U5 Key Terms

Question 1

Reflexivity

Answer 1

Reflexivity refers to the ability of a literary text to draw attention to its own construction and the process of reading or interpretation. It involves self-awareness and self-referentiality within the text. Reflexive texts often break traditional narrative structures, challenge the reader’s expectations, and prompt critical reflection on the nature of literature itself

Question 2

Ethnogenealogy

Answer 2

A field of study that combines elements of genealogy and anthropology to explore the origins, migration patterns, and cultural heritage of different ethnic groups and populations. It involves tracing ancestral origins, analyzing genetic markers, and examining historical and cultural factors to understand the diversity and formation of human populations. Ethnogenealogy is primarily concerned with the study of human populations and their genetic and cultural histories, rather than the analysis of literature

Question 3

Intelligibility

Answer 3

Refers to the clarity and comprehensibility of a literary work. It relates to how easily readers can understand and make sense of the text’s content, language, and ideas

Question 4

Actionability

Answer 4

Refers to the capacity of a literary work to inspire or motivate readers to take action or effect change. It involves the potential for literature to have a real-world impact beyond its pages. Actionable literature often addresses social, political, or moral issues, highlighting injustices or advocating for certain values or causes. Through its portrayal of characters, events, and ideas, actionable literature can provoke emotional responses, empathy, and a sense of urgency, prompting readers to reflect on their own beliefs and actions and potentially inciting them to make a difference in the world

Question 5

Historicity

Answer 5

Refers to the historical context or the sense of being situated within a specific historical period or events. It encompasses the ways in which literature reflects, represents, or engages with the historical conditions, events, and ideologies of its time. It considers how the work responds to or comments on the historical circumstances of its time and how it reflects the concerns, values, and perspectives of that period

Question 6

Indexicality

Answer 6

Refers to the capacity of a literary text to point to or index specific elements of reality outside the text itself. It involves the use of concrete details, references, or symbols that connect the text to real-world objects, events, or experiences. It can be achieved through explicit references to historical figures, events, or places, or through more subtle allusions, symbols, or metaphors that evoke certain meanings or associations. By employing indexicality, literary works can evoke a sense of verisimilitude, authenticity, or cultural resonance. It allows literature to refer to and engage with the external world, blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality

Question 7

Ethnomethodology

Answer 7

A sociological perspective that focuses on the study of everyday social interactions and the methods people use to create and maintain social order. It explores the ways in which individuals construct and make sense of their social reality through their actions and interactions with others. While ethnomethodology can be applied to the analysis of literary works by examining how social order and meaning are constructed within fictional worlds, it is not specifically a concept related to literature itself