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170 Cards in this Set
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absurd, theater of the
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a form of drama that emphasizes the absurdity of human existence by employing disjoined, repetitious, and meaningless dialogue, purposeless and confusing situations, and plots that lack realistic or logical development
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allegory
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the representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form
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alliteration
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the repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables
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allusion
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a passing/casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication; they may refer to mythology, religion, literature, history, or art
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ambiguity
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doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation
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anachronism
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an event, object, custom, person, or thing that is out of its natural order in time
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analogy
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a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based
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anapest
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a metrical foot composed of two short syllables followed by one long one
ex: interfere |
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anastrophe
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inversion of the normal syntactic order of words
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anticlimax
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an event, conclusion, statement that is far less important, powerful, or stricking than expected
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antihero
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a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, as nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like; they are typically in conflict with a world they can't control or whose values they reject
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antiphrasis
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the use of a word or phrase in a sense contrary to its normal meaning for ironic or humorous effect
ex: a mere babe of 40 years |
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antithesis
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the direct opposite
ex: Her behavior was the very antithesis of cowardly. |
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aphorism
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a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation
ex: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely |
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apologue
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an allegorical narrative usually intended to convey a moral
ex: pandora's box |
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apostrophe
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a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea
ex: "O Death, where is thy sting?” |
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archetype
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the original model, form, or pattern from which something develops
ex: romeo and juliet -> westside story |
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assonance
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rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words
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bathos
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An abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect; anticlimax
ex: "osama bin laden is wanted for conspiracy, murder, terrosim, and unpaid parking tickets." |
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beat generation
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A group of American writers and artists popular in the 1950s and early 1960s, influenced by Eastern philosophy and religion and known especially for their use of nontraditional forms and their rejection of conventional social values.
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Bildungsroman
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a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist
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blank verse
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(unrhymed iambic pentameter)
unrhumed lines of 10 syllables each with the even-numbered syllables bearing the accents |
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broadside
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a sheet of paper printed only on one side, and usually distributed by hand
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cacophony
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a jarring, discordant sound
(opposite of euphony) |
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caesurae
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a pause in a line of verse dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics
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canon
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A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field; the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine
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canto
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one of the main or larger divisions of a long poem
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catalog
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A publication, such as a book or pamphlet, containing such a list or display
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catharsis
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the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music
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cavalier
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A gallant or chivalrous man, especially one serving as escort to a woman of high social position; a gentleman
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chiasmus
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A rhetorical inversion of the second of two parallel structures
ex: “Each throat/Was parched, and glazed each eye” |
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chivalry
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an idealized code of military and social behavior for the aristocracy in the late medieval period
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chorus
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a group of singers that helps the audience to follow the performance, comment on the main themes, and to show how the idea audience might react to the drama presented
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cinquain
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a five line stanza, varied in rhyme in line, usually witht he rhyme scheme ABABB
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cliche
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a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty (negative)
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climax
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the point of highest tension or drama in a literary work or film
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colloquialism
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an expression not used in formal speech or writing
ex: ain't, gonna |
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comedy, low
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a type of comedy characterized by horseplay, slapstick, farce
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comedy, high
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sophisticated comedy that depends on witty dialogue, social satire, and sophisticated characters for impact
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complication
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a secondary, minor conflict introduced part of the way through a story or drama; a series of difficulties forming the central action in a narrative
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connotation
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a maethod of determining the meaning by finding attributes implied by the word
ex: gold - greed, luxury |
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consonance
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the repetition of consonant sounds in a short sequence of words
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dactyl
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a metrical foot consisting of three syllables, one accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables
ex: TIMElessly |
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denotation
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the precise, literal meaning of a word, w/o emotional associations or overtones
