American Lit

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allegory

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a narrative in which different elements have one or more symbolic meanings in addition to their literal significance

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allusion

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a passing reference, often to a literary work

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archetype

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a model or supreme example

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autobiography

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an account of a person's life written bt that person

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beats, beat generation

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a group flourishing in the late 1950's that emphasized mysticisim and rejection of social taboos

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blank verse

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verse written in unrhymed five-stress lines

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Calvinism

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a doctrine emphasizing predestination and strict discipline

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chronical

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a historical record presented in chronological order

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colloquial

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having to do with ordinary, informal speech

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convention

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a traditional r accepted way of doing or expressing something

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counterculture

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opposition to the prevailing culture of the time, specifically referring to the rebellious youth of the 1960's &1970's

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dialect

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the speech of a particular region or class

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diction

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the choice of words

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dramatic monologue

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a poem in the form of a speech by a specific character

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ellipsis

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an omission, generally of some word or words

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epistolary novel

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a novel written in the form of letters between the characters, popular in the 18th century

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essay

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a short prose composition generally on a single topic

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feminism

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attention to topics and themes of particular concern to women, frequently emphasizing injustices

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free verse

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verse written without strict meter or rhyme

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genteel

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overly polite and seeking to avoid any possibly offensive language or topics

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grotesque

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bizarrely fantastic

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hyperbole

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overstatementfor dramatic or comic effect

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imagery

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representation of things or creatures, often for emotional or symbolic effect

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imagism

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a 20th century shool of poets who believe that the impact of a poem should be conveyed through images

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impressionism

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the theory that natural objects should be described as they immediately strike the observer without conscious or deliberate selection or elaboration

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irony

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something that conveys a contradictory meaning in addition to the literal meaning

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juxtapose

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to place words or images close to one another, frequently for ironic purposes

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latinate

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derived from laton frequently referring to words that are elaborate and unusual

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local color

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picturesque and idisyncratic detail about a particular region or location

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lost generation

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the self-consciously disillusioned generation that came after WWI, in the 1920'2

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epistolary novel

Back 31

a novel written in the form of letters between the characters, popular in the 18th century

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essay

Back 32

a short prose composition generally on a single topic

Front 33

feminism

Back 33

attention to topics and themes of particular concern to women, frequently emphasizing injustices

Front 34

free verse

Back 34

verse written without strict meter or rhyme

Front 35

genteel

Back 35

overly polite and seeking to avoid any possibly offensive language or topics

Front 36

grotesque

Back 36

bizarrely fantastic

Front 37

hyperbole

Back 37

overstatementfor dramatic or comic effect

Front 38

imagery

Back 38

representation of things or creatures, often for emotional or symbolic effect

Front 39

imagism

Back 39

a 20th century shool of poets who believe that the impact of a poem should be conveyed through images

Front 40

impressionism

Back 40

the theory that natural objects should be described as they immediately strike the observer without conscious or deliberate selection or elaboration

Front 41

irony

Back 41

something that conveys a contradictory meaning in addition to the literal meaning

Front 42

juxtapose

Back 42

to place words or images close to one another, frequently for ironic purposes

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latinate

Back 43

derived from laton frequently referring to words that are elaborate and unusual

Front 44

local color

Back 44

picturesque and idisyncratic detail about a particular region or location

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lost generation

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the self-consciously disillusioned generation that came after WWI, in the 1920'2

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lyricmodernism

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a short, song like poem expressing the poet's own thoughts and feelings

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metaphor

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a figure of speech comparing one object to another

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meter

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the regular rhythm of a line or poetry

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modernism

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an international movement, dominating the first half of the 20th century, that rejected tradition, valued experimentation, and emphasized myth and the unconscious mind

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narrative

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a story, either fictional or true

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naturalism

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a literary movement that shares with realism its attention to the speech and behavior of the present but that considers people's behavior to be determined by social and ecomonic forces beyond human control

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neoclassicism

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literary movement particulary important in the 18th century that tried to emulate the standards of classical Greece and Rome, emphasizing reason and decorum

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objectivity

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the effort on the part of that author to maintain a neutral attitude toward the characters and events portrayed

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oral tradition

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unwritten lore learned by memory and passed down through generations

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orthodox

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generally approved or accepted

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parable

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a story told to illustrate a moral point

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persona

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the character or personality adopted by the author in narrating a work

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propaganda

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a work whose primary purpose is to put forth a specific point of view

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pun

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a play on words that sound alike or nearly alike but have different meanings

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Puritanism

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a religious movement of tha 16th century that sought to purify the church of england the term is frequently used to refer to a`strictly, even rigid moral code