Prose key terms Flashcards
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a political one
Ambiguity
ambiguity or fallacy of ambiguity is a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning
Anagnorisis
a moment when a character makes a critical discovery, a hero’s sudden awareness of a situation, the realisation of things as they stand, and often an insight into an antagonistic character
Analogy
a comparison in which an idea or thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it, aiming to explain the idea/thing by comparing it to something familiar
Anthropocentric
regarding humankind a the central or most important element of existence, especially as opposed by god or animals
Antonym
a word opposite in meaning to another
Archaic
words that are out-of-date, but were used hundreds of years ago and can be found especially in literature
Authoritarianism
describes a way of governing which values order and control over personal freedom, a government ran by authoritarianism is usually headed by a dictator
Autobiographical
tells a story about an experience that happened in the author’s life, allows them to express their own thoughts and feelings
Asynchronous discourse
not synchronised, not coming in at premeditated or regular intervals
Binary Opposites
concepts that have opposite meaning, in language and thought two theoretical opposites are defined by one another
Aesthetic
a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty.
Catharsis
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions
Chronological
a written or spoken account of events that are arranged in order of time of occurrence
Connotation
a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly, words can carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to their literal meanings or denotations
Dramatic irony
leading the audience to understand an incongruity between a situation and accompanying speeches, whilst the characters remain unaware of the incongruity
Dramatic tension
where conflict is presented in the development of suspense in a performance, it keeps the audience more lively and interested in the play
Dysphemism
a derogatory or unpleasant term used instead of a pleasant or neutral one
Dystopia
genres of literature that explore social and political structures… the creation of an utterly horrible or degraded society that is generally headed to an irreversible oblivion, or dystopia.
Duplicity
deceitfulness, the state of being double
Darwinism
the theory of evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin
Deification
worshipped or regarded as Godlike
Discourse
refers to a unit of language longer than a single sentence, the use of spoken or written language in a social context
Diegesis
style of fiction storytelling which presents an interior worldview and is:
1. that world itself experienced by the characters in situations and events of the narrative
2. telling, recounting, as opposed to showing, enacting.
in diegesis the narrator tells the story, presenting actions (thoughts) of the characters to the reader
Dramatic monologue
a way of expressing the views of a character and offering the audience greater insight into that character’s feelings
Diction
choice of words and phrases in speech or writing
Epigraph
a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component, may serve as a preface or summary
Epistolary
a novel written as a series of documents
Eponymous
(of a person) giving their name to something
Euphemism
an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant
Ecocriticism
Ecocritics investigate things like the underlying ecological values, what, precisely, is meant by the word nature, and whether the examination of “place” should be a distinctive category, like class, gender, or race. They examine human perception of wilderness, and how it has changed throughout history or whether or not current environmental issues are accurately represented or even mentioned in pop culture or modern literature.
Ethos
an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader
Frame Narrative
sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory/main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage
Fictive Autobiography
a novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. distinguished form of autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction
Heterodiegetic narrative
a heterodiegetic narrator does not take part in the narrative, not a character in the story, they are often omniscient or has a detailed overview of the story, insight into thoughts and feelings
Homodiegetic narrative
narrating/describing the world the character is in
Hamartia
fatal flaw leading to the tragic downfall of the tragic hero/ine
Indoctrinate
to teach someone to fully accept the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of a particular group and to not consider other ideas, opinions, and beliefs.
Intertextuality
shaping of a text’s meaning by another text
Lexis
the level of language consisting of vocabulary, as opposed to grammar or syntax
Literary allusion
a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.
Logos
an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason
Marxist
philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in which the concept of class struggle plays a central role in understanding society’s allegedly inevitable development from bourgeois oppression under capitalism to a socialist and ultimately classless society
Metafiction
uses self-reference to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while exposing the “truth” of a story. describes the literary term describing fictional writing that self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artefact in posing questions about the relationship between fiction and reality, usually using irony and self-reflection
Motif
any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story, through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood
Omniscient
third person omniscient is a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in the story
Omnipresent
or ubiquity is the property of being present everywhere, most commonly used in a religious context
Paternalistic
a policy or practice of treating or governing people in a fatherly manner, by providing for their needs without giving them rights or responsibilities
Peripeteia
a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, especially in a literary narrative
Paradox
a statement that apparently contradicts itself but might be true
Parody
a word in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or ridicule
Pathos
an experience in a work of fiction, in life, or art which stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy, or sorrow
Satire
a technique by writers employed to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humour, irony, or exaggeration or ridicule. it intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies
Secular
not connected with religious or spiritual manners
Symbolism
when some things are not meant to be taken literally, the symbolism can be an object, person, situation, events, or actions can have a deeper context
Syntax
the arrangement of words and phrases to create well -formed sentences in a language
Register
a variety of language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting.
Synchronous discourse
synchronised, occurring at premeditated or regular intervals
Totalitarianism
absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralised institution
Transcendentalist
Transcendentalists believe that society- particularly religion and political parties- corrupt the purity of an individual. they have faith that people are at their best when they are truly ‘self-reliant’, only from this real individuals and true community can be formed.
Valediction
- an act of bidding farewell, a leave-taking
- a speech or statement made as a farewell
- a word or phrase or farewell used to end a letter or message