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denouement
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unraveling, as of a knot; the final resolution to the conflicts and complications of a play, novel, short story
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deux es machina
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in moderan drama, and fiction, any forced or artificial device introduced by an author to solve some difficult problem with the resolution of a plot; Latin phrase to describe the unexpected
ex: protagonist wakes up and realizes it was all a dream |
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diction
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word choice, judged on clarity and appropiateness
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didactic literature
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poetry, plays, novels, and stories whose primary purpose is to guide, instruct, or teach
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digression
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a portion of a speech or written work that interrupts the development of the theme or plot
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dimeter
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a line of poetry consisting of two metrical feet
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discourse
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spoken or written language, including literary works
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enjambment
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the carrying of sense and grammatical structure in a poem beyond the end of one line, couplet, or stanza and into the next
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epic
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An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero
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epic theater
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episodic, narrative theater; an approach to writing and presenting plays; large number of very short, often unconnected scenes introduced by a narrator, who would present the action as events in the past in order to distance the audience from the characters
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epigram
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in poetry and prose, any terse, witty, pointed saying; they often pair opposing or contradictory ideas
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epilogue
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a concluding section added to a novel, play, or long poem
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epiphany
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a moment of revelation or profound insight
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epistolary novel
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a novel written in the form of a series of letters
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epithet
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any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality; also means a derogatory word or phrase used to insult someone
ex: man's best friend -> dog |
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eulogy
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a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, esp. a set oration in honor of a deceased person
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euphony
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agreeableness of sound; pleasing effect to the ear, esp. a pleasant sounding or harmonious combination or succession of words
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exegesis
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critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible
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existentialism
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a philosophy that focuses on the individual human being's experience of, recognition of, and triumph over the meaningless of existence
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exposition
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the immediate or gradual revelation to the audience of the setting, relationship between characters, and other background info needed for understanding the plot; traditionally in the beginning of the play, either int he speech of one character, or in a convo
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fabliau
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a medieval tale in eight-syllable verse
humorous, often bawdy, it is frequently satirized women and the clergy |
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falling action
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the part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved
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feminine rhyme
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A rhyme in which the final syllable is unstressed
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figurative language
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speech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning, speech or writing employing figures of speech; appeals to the senses
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flashback
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a scene from the past, taken out of chronological order, is placed within the story
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foil
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a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast
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foot
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A unit of poetic meter consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables in any of various set combinations
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foreshadowing
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To present an indication or a suggestion of beforehand; presage
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form
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Method of arrangement or manner of coordinating elements in literary or musical composition or in organized discourse
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formalism
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the doctrine that formal structure rather than content is what should be represented
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free verse
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Verse composed of variable, usually unrhymed lines having no fixed metrical pattern
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Freytag's pyramid
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a diagram representing the structure of a well made play, especially a tragedy in five acts
ex: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, denouement |
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genre
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a type of literary work
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gestalt
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a unified whole that is greater than the sum of its parts; a poem must be experienced as a unified whole
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grotesque
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generally anthing distored, ugly, abnormal, fantastic, or bizarre to the point of being ludicrous or absurd
a type of writing, kind of character, kind of subject matter that is characterized by exaggerationa nd sitortion of the natural or the expected |
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heptameter
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a line of poetry consisting of seven metrical feet
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heroic couplet
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a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter lines, the favored verse form of the 18th century neoclassicla poets
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heroic quatrain
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a four-line stanza in iambic pentameter, rhyming ABAB
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Homeric simile
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another term for epic similie, a lengthy, very elaborate simile
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hubris
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Greek word for pride or insolence; the defect of a character that leads the tragic hero to disregard all warnings of impending disaster and thereby hasten the catastrophe
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humanism
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any system of thought or action devoted to human interests rather than to religious ideals or to the animal world
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humors, the theory of
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the four basic fluids of the body: BLOOD, PHLEGM, YELLOW BILE, BLACK BILE
affect a person's physical condition and disposition |
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hyperbole
