Terms

Question 1

Essay form that seeks to recreate a series of events (i.e., a “story”) as vividly as possible using descriptive detail.

Answer 1

Narration

Question 2

A detailed restatement of informaltion in words other than those of the original source.

Answer 2

Paraphrase

Question 3

A reference to historical events or figures, used to develop and deepen the meaning of the work.

Answer 3

Allusion

Question 4

An overuse, and hence ineffective, figure of speech such as “pretty as a picture” or “white as snow.” Since the purpose of figurative language is to surprise the reader into a new way of seeing, writers should avoid using these.

Answer 4

Cliché

Question 5

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

Answer 5

Simile

Question 6

A simplistic and often stereotypical character.

Answer 6

Flat Character

Question 7

The misrepresentation or exclusion of either sex. One of the most common forms is the use of “he” for an individual of unknown gender.

Answer 7

Sexist Language

Question 8

The repetition of consonant sounds for poetic affect, particularly at the beginning’s of words.

Answer 8

Alliteration

Question 9

The opposite of what is said is meant.

Answer 9

Verbal Irony

Question 10

The perspective from which a story is told.

Answer 10

Point of View

Question 11

The substitution of one thing for another with which is it closely associated, such as using “the white house” to refer to the president.

Answer 11

Metonymy

Question 12

A work in which two story lines are developed in equal length.

Answer 12

Double Plot

Question 13

The remembrances of a public figure and/or of an historical era; in autobiographical form.

Answer 13

Memoir

Question 14

A fiction that reflects on the subject and writing of fiction.

Answer 14

Metafiction

Question 15

Narrative point of view in which the narrator speaks as “I” and is a participant in the narrative.

Answer 15

First Person

Question 16

A theme or image that occurs repeatedly through a literary work and thus acquires symbolic value.

Answer 16

Motif

Question 17

The use of words that imitate the sound they represent, such as “crash” and “buzz.”

Answer 17

Onomatopoeia

Question 18

A poem that expresses mourning for the death of a particular person and/or for mortality in general.

Answer 18

Elegy / Elegiac Mode

Question 19

The arrangement of words withing a sentence and the way this arrangement can affect meaning.

Answer 19

Syntax

Question 20

The use of a part of something to stand for its whole, (i.e., saying “My heart belongs to you” to indicate that the entire self belongs to the beloved).

Answer 20

Synecdoche

Question 21

A German term meaning “novel of education,’ in which the fortunes of the protagonist are traced from early years to adulthood.

Answer 21

Bildungsroman

Question 22

The arrangement of events in a narrative for dramatic work.

Answer 22

Plot

Question 23

An apparent contradiction that resolves itself on a deeper level.

Answer 23

Paradox

Question 24

Protagonist in a tragedy; a person of high moral stature whose downfall is, nonetheless, the result of some tragic flaw.

Answer 24

Tragic Hero

Question 25

A question to which no answer is expected, or to which the answer is assumed to be self-evident. Used primarily for stylistic effect, this device encourages an emotional response from the reader and, thus, is often used in persuasive writing.

Answer 25

Rhetorical Question

Question 26

A word of phrase composed of two words that apparently contradict each other, such as bittersweet.

Answer 26

Oxymoron

Question 27

Aristotle's term for the therapeutic sense of emotional release supposedly felt by an audience that witnesses the tragic or terrifying onstage.

Answer 27

Catharsis

Question 28

A biography written by the subject about herself or himself.

Answer 28

Autobiography

Question 29

The imitation of a certain author's sytle, tone, or attitude with the intent to ridicule. The technique is one of exaggeration.

Answer 29

Parody

Question 30

Point of view in which the narrator is part of the action.

Answer 30

First Person

Question 31

Point of view in which the narrator uses the third person and is all-knowing.

Answer 31

Omniscient

Question 32

Created by both word choice and syntax, it reflects the author's attitude toward the subject matter, which can be humorous, sarcastic, and so forth.

Answer 32

Tone

Question 33

The state that exists when there are several legitimate interpretations of a literary work.

Answer 33

Ambiguity

Question 34

Characters undergoing change.

Answer 34

Dynamic Characters

Question 35

The central idea or message in a work. It can be expressed either directly or indirectly.

Answer 35

Theme

Question 36

A form of nineteenth century autobiography that documents a slave's journey from bondage to freedom.

Answer 36

Slave Narrative

Question 37

Original materials, whether novels, speeches, scientific reports, or government documents.

Answer 37

Primary Sources

Question 38

A term derived from cinema, referring to any scene inserted into a literary work in order to show an earlier event.

Answer 38

Flashback

Question 39

The character of force opposing the protagonist in a play.

Answer 39

Antagonist

Question 40

A word with a meaning that is opposite to the meaning of another word.

Answer 40

Antonym

Question 41

Usually contained in the introduction, it establishes the focus of the essay - what it is about - in one or two sentences.

Answer 41

Thesis Statement

Question 42

The dictionary definition(s) of a word.

Answer 42

Denotation

Question 43

Using the current action in a literary work to anticipate later events.

Answer 43

Forshadowing

Question 44

The opposite of what we expect happens.

Answer 44

Situational Irony / Philosophical Irony

Question 45

Literally "in the middle of things," beginning a story in the midst of the action.

Answer 45

in media res

Question 46

Words that are close enough in meaning to be interchangeable. Exact examples are rare, however, since all words have slightly different connotations.

