Focused on the emotive qualities of the work as opposed to the aesthetic

Question 40

Sentimental Style

Answer 40

An 18th-century style focusing on emotion and the intelligent concepts of sentiment

Question 41

Serialized Novels

Answer 41

In the 19th century, novels publised in parts over several weeks or months

Question 42

Simile

Answer 42

A comparison between unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”

Question 43

Social novels

Answer 43

A novel that dramatizes prevailing social problems through their effects on characters.

Question 44

Style

Answer 44

Described by discussing elements of word choice

Question 45

Symbolism

Answer 45

The idea that objects, people, setting, or ideas may have two meanings: a literal one and a symbolic one

Question 46

Synecdoche

Answer 46

A figure of speech where a term for a part of something refers to the whole or vice versa

Question 47

Tragic Irony

Answer 47

The audience or reader recognizes the tragic fate of the character before he experiences it

Question 48

Vignettes

Answer 48

Brief evocative episodes.

Question 49

Versification

Answer 49

The act of making verses (creating poetry).