Quiz 3 Flashcards
Split infinitive
An infinitive but with an adverb between the “to” and the verb
Absolutism
The idea that there are absolute rights or wrongs
Sanguine
Optimistic and positive, especially in tough situations
Sophism
A fallacious argument purposefully meant to deceive
Chagrin
Distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated (shy grin)
Precis
A summary
New Criticism
Practice of reading literature without considering the broader context within which it was written (author’s biography, social context, or political context)
A Priori
Reasoning based on theoretical deduction (ex: math)
A Posteriori
Reasoning deduced from empirical data
Disinterested
Unbiased or uninfluenced by personal gain
Uninterested
Not interested in something
Pique
Anger caused by damaged pride or feelings
Picaresque
First person narrative with low born main character venturing through corrupt society (Great Expectations)
Platonic
Relating to Plato
platonic
Unromantic affection or friendship
Abstruse
Difficult to understand
Grotesque
Repulsively ugly or distorted
Reader Response Theory
Taking into account one’s personal feelings and perspectives in analyzing literature
Literary Naturalism
Fiction that explores how people are affected by nature or nurture (Frankenstein)
Transcendentalism
Movement that valued individualism and one’s personal relationship to God (Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Load Diction
Language that elicits a strong emotional reaction from the reader
Epistrophe
The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses
Epistemology
The philosophical theory of knowledge (the difference between truth and belief)
Fatalism
The idea that all things have been predecided by fate
Volubility
Speaking with fluidity and ease
Ad Hoc
Completing a task for a specific reason (committee)
Decorous
Marked by good taste and politeness
Metaphysics
Branch of philosophy that studies abstract, immaterial or intangible concepts
Reductio ad absurdum
Proving falsity of an idea by proving it’s consequence as being illogical
Relativism
“Truth” or morality is based on social constructs, not true objectivity
Nonpareil
Unparalleled (or unmatched)
Romanticism
A movement that emphasizes nature and emotion
Esoteric
Known by a small number or specialized people
Conditional Statements
Statements expressed through conditions - think “if” “then”
Amplification
Using devices to emphasize or exaggerate a point