Answer 46

Synonyms

Question 47

A brief account of a story about an individual or incident.

Answer 47

Anecdote

Question 48

The representation of another's words or ideas as though they were the writer's own. This academic theft, whether conscious or unconscious, is a serious offense. To avoid it, document all outside information.

Answer 48

Plagiarism

Question 49

The basic unit of structure in a poem. Each unit consists of a group of interrelated lines arranged in a pattern that is usually repeated throughout the poem.

Answer 49

Stanza

Question 50

An object, character, or acton that stands for something more than itself.

Answer 50

Symbol

Question 51

The attribution of human qualities to inanimate things for poetic effect.

Answer 51

Personification

Question 52

The exaggeration of aspects or features of a character, usually for humorous or satiric purposes.

Answer 52

Caricature

Question 53

Concrete language that appeals to the senses. It does not have to be interpreted literally; indeed, many are conveyed by figurative language.

Answer 53

Imagery

Question 54

A character existing only to highlight certain aspects of the protagonist.

Answer 54

Character Foil

Question 55

Language that includes figures of speech.

Answer 55

Figurative Language

Question 56

An implied comparison that brings together two dissimilar things without the use of "like" or "as."

Answer 56

Metaphor

Question 57

The inscription on the title page of a book, which may be a quotation from another literary work or an original remark by the author and which calls attention to the book's theme.

Answer 57

Epigraph

Question 58

Person telling a story.

Answer 58

Narrator

Question 59

A close reading of a text, usually involving line-by-line analysis.

Answer 59

Explication

Question 60

A story involving supernatural beings that usually explains the cosmos and the mysteries of life and death.

Answer 60

Myth

Question 61

The time, place, and/or environment in which a literary work occurs.

Answer 61

Setting

Question 62

A protagonist who is deliberately unheroic (i.e., often passive, ineffectual or self-interested).

Answer 62

Antihero

Question 63

In a short story, a sudden moment of insight when a character discovers a truth important to the story.

Answer 63

Epiphany

Question 64

The meanings or emotional associations evoked by a word.

Answer 64

Connotation

Question 65

Writing reveals the author's feelings and attitudes and often seeks to involve the reader emotionally.

Answer 65

Subjective

Question 66

The aspect of a narrative that causes its reader to feel sorrow or pity for the various characters.

Answer 66

Pathos

Question 67

The group of literary works a given culture judges to possess special merit.

Answer 67

Canon

Question 68

The specialized vocabulary of a particular field or trade, which the general reader is unlikely to understand.

Answer 68

Jargon

Question 69

Characters remaining unchanged.

Answer 69

Static Characters

Question 70

Language which uses a high proportion of nouns which refer to concepts, qualities, or general conditions.

Answer 70

Abstract Language ("truth,' "honesty," "poverty")

Question 71

The endowment of animals with human thoughts and feelings.

Answer 71

Anthropomorphism

Question 72

An atmosphere or tone of a literary work, created not only by the characters and events but also by the author's style and choice of language.

Answer 72

Mood

Question 73

Point of view in which the narrator is outside the action.

Answer 73

Third Person

Question 74

A plot which is related to but less important than the main plot to a story.

Answer 74

Subplot

Question 75

Language which uses nouns which refer to things perceptible through the senses.

Answer 75

Concrete Language ("house," "rain," "tree")

Question 76

The difference in knowledge between the audience and the actors on stage.

Answer 76

Dramatic Irony

Question 77

The principal character in a work of drama or fiction.

Answer 77

Protagonist

Question 78

A conceptual framework for understanding and interpreting a work of art.

Answer 78

Literary Theory / Literary Criticism

Question 79

From the latin for "mask," this term originally referred to the false face of clay worn by actors. It now denotes the identity adopted by an author for a literary work.

Answer 79

Persona

Question 80

A story with a moral, often religious, the purpose of which is instruction.

Answer 80

Parable

Question 81

The literary process of attempting to create a convincing and uninterrupted illusion of real life.

Answer 81

Mimesis

Question 82

The part of a narrative that follows the climax, in which any remaining unresolved plot elements are resolved.

Answer 82

Dénouement

Question 83

Easily recognized types of characters, such as the fool.

Answer 83

Stereotypes

Question 84

The concise statement of the idea being developed withing a paragraph. It focuses the paragraph in the same way that the thesis statement focuses the essay

Answer 84

Topic Sentence

Question 85

A figure of speech that uses deliberate exaggeration, usually for comic effect.

Answer 85

Hyperbole

Question 86

Literature that exposes folly and seeks to correct it through ridicule. While the irony employed may be amusing, the intent is not simply to entertain but to enlighten an audience.

Answer 86

Satire

Question 87

What are the five major classical genres?

Answer 87

1. Comedy 2. Epic 3. Lyric 4. Tragedy 5. Satire CELTS

Question 88

Studies of orginial materials.

Answer 88

Secondary Sources

Question 89

A psychologically complex and convincing character.

Answer 89

Round Character

Question 90

Informal words and phrases that are a normal part of everyday speech but that are inappropriate in formal writing.

Answer 90

Colloquial Expression / Colloquialism

Question 91

Writing is primarily factual, and maintains a detached, impersonal tone.

Answer 91

Objective

Question 92

A literary type or class.

Answer 92

Genre