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Writer's Inc. > Writer's Inc (Simple Cards #5) > Flashcards

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
memoir
writing based on the writer's memory of a particular time, place, or incident
26
mood
the feeling a text arouses in the reader
27
moral
the particular value or lesson the author is trying to get across to the reader
28
motif
the term for an often-repeated idea or theme in literature
29
myth
a traditional story that attempts to justify a certain practice or belief or to explain a natural phenomenon
30
narration
writing that relates an event or a series of events; a story
31
narrator
the person who is telling the story
32
naturalism
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
novel
a lengthy fictional story with a plot that is revealed by the speech, action, and thoughts of the characters
34
novella
a prose work longer than the standard short story, but shorter and less complex than a full-length novel
35
oxymoron
a combination of contradictory terms as in "cruel kindness"
36
parable
a short descriptive story that illustrates a particular belief or moral
37
parody
a form of literature that intentionally uses a comic effect to mock a literary work or style
38
pathetic fallacy
a form of personification giving human traits to nature
39
pathos
a play or story that is intended to elicit pity or sorrow from the audience or reader
40
Picaresque novel
a work of fiction consisting of a lengthy string of loosely connected events (e.g. Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn)
41
plot
the action or sequence of events in a story
42
poetic justice
a term that describes a character "getting what he deserves" in the end, especially if what he deserves is punishment
43
point of view (POV)
the vantage point from which the story is told
44
vantage
a place or position affording a good view of something
45
omniscient point of view
POV that allows the narrator to share the thoughts and feelings of all the characters
46
limited point of view
POV that allows the narrator to share the thoughts and feelings of one central character
47
objective point of view
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
protagonist
the main character or hero of the story
49
pseudonym
also known as pen name; a false name that a writer uses in place of his real name
50
quest
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
realism
literature that attempts to represent life as it really is
52
rising action
the series of struggles that builds a story or play toward a climax
53
Romanticism
a literary movement with an emphasis on the imagination and emotions
54
sarcasm
the use of irony to mock or convey contempt
55
satire
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
setting
the time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs
57
short story
a brief fictional work; it usually contains one major conflict and at least one main character
58
slapstick
a form of low comedy that often includes exaggerated, sometimes violent action (e.g. pie in the face, 3 Stooges)
59
slice of life
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
soliloquy
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
stereotype
a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
62
stream of consciousness
a style of writing in which the thoughts and feelings of the writer are recorded as they occur
63
style
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
symbol
a person, place, thing, or event used to represent something else (e.g. dove as a symbol of peace)
65
theme
the statement about life that a writer is trying to get across in a piece of writing (usually implied and not directly stated)
66
tone
the overall feeling, or effect, created by a writer's use of words (e.g. serious, humorous, satiric)
67
total effect
the general impression a literary work leaves on the reader
68
tragedy
a literary work in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw or by forces beyond his or her control
69
tragic hero
a character who experiences an inner struggle because of a character flaw; that struggle ends in the defeat of the hero
70
transcendentalism
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

Writer's Inc. (12 decks)

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