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obvious exaggeration or overstatement, not intended to be taken literally, but used figuratively to creat humor or emphasis
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iambic pentameter
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a poetic line of five iambic feet; in black verse, sonnet, heroic couplet
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imagery
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the making of "pictures in words"; the pictorial quality of a literary work achieved through a collection of images
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inference
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a general conclusion drawn from particulars
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in medias res
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Latin, meaning "in the middle of things"
narrative practice of starting a sotry in the middle of the action to involve the reader, then using flashbacks to fill in what led up to the point |
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innuendo
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an insinuation, the implication of hint of something derogatory; device of satire
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intentional fallacy
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a literary work is separate, a thing in itself, and shouldn't be judged by external evidence; a work lies wholly within itself
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internal rhyme
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the rhyming of two or more words int he same line of poetry, most often in the middle and at the end of the line (middle/leonine rhyme)
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inversion
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reversing the normal order of sentence parts; commonly used to ask a question, impose a condition, place emphasis
ex: destroying others, by himself destroyed |
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invocation
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at the beginning of an epic, an appeal to a god or goddess for inspiration
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irony
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the recognition of the incongruity or difference between reality and appearance
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jongleur
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a wandering entertainer in France and Norman England during the Middle Ages who sang and recited poems and stories and performed juggling and tumbling acts
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Juvenalian satire
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harsh, biting satire, full of moral indignationa nd bitter contempt
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Kenning
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a metaphoric compound word or phrase used as a synonym for a common noun (Old English)
ex: storm of swords -> battle |
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Kunstlerroman
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"Artist-novel", a type of Bildungsroman, or developmental novel, that tells the story of an artist's development
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Lair
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poem of adventure or romance intended to be sung
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Leitmotif
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used to describe any recurring theme in a literary or musical work
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Leonine rhyme
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a rhymed couplet printed as a single line
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Libretto
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the complete study of works used in an extended musical work such as an opera
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light verse
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poetry that attempts to be humorous, often including puns, alliteration, and adventurous rhyme
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litotes
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a literary technique that uses the negation of the opposite to make a statement
ex: "no ordinary city" instead of "an extraordinary city" "dont fail me now" instead of "help me" |
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Macaronic
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the use ofa mixture of multiple languages
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malapropism
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the use of the wrong word, specifically using a word that sounds similar to the correct word for a comic effect
ex: he is the very pineapple of politeness (pinnacle) The Rivals - Ms Malaprop feather-brained lady who possessed a glib tongue. In her efforts to represent the crème de society she appeared comical due to her ludicrous substitution of words |
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meiosis
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a form of understatement that tries to make something seem smaller or less significant than it actually is
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metaphor
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A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison
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metaphysical poetry
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a term used to group together certain 17th century poets - share common characteristics of wit, inventiveness, and a love of elaborate stylistic maneuvers
investigates the world by rational discussion of its phenomena rather than by intuition of mysticism |
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meter
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poetic measure; arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses
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metonymy
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the substitution of one word for another with which it is associated
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mimesis
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imitation or representation in Greek; representing the human emotions in new ways and thus representing to the onlooker the inherent nature of these emotions and the psychological truth of the work of art
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mock epic
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a parody of the epic form in poetry, often by treating a minor subject serious (mock heroic)
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monody
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Greek ode sung by a single voice, as in a tragedy
a poem in which the speaker laments another's death |
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morphology
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the study of the structure and form of words in language or a language, including inflection, derivation, and the formation of compounds
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muckrakers
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given by Theodore Roosevelt
group of American writers in the first decade of the 20th century who exposed the corrupt practicies of certain big businesses and government officials |
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muses
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source of poetic inspiration, the nice daughets of Zeus and Mnemosyne
Calliope- epic poetry Clio- history Erato- lyric and love poetry Euterpe- flute music Melpomene- tragedy Thalia- comedy Polymnia- sacred music Terpischore- dancing Uranic- Astronomy |
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narrative poem
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a poem that tells a story, lengthy
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naturalism
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late 19th century movement in lit and art which moved away from realism; portrays humans as being affected by natural forces of heredity and environment, and by basic drives over which they have no control
rejects idealized portrayls of life, and attempts to portray a scientifically accurate depiction of life as a struggle of survive ex: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets |
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nom de plume
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a name adopted by a writer to disguise his or her own real name
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onomatopoeia
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the formation of a word by imitating a natural sound
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ottava rima
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an eight-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhyming ABABABCC
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oxymoron
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a figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas are combined
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paradox
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a statement that appears contradictory or absurd, however it expresses some truth
