Prose: Flashcards
What is an Epistolary?
The use of letters or diary entries to create a narrative
What is a Stock character?
A recognisable stereotype character e.g. the femme fatale
What is a Stream of consciousness?
A narrative technique that attempts to capture the continuous flow of a character’s thoughts, feelings, actions and sensory impressions
What is Symbolism?
When an image, object, idea or symbol is used to represent something other than its literal meaning
What is Eye dialect?
a literary device where writers use nonstandard spelling to suggest a particular way of speaking, usually to represent a pronunciation or accent
What is Sublime?
A concept that describes something in nature that is so grand, powerful, and awe-inspiring that it evokes a sense of wonder and even terror, pushing the limits of human understanding and experience
What is Pathetic fallacy?
A form of personification, where writers describe nature or inanimate objects as if they have feelings or are acting in a way that mirrors human emotions.
What is Free indirect discourse?
When the narrator to temporarily adopts the character’s perspective, allowing readers to experience the character’s thoughts and emotions as if they were their own, without the character directly speaking or thinking aloud
What is a Vignette?
A short, evocative description of a scene, moment or place?
What is a Retrospective narrator?
A narrator who is describing events that happened in the past
What is Bathos?
When the tone of the text changes from highly emotional and serious to ridiculous: an anticlimax
What is a Motif?
A recurring element or image with symbolic significance
What is Folklore?
A traditional tale handed down orally through generations; often involves mythical creatures and differs by region
What is Satire?
A literary form that uses humour to criticise social or political issues
What is Intertextuality?
The shaping of meaning through connections to other texts
What is a Protagonist?
The main character
What is a Non-linear narrative?
A narrative where events are not in chronological order and are disrupted or fragmented
What is Temporal setting?
The time period in which the narrative is set
What is Figurative language?
When the language that is used is
non-literal, including metaphors,
to create a more vivid or impactful meaning, going beyond the surface meaning of words
What is Juxtaposition?
When two entities are placed side by side in order to invite contrast or comparison
What is a Foil character?
A character that has a personality or traits that contrast with a main character for effect
What is an Intrusive narrator?
A third-person narrator who is not a character but still has a personality and comments on the action
What is Bildungsroman?
A coming-of-age story
Who is Anton Chekhov?
The Russian playwright who gave his name to the narrative principle that every element must be relevant to the plot
