Running Notes 65-96 Flashcards
BILDUNGSROMAN
A Bildungsroman is a story of the growing up of a sensitive person who
looks for answers to his questions through different experiences. Generally, such a novel
starts with a loss or a tragedy that disturbs the main character emotionally. He or she
leaves on a journey to fill that vacuum.
BILDUNGSROMAN
During the journey, the protagonist gains maturity gradually and with
difficulty. Usually, the plot depicts a conflict between the protagonist and the values of
society. Finally, he or she accepts those values and they are accepted by the society,
ending the dissatisfaction. Such a type of novel is also known as a coming-of-age novel.
ILLUSION
(not to be confused with ALLUSION) An illusion is a false illustration of something,
a deceptive impression, or a false belief. Literally speaking, an illusion is something that is
false and not factual. It tricks the human brain into thinking an unreal into a real. In other
words, it is meant to mislead the perception of readers, and deceive their senses.
FREE VERSE
Free verse is a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from
limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such poems
are without rhythms and rhyme schemes; do not follow regular rhyme scheme rules and
still provide artistic expression. In this way, the poet can give his own shape to a poem
how he/she desires
FOIL
In literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the
qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other
character. The term foil, though generally being applied for a contrasting character, may
also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things.
. INTERTEXTUALITY
ntertextuality is a sophisticated literary device used in writing. In fact, it
is a textual reference within some text that reflects the text used as a reference. Instead
of employing referential phrases from different literary works, intertextuality draws upon
the concept, rhetoric or ideology from other texts to be merged in the new text.
LITOTES
Litotes, derived from a Greek word meaning “simple”, is a figure of speech which
employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive
statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions. “Not too bad” in place of
“Pretty good” would be an example.
UTOPIA
The literary term utopia denotes an illusionary place that projects the notion of a
perfect society to the reader. Here, the “perfect society” refers to ideal conditions
achieved within the material world as opposed to the expected idealism of afterlife in
Christianity or other religions. Further, the citizens presiding in such utopias are bearers
of a perfect moral code, or at the least, every violator of the moral code is harshly
punished. A utopian society is one where all social evils have been cured
SONNET
: The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word “sonetto”. It means a small or
little song or lyric. In poetry, a sonnet has 14 fourteen lines and is written in
iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme and a
“volta” or a specific turn
ROUND CHARACTER
A round character in a novel, play or story is a complex personality. Like
real people, he/she has depth in his feelings and passions. For instance, in the movie
“Shrek,” the main character says “‘Ogres are like onions” which means that what appears
to them is not the only truth they see; rather, there is something more inside them.
Similarly, a round character has many layers like onions. Writers define a round character
fully, both physically and mentally. It is the character with whom the audience can
sympathize, associate or relate to, as he seems a character they might have seen in their
real lives
. VERNACULAR
Vernacular is a literary genre that uses daily used language in writing and
speaking. It is different from written works, as they normally follow the formal variety of
language. The word “vernacular” refers to writing or speaking of the public. We find the origin
of vernacular literature during middle ages in different countries of Europe.
VERNACULAR vs DIALECT
Vernacular is the use of ordinary, everyday and plain language
in speaking or writing, such as corn is a common name of a plant, and its scientific name
is Maize or Zea mays, whereas dialect is related to a particular region, geographical area, a
particular social class, or an occupational group. Also, it uses a distinguished pronunciation,
vocabulary and grammar, such as people in Shanghai has different pronunciation or dialect
than in Yunnan.
UNDERSTATEMENT
An understatement is a figure of speech employed by writers or
speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. An
understatement has something of an ironic effect.
EULOGY
Known as homily, the term eulogy originates from a Greek word eulogia, which
means to praise somebody or something. A eulogy is a literary device that is a laudatory
expression in a speech, or a written tribute to a person deceased recently. We can say, it is a
commendation or high praise intended to give honor, generally, to a dead family member, or a
loved one, or it is a tribute given to a dead person at his/her funeral. Eulogies are also paid as
tributes to living persons; for instance, one can dedicate it to his retired colleagues, bosses or
employees for winning respectable position and noble deeds. Hence, in general, it is a gesture of
honoring somebody.
DIALECT
: The language used by the people of a specific area, class, district or any other group
of people. The term dialect involves the spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation
used by a particular group of people and it distinguishes them from other people around
them
