Writer's Inc (Simple Cards #5) Flashcards

1
Q

denouement

A

also called resolution; the final resolution or outcome of a play or story

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2
Q

dialogue

A

the conversation carried on by the characters in a literary work

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3
Q

diction

A

word choice based on correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

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4
Q

didactic literature

A

literature that instructs or presents a moral or religious statement

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5
Q

drama

A

the form of literature known as plays; also refers to the type of serious play that is often concerned with the leading character’s relationship to society

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6
Q

dramatic monologue

A

a literary work (or part of a literary work) in which a character is speaking about him or herself as if another person were present; the words of the speaker reveal something important about his or her character

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7
Q

empathy

A

putting yourself in someone else’s place and imagining how that person must feel; the phrase “What would you do if you were in my shoes?” is a request for one person to empathize with another

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8
Q

epic

A

a long narrative poem that tells of the deeds and adventures of a hero

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9
Q

epigram

A

a brief, witty saying or poem often dealing with its subject in a satirical manner

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10
Q

epiphany

A

a sudden perception (moment of understanding) that causes a character to change or act in a certain way

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11
Q

epitaph

A

a short poem or verse written in memory of someone

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12
Q

epithet

A

a word or phrase used in place of a person’s name (e.g. Alexander the Great, as well as racial insults)

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13
Q

fable

A

a short fictional narrative that teaches a lesson, usually with talking animals

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14
Q

falling action

A

the part of a play or story that leads from the climax or turning point to the resolution

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15
Q

farce

A

literature based on a humorous and improbable plot

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16
Q

metonymy

A

the substituting of one word for another (e.g. The White House has decided to create more public service jobs. [White House is substituted for president])

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17
Q

foil

A

someone who serves as a contrast or challenge to another character

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18
Q

genre

A

a category or type of literature based on its style, form, and content (e.g. mystery)

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19
Q

Gothic novel

A

a type of fiction that is characterized by gloomy castles, ghosts, and supernatural happenings–thus creating a mysterious and sometimes frightening story (e.g. Bram Stoker’s Dracula)

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20
Q

hubris

A

excessive pride; in Greek tragedy, it is often viewed as the flaw that leads to the downfall of the tragic hero

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21
Q

imagery

A

the use of words to create a certain picture in the reader’s mind; it is usually based on sensory details

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22
Q

impressionism

A

the recording of events or situations as they have been impressed upon the mind

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23
Q

malapropism

A

the type of pun, or play on words, that results when two words become jumbled in the speaker’s mind (e.g. I’m as headstrong as an allegory [means alligator] on the banks of the Nile.)

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24
Q

melodrama

A

an exaggerated form of drama (as in TV soap operas) characterized by heavy use of romance, suspense, and emotion

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25
Q

memoir

A

writing based on the writer’s memory of a particular time, place, or incident

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26
Q

mood

A

the feeling a text arouses in the reader

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27
Q

moral

A

the particular value or lesson the author is trying to get across to the reader

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28
Q

motif

A

the term for an often-repeated idea or theme in literature

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29
Q

myth

A

a traditional story that attempts to justify a certain practice or belief or to explain a natural phenomenon

30
Q

narration

A

writing that relates an event or a series of events; a story

31
Q

narrator

A

the person who is telling the story

32
Q

naturalism

A

an extreme form of realism in which the author tries to show the relation of a person to the environment or surroundings; often, the author finds it necessary to show the ugly or raw side of that relationship

33
Q

novel

A

a lengthy fictional story with a plot that is revealed by the speech, action, and thoughts of the characters

34
Q

novella

A

a prose work longer than the standard short story, but shorter and less complex than a full-length novel

35
Q

oxymoron

A

a combination of contradictory terms as in “cruel kindness”

36
Q

parable

A

a short descriptive story that illustrates a particular belief or moral

37
Q

parody

A

a form of literature that intentionally uses a comic effect to mock a literary work or style

38
Q

pathetic fallacy

A

a form of personification giving human traits to nature

39
Q

pathos

A

a play or story that is intended to elicit pity or sorrow from the audience or reader

40
Q

Picaresque novel

A

a work of fiction consisting of a lengthy string of loosely connected events (e.g. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn)

41
Q

plot

A

the action or sequence of events in a story

42
Q

poetic justice

A

a term that describes a character “getting what he deserves” in the end, especially if what he deserves is punishment

43
Q

point of view (POV)

A

the vantage point from which the story is told

44
Q

vantage

A

a place or position affording a good view of something

45
Q

omniscient point of view

A

POV that allows the narrator to share the thoughts and feelings of all the characters

46
Q

limited point of view

A

POV that allows the narrator to share the thoughts and feelings of one central character

47
Q

objective point of view

A

also called camera view: allows the storyteller to record the action from his or her own point of view, being unaware of any of the characters’ thoughts or feelings

48
Q

protagonist

A

the main character or hero of the story

49
Q

pseudonym

A

also known as pen name; a false name that a writer uses in place of his real name

50
Q

quest

A

a main character who is seeking to find something or achieve a goal; in the process, the character encounters and overcomes a series of obstacles, returning wiser and more experienced

51
Q

realism

A

literature that attempts to represent life as it really is

52
Q

rising action

A

the series of struggles that builds a story or play toward a climax

53
Q

Romanticism

A

a literary movement with an emphasis on the imagination and emotions

54
Q

sarcasm

A

the use of irony to mock or convey contempt

55
Q

satire

A

a literary tone used to make fun of human vice or weakness, often with the intent of correcting or changing the subject of the attack

56
Q

setting

A

the time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs

57
Q

short story

A

a brief fictional work; it usually contains one major conflict and at least one main character

58
Q

slapstick

A

a form of low comedy that often includes exaggerated, sometimes violent action (e.g. pie in the face, 3 Stooges)

59
Q

slice of life

A

a term that describes the type of realistic or naturalistic writing that accurately reflects what life is really like; this is done by giving the reader a sample, or slice, of experience

60
Q

soliloquy

A

a speech delivered by a character when he or she is alone on stage; it’s as though the character is thinking out loud

61
Q

stereotype

A

a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

62
Q

stream of consciousness

A

a style of writing in which the thoughts and feelings of the writer are recorded as they occur

63
Q

style

A

how the author uses words, phrases, and sentences to form his or her ideas; style is also thought of as the qualities and characteristics that distinguish one writer’s work from the work of others

64
Q

symbol

A

a person, place, thing, or event used to represent something else (e.g. dove as a symbol of peace)

65
Q

theme

A

the statement about life that a writer is trying to get across in a piece of writing (usually implied and not directly stated)

66
Q

tone

A

the overall feeling, or effect, created by a writer’s use of words (e.g. serious, humorous, satiric)

67
Q

total effect

A

the general impression a literary work leaves on the reader

68
Q

tragedy

A

a literary work in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw or by forces beyond his or her control

69
Q

tragic hero

A

a character who experiences an inner struggle because of a character flaw; that struggle ends in the defeat of the hero

70
Q

transcendentalism

A

a philosophy that requires human beings to go beyond (transcend) reason in their search for truth; it assumes that an individual can arrive at the basic truths of life through spiritual insight if he or she takes the time to think seriously about them