Terms 1: Test August 19 Flashcards
Abstract
A short summary or outline of a longer work
Allegory
A form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside of the narrative itself.
Alliteration
A repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words
Allusion
A reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event
Analogy
The comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship (hot is to cold as fire is to ice)
Anaphora
The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs
Apostrophe
Is when an absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed
Assonance
Is the repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds
Bildungsroman
A story in which the protagonist undergoes growth throughout the entire narrative, generally starting off by being removed or chased from their home
Stock character
A stereotypical person who audience readily recognize, tend to be easy targets for parody and to be criticized as clichés
Chorus
A term that can sometimes be used to refer to a character that gives the audience key information or offers commentary
Denouement
A end of a literary work when loose ends are tied up and questions are answered
Epigraph
A short question that is set at the beginning of a text to suggest the theme of what’s to come
Epiphany
A moment in which there is a sudden realization that leads to a new perspective that clarifies a problem or situation
Exposition
The essential background info at the beginning of a literary work
Farce
A lighthearted comedy that centers around a ridiculous plot that usually involves exaggerated and improbable events
Figurative Language
Language that represents one thing in terms of something dissimilar (simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, symbol)
Foil
A character that contrasts with another character in order to highlight certain qualities of that other character
Hubris
A tragic flaw, most commonly a pride or overweening self-confidence which leads a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or violate an important law
In media res
A Latin term for “into the middle of things” describing a narrative that begins not at the beginning of a story but somewhere in the middle
Irony, dramatic
Is when an audience perceives something that a character in the lit. does not know
Irony, situational
Is a discrepancy between the expected result and the actual result
Irony, verbal
Is when an author says one thing but means something else
Juxtaposition
One theme or idea or person is parallel to another with a contrasting effect
Metonymy
Is substituting a word for another word closely associated with it
Mood
Is the emotional attitude the author takes towards his/her subject
Motif
A recurrent thematic element or central idea in an artistic or literary work
Narrative frame
Inserting one or more small stories with in the body of a larger story that encompasses the smaller ones
Objective narrator
A narrator who sets the story in the present and give little to no info about the past or future
Novella
A short, well-structured narrative, often realistic and satirical in tone
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents
Parable
A didactic story which illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles
Paradox
Reveals a kind of truth which at first seems contradictory
Parallel structure
The usage of repeating words and forms to give pattern and rhythm to a passage, often either juxtaposes contrasting images or ideas as to show stark differences
Parody
An imitation of a writer, artist, subject, or genre in such a way as to make fun of or comment on the original work
Pastoral
Glorifying the simple life, the rural life, the country life
3rd-person limited POV
A narrator who doesn’t participate in the action of the story, and whose knowledge is limited to one character
3rd-person omniscient POV
A narrator who doesn’t participate in the story’s action, and knows everything about all the characters
Pun
A humorous use of words in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound
Realism
Literary portrayal of life in a faithful, accurate manner, or unclouded by false ideals
Reversal
Asudden reversal of fortune in a story, play, or any narrative in which there is an observable change in direction
Romanticism
The artistic philosophy prevalent during the first third of the 19th century which rejected the earlier philosophy of the enlightenment and asserted that reliance upon emotion and natural passions provided a valid and powerful means of knowledge and a reliable guide to ethics and living
Satire
Used to make fun of human vice or weakness, often with the intent of correcting, or changing, the subject of the satiric attack. Evokes amusement, contempt, scorn, or indignation in the hope of improving it.
Setting
The time and place in a fiction
Social setting
The social environment in a story by means of political or cultural aspects
Soliloquy
A dramatic device in which a character is along and speaks his/her thoughts
Stream of consciousness
The narrative method where novelists describe the unspoken thoughts and feelings of their characters without resorting to objective description
Structure
The framework of a work of literature; the organization or overall design of a work
Symbol
Is using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning
Synecdoche
One uses a part to represent the whole (lend me your ears means give me your attention)
Theme
Is the general idea or insight that a writer wishes to express
Tone
The attitude a writer takes towards a subject or character
Tragedy
The imitation of an action that is serious and also complete in itself. It incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear.
Tragic hero
Has the potential for greatness but is doomed to fail. Born into nobility, responsible for their own fate, endowed with a tragic flaw, doomed to make a serious error in judgment, fall from great heights or high esteem, realize they have made an irreversible mistake, faces and accepts death with honor, meet a tragic death, audience is affected by pity and/or fear
