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- ENG 346 - American Dream > Terms > Flashcards

Terms Flashcards

1
Q

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

A

Narration

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2
Q

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

A

Paraphrase

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3
Q

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

A

Allusion

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4
Q

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.

A

Cliché

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5
Q

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

A

Simile

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6
Q

A simplistic and often stereotypical character.

A

Flat Character

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7
Q

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

A

Sexist Language

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8
Q

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

A

Alliteration

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9
Q

The opposite of what is said is meant.

A

Verbal Irony

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10
Q

The perspective from which a story is told.

A

Point of View

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11
Q

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

A

Metonymy

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12
Q

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

A

Double Plot

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13
Q

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

A

Memoir

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14
Q

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

A

Metafiction

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15
Q

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

A

First Person

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16
Q

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

A

Motif

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17
Q

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

A

Onomatopoeia

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18
Q

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

A

Elegy / Elegiac Mode

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19
Q

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

A

Syntax

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20
Q

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).

A

Synecdoche

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21
Q

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

A

Bildungsroman

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22
Q

The arrangement of events in a narrative for dramatic work.

A

Plot

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23
Q

An apparent contradiction that resolves itself on a deeper level.

A

Paradox

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24
Q

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

A

Tragic Hero

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25
Q

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.

A

Rhetorical Question

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26
Q

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

A

Oxymoron

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27
Q

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

A

Catharsis

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28
Q

A biography written by the subject about herself or himself.

A

Autobiography

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29
Q

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

A

Parody

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30
Q

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

A

First Person

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31
Q

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

A

Omniscient

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32
Q

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.

A

Tone

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33
Q

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

A

Ambiguity

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34
Q

Characters undergoing change.

A

Dynamic Characters

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35
Q

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

A

Theme

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36
Q

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

A

Slave Narrative

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37
Q

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

A

Primary Sources

38
Q

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

A

Flashback

39
Q

The character of force opposing the protagonist in a play.

A

Antagonist

40
Q

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

A

Antonym

41
Q

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

A

Thesis Statement

42
Q

The dictionary definition(s) of a word.

A

Denotation

43
Q

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

A

Forshadowing

44
Q

The opposite of what we expect happens.

A

Situational Irony / Philosophical Irony

45
Q

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

A

in media res

46
Q

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

A

Synonyms

47
Q

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

A

Anecdote

48
Q

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.

A

Plagiarism

49
Q

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.

A

Stanza

50
Q

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

A

Symbol

51
Q

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

A

Personification

52
Q

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

A

Caricature

53
Q

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

A

Imagery

54
Q

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

A

Character Foil

55
Q

Language that includes figures of speech.

A

Figurative Language

56
Q

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

A

Metaphor

57
Q

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.

A

Epigraph

58
Q

Person telling a story.

A

Narrator

59
Q

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

A

Explication

60
Q

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

A

Myth

61
Q

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

A

Setting

62
Q

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

A

Antihero

63
Q

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

A

Epiphany

64
Q

The meanings or emotional associations evoked by a word.

A

Connotation

65
Q

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

A

Subjective

66
Q

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

A

Pathos

67
Q

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

A

Canon

68
Q

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

A

Jargon

69
Q

Characters remaining unchanged.

A

Static Characters

70
Q

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

A

Abstract Language (“truth,’ “honesty,” “poverty”)

71
Q

The endowment of animals with human thoughts and feelings.

A

Anthropomorphism

72
Q

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.

A

Mood

73
Q

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

A

Third Person

74
Q

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

A

Subplot

75
Q

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

A

Concrete Language (“house,” “rain,” “tree”)

76
Q

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

A

Dramatic Irony

77
Q

The principal character in a work of drama or fiction.

A

Protagonist

78
Q

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

A

Literary Theory / Literary Criticism

79
Q

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.

A

Persona

80
Q

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

A

Parable

81
Q

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

A

Mimesis

82
Q

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

A

Dénouement

83
Q

Easily recognized types of characters, such as the fool.

A

Stereotypes

84
Q

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

A

Topic Sentence

85
Q

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

A

Hyperbole

86
Q

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.

A

Satire

87
Q

What are the five major classical genres?

A
  1. Comedy 2. Epic 3. Lyric 4. Tragedy 5. Satire CELTS
88
Q

Studies of orginial materials.

A

Secondary Sources

89
Q

A psychologically complex and convincing character.

A

Round Character

90
Q

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

A

Colloquial Expression / Colloquialism

91
Q

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

A

Objective

92
Q

A literary type or class.

A

Genre

- ENG 346 - American Dream (1 decks)

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