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80 Cards in this Set

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allegory
a story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities, and can be read on two levels for both a literal and symbolic (allegorical) meaning (ex: Animal Farm)
allusion
a reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place, or thing
ambiguity
literal ambiguity refers to any wording, action, or symbol that can be read in divergent ways. Intentional ambiguity in literature can be a powerful device, leaving something undetermined in order to open up multiple possible meanings.
analogy
comparison of two things alike in certain aspects; can be simile or metaphor
anaphora
a rhetorical device where a word or phrase is repeated, usually at the beginning of a line (Ex: we shall take the beaches, we shall take the sea..)
antagonist
the character who stands directly opposed to the protagonist
anti-hero
a protagonist who carries the action of the literary piece but does not embody the classic characteristics of courage, strength, and nobility
aphorism
a brief statement containing an important truth or fundamental principle
apostrophe
a form of personification in which the absent or dead or the inanimate are spoken to as if present. These are all addressed directly.
archetype
A universal character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people from all cultures because it occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore. (Ex. character archetype- "platonic ideal"- character not romantically involved with hero, but with qualities the hero might like- Hermione Granger; situational archetype- "the flood" from all religions, mythologies)
aside
words that are spoken by a character in a play to the audience or to another character but that are not supposed to be overheard by the others onstage
canon
a group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field; exclusive group, "best of the best" (Ex. Shakespeare, Dickens, etc)
carpe diem
a Latin expression that means "seize the day". Carpe diem poems urge the reader (or the person to whom they are addressed) to live for today and enjoy the pleasures of the moment. Most common thematic statement.
catharsis
an emotional cleansing or feeling of relief
chiasmus
the inversion of parallel phrases in poetic syntax, ABBA (Ex. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.")
climax
the turning point in a plot of a story that creates the greatest intensity, suspense or interest. The conflict will bring about an important event, decision, or discovery that (sometimes) leads to a resolution
colloquialism
of or relating to slang or regional dialect, used in familiar everyday conversation. in writing, an informal style that reflects the way people spoke in a distant time and/or place
conceit
an intricate or extended metaphor or simile that arouses a feeling of surprise,shock, or amusement
connotation
the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase
denotation
a word's strict dictionary definition
Deus ex machine
any unexpected or unlikely event that changes the outcome of a drama. In ancient drama, a god who descended upon the stage to rescue the protagonist from doom; Latin for "the god from the machine"
diction
word choice intended to convey a certain effect
didactic
writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach
dystopia
polar opposite of utopia. A society in which social and/or technological trends have contributed to a corrupted or degraded state (Handmaid's Tale)
epiphany
a moment of sudden insight or revelation that a character experiences
epistolary
a novel in letter form written by one or more of the characters. The novelist can use this technique to present varying first person points of view and does not need a narrator
epithet
a term or phrase that describes a person (or God) which is used in place of the name of that person or with the name (Ex "gray eyes Athena" "the wily Greek")
foil
a character who acts as a contrast to another character (Ex. Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy)
frame story
someone telling a story to someone else, a story in a story (Ex. Princess Bride)
genre
a term used to describe various types of literature
gothic
characterized by gloom and mystery and the grotesque "Gothic novels like Frankenstein"
hyperbole
intentional exaggeration to create an effect
imagery
consists of the words or phrases a writer uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the senses
In Media Res
the technique of starting a story in the middle and then using flashback to tell what happened earlier; Latin for "in the middle of things."
irony
a contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality
juxtaposition
occurs when two images that are otherwise not commonly brought together appear side by side or are placed structurally close together; forces the reader to reconsider the meaning of the text through the contrasting images, ideas, or motifs
litotes
when you understate an idea in order to convey the opposite idea
magical realism
the effect of addressing and treating a subject or event that could not possibly exist or occur as if it were commonplace and everyday
malapropism
an incorrect usage of a word, usually with comic effect. Usually used to show the innocence or stupidity of a character, not intentional by character (Ex. "putrified with astonishment"- petrified)
metaphor
the transfer of a quality or attribute from one thing or idea to another in such a way as to imply some resemblance between the two things or ideas
metonymy
a figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely associate with it ("The crown" representing the royal government)
minimalism
a literary style characterized by spare, simple prose with few elaborations. In minimalism, the main theme of the work is often never discussed directly. Amy Hempel and Ernest Hemingway are two writers known for their works of minimalism.
