Week 2 Literary Terms Flashcards
Archetype
a universally understood symbol, term, statement, or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated. Archetypes are often used in myths and storytelling across different cultures.
Asyndeton
A stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses. Examples are veni, vidi, vici and its English translation “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Its use can have the effect of speeding up the rhythm of a passage and making a single idea more memorable. More generally, in grammar, an asyndetic coordination is a type of coordination in which no coordinating conjunction is present between the conjuncts.
Used for Dramatic Effect
Bibliomancy
is the use of books in divination. The method of employing sacred books (especially specific words and verses) for ‘magical medicine’, for removing negative entities, or for divination is widespread in many religions of the world
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman (German pronunciation:]; German: “formation novel”) or coming-of-age story is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age),[and in which character change is thus extremely important.
Cacophony
harsh, discordant sounds
Caesura
a complete pause in a line of poetry or in a musical composition.
Characterization
the art of creating characters for a narrative, including the process of conveying information about them. It may be employed in dramatic works of art or everyday conversation. Characters may be presented by means of description, through their actions, speech, or thoughts.
Chiasmus
A figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism. Chiasmus was particularly popular both in Greek and in Latin literature, where it was used to articulate balance or order within a text.
Circumlocution
An ambiguous or roundabout figure of speech. In its most basic form, circumlocution is using many words (such as “a tool used for cutting things such as paper and hair”) to describe something for which a concise (and commonly known) expression exists (“scissors”).[note 1] In this sense, the vast majority of definitions found in dictionaries are circumlocutory.
Conflict (narrative)
An inherent incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces. Conflict creates tension and interest in a story by adding doubt as to the outcome.A narrative is not limited to a single conflict, While conflicts may not always resolve in narrative, the resolution of a conflict creates closure, which may or may not occur at a story’s end.