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pentameter
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a line of verse containing five feet or measures (iambic pentameter)
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persona
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used in literary criticism to refer to the voice or mask created by the author, through which the story is told (can be implied author)
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petrarchan sonnet
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sonnet arranged in two parts: the OCTAVE (first 8 lines and rhyming abba abba) and the SESTET (remaining 6 lines rhymining cde cde)
(Italian Sonnet) |
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phonology
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study of the basic speech sounds, branch of linguistics
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picaresque
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a novel whose principal character is a low-born rogue who becomes involved in one predicament after another; journey
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post-structuralism
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1970s covered several approaches to literary criticism: deconstruction, reader-response criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, feminist criticism
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primitivism
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doctrine that primitive people are superior to modern humankind, who have been corrupted by civilization
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prologue
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an introduction or preface, especially to a play
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prose
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all form of ordinary writing and speech lackign the sustained and regular rhythmic patterns found in poetry; plain, straightforward statement found in everyday speech
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proverb
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short saying that expresses some commonplace truth or bit of folk wisdom concerning some aspect of practical life
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pun
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the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning, a play on words
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quatrain
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poem or a stanza within a poem that consists of four lines (common in European poetry)
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requiem
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a chant or a poem for the dead (elegy)
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rhetoric
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the art of persuasion, in speaking or writing: invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery
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rhyme scheme
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the pattern of rhymes in a stanza or poem, usually indicated by leters of the alphabet
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romanticism
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a movement in art and literature in the 18th and 19th centuries in revolt against the neoclassicism of the previous centuries
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sarcasm
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harsh, cutting, personal remarks to or about someone, not necessarily ironic
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scansion
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analyzing the meter in lines of poetry by counting and marking the accented and unaccented syllables, dividing the lines into metricla feet, and showint eh major pauses, if any, within the line
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semiotics
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the study of signs, or signals of communication, including words
ex: morse code, music, traffic signals, gestures, facial expressions, clothing... |
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seven deadly sins
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sins that lead to spiritual deaths, namely pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony, lust
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Shakespearean sonnet
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sonnet that is arranged into three quatrains, rhyming abab, cdcd, efef, gg
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simile
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a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as
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slant rhyme
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rhyme in which either the vowels or the consonants of stressed syllables are identical (half rhyme, imperfect rhyme, near rhyme)
ex: eyes, light years yours life type |
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stanza
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a unit within a larger poem
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structuralism
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linguistics defined as the analysis of formal structures in a text or discourse
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style
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a writer's characteristic way of writing things
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symbol
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the conscious and artful use of symbols, objects, actions, or characters meant to be taken both literally and as representative
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synecdoche
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A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket)
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syntax
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the arrangement and grammatical relation of words, phrases, and clauses in sentences
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tanka
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a Japanese poetry type of five lines, the firsta nd third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven
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tercet
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(triplet) a group of three lines usually having the same rhyme
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tetrameter
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a line of poetry composed of four metrical feet
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theme
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central or dominating idea of a work
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tone
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the reflection in a work of an author's attitude toward his/her subject, characters, readers
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tragedy
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broadly, a serious work of fiction, especially a drama, that prevents the downfall of its protagonist who through some error in judgement, weakness of character, or twist of fate suffers from crushing defeat or death
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tracendentalism
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philosophical/literary movement flourishing between 1835-1860 in New England; something in human beings that transcends human nature, a spark of divinity
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trilogy
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a set of three related plays, novels, etc which together form an extended unified work
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trochee
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a metrical unit with stressed-stressed-unstressed syllables
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verisimilitude
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denotes the extent to which the characters and actions in a work of fiction exhibit realism or authenticity, or otherwise conform to our sense of reality
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vernacular
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the everyday or common language of a geographic area or the native language of commoners in a country as opposed to a prestigious dead language maintained artificially in schools or in literary texts
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verse
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1. a line of metrical writing
2. a stanza 3. any composition written in meter |
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voice
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refers to the fact that there is a voice beyond the fictitious voices that speak in a work, and a person behind all the dramatis personae, including even the first person narrator
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wit
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elements in a literary work designed to make the audience laugh or feel amused (humor)
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