monologue
a long, uninterrupted speech (in a narrative or drama) that is spoken in the presence of other characters. Unlike a soliloquy and most aides, a monologue is heard by other characters.
motif
a word, character, object, image, metaphor, or idea that recurs in a work or in several works
naturalism
a school of writing that concentrates on writing in a way that reflects life as it seems to the common reader, but backed by the philosophical stance (rooted in post-Darwinism biology) that humans belong entirely in the order of nature and do not have a soul or any other connection with a religious or spiritual world beyond nature. Humans are therefore merely a higher order animal whose character and fortunes are determined by two kinds of natural forces: heredity and environment
nemesis
an archenemy; the principle of retributive justice; punishment or defeat that is deserved and cannot be avoided
oxymoron
a pair of opposite terms combined to form a single unusual expression
paradox
occurs when the elements of statement contradict each other. Although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth. Also, a statement or situation that seems to be a contradiction but that reveals a truth.
parallelism
parallelism is a structural arrangement within sentences, paragraphs, or entire essays through which two or more separate elements are similarly phrased and developed
parody
a comical imitation of a serious piece with the intent of ridiculing the author or his work
pastoral
an artistic composition dealing with the life of shepherds or with a simple, rural existence. It usually idealized shepherds' lives in order to create an image of peaceful and uncorrupted existence. More generally, pastoral describes the simplicity, charm, and serenity attributed to country life, juxtaposing it with the urban setting
persona
the speaker in a poem; the "mask" that an author projects in a particular text
personification
gives an inanimate object or abstract idea human traits and qualities, such as emotions, desires, sensations, physical gestures and speech
picaresque
describes a kind of (anti) hero or novel (ex. Huck inn, roquish character, on a journey, relying on his wits)
Point of view
the perspective from which a narrative is told
Protagonist
the central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem
pun
a play on words that are identical in sound by have sharply diverse meanings
realism
often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of 19th century French literature and extending to late 19th and early 20th century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society 'as they were,' interest in scientific method (ex. Henry James, Mark Twain)
Roman a clef
a work that describes real life events in a fictional context. All the King's Men has its basis as a Roman a clef, as do the political book Primary Colors and the film Citizen Kane
romanticism
stressed strong emotion as a source of aesthetic experience; emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental (ex. Jane Austen, Mary W> Shelley, "Dark Romanticists"- Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, etc)
satire
a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in a n attempt to bring about a change
scansion
the process of measuring the stresses in a line of verse in order to determine the metrical pattern of the line
simile
a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another, generally using like or as
stock character
stereotyped character: one whose nature is familiar from prototypes in previous fiction, but not universal (ex. overbearing wife, dumb jock)
stream-of-consciousness
a form of writing which replicates the way the human mind works. Ideas are presented in random order; thoughts are often unfinished (ex. James Joyce)
subtext
a story within the story. For example, the story of one man's quest to find justice inside a larger story about the whole judicial system.
Synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part represents a whole ("All hands on deck!")
symbol
any object, person, place, or action that has both a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value
synesthesia
one sensory image is placed together with another image that appeals to an unrelated sense ("a loud color")
syntax
the arrangement of words and the order of grammatical elements in a sentence
soliloquy
a dramatic convention by means of which a character, alone onstage, utters his or her thoughts aloud. Playwrights use soliloquies as a convenient way to inform the audience about a character's motivations and state of mind.
style
how one uses the words
tone
the writer's/speaker's attitude toward a subject, character, or audience in conveyed through the author's choice of words and detail. Tone can be serious, humorous, sarcastic, indignant, objective, etc.
theme
the central message of a literary work. It is not the same as the subject, which can be expressed in a word or two
tragedy
drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance; excites terror or pity
unreliable narrator
narrator who tells the story from a biased, erroneous perspective (Ex. Cask of Amantillato- mental state; Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird-age)
utopia
an ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects. In other words, an impossible place. Utopian thinkers like Karl Marx envision a society that cannot exist because it depends on people acting in ways that people are not inclined to act.
verisimilitude
the resemblance to truth or believability in a work of literature
voice
the dominating ethos or tone of a literary work. The voice existing in a literary work is not always identifiable with the actual words of the author. In writing, voice is simply the way you, the writer, projects yourself artistically
zeugma
use of a word to govern two or more words though appropriate to only one (Ex. "Mr. Pickwick took his hate and his leave," "he opened up the door and her heart")