Literature Key Terms And Concepts

Front 1

Allegory

Back 1

A story in which people, things and events have another meaning.

Hint 1

Orweli's animal farm

Front 2

Allusion

Back 2

A reference in a work of literature to something outside to work, especially to a well-known historical or literally event, person, or work.

Hint 2

In Hamlet, when Horatio says, "ere the mightiest Julius fell," the allusion is to the death of Julius Caesar.

Front 3

Attitude

Back 3

A speakers, authors, or characters disposition toward or opinion of the subject.

Hint 3

Hamlets attitude toward Gertrude is a mixture of affection and revulsion, changing from one to the other within a single scene.

Front 4

Autobiography

Back 4

An author's account of his or her own life

Front 5

Biography

Back 5

And accurate history of a single person

Front 6

Climax

Back 6

Normally the point of highest interest in a novel, short story, or play. As a technical term of genetic composition, the climax is the place where the action reaches a turning point, where the rising action ends, and the following action begins.

Front 7

Connotation

Back 7

The implications of a word or phrase, as opposed to his exact meaning.

Hint 7

Both China and Cathay denote a region in Asia, but to a modern reader, Association of the two words is different.

Front 8

Convention

Back 8

A device of style or subject matter so often used that it becomes a recognized means of expression

Hint 8

A lover observing the literary love conventions cannot eat or sleep and grows pale and lean

Front 9

Denotation

Back 9

The dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to connotation

Hint 9

THE ACTUAL WORD IN THE DICTIONARY

Front 10

Diction

Back 10

Word choice. Essay questions on the passage of prose or a poem could ask you to talk about diction or about "techniques" that include diction. Any word that is important to the meaning in the effect of a passage can be used in your essay

Front 11

Euphemism

Back 11

A figure of speech using indirection to avoid offensive bluntness.

Hint 11

such as a deceased for dead or remains for corpse

Front 12

Figurative language

Back 12

Writing that uses figures of speech, such as metaphors, similes, and irony.

Front 13

Genre

Back 13

A literary form, such as an essay, novel, or poem.

Hint 13

Love poem, nature poem, or sonnet.

Front 14

Hyperbole

Back 14

Deliberate exaggeration, overstatement. As a rule, hyperbole is self conscious, without the intention of being excepted literally.

Hint 14

"The strongest man in the world" and "a diamond as big as the Ritz" are hyperbolic.

Front 15

Imagery

Back 15

The images of a literary work; The sensory details of work; The figurative language of work. In imagery has several definitions, but the two that are paramount are the visual, auditory, or tactile images evoked by the words of the Literary work and the images that figurative language evokes

Front 16

Irony

Back 16

A figure of speech in which intent an actual meaning differ, characteristically praise for blame or blame for praise; a pattern of words that turns away from direct statement of its own obvious meaning. The term irony implies a discrepancy. In verbal irony (saying the opposite of what one means), the discrepancy is between statement and meaning. Sometimes, irony may simply understate, as in "men have died from time to time"

Front 17

Paradox

Back 17

A statement that seems to be self contradicting but, in fact, it's true.

Hint 17

The figure in a Donne sonnet that concludes "I never shall be chaste except you ravish me" is a good example of the device

Front 18

Parody

Back 18

A composition that imitates the style of another composition, normally for comic effect.

Front 19

Personification

Back 19

A figurative use of language that endows no humans (ideas, inanimate objects, animals, abstractions) with human characteristics

Front 20

Plot

Back 20

The interrelated actions of a play or novel that move to a climax and a final resolution

Front 21

Point of view

Back 21

Any of several possible vantage points from which a story is told. The point of view may be omniscient, limited to that of a single character, or limited to that of several characters, as well as other possibilities. The teller may use the first person and/or the third person

Front 22

Jargon

Back 22

The special language of a profession or group. The term jargon usually has the Pejorative Association, with the Implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders

Front 23

Literal

Back 23

Not figurative; accurate to the letter; matter of fact or concrete

Front 24

Lyrical

Back 24

Song like; characterized by emotion, subjectivity, and imagination

Front 25

Metaphor

Back 25

A figurative use language in which a comparison is expressed without the use of comparative term like as, like, or than. A simile was say, "night is like a black bat"; a metaphor would say, "the black bat night." When Romeo says, "it is the east, and Juliet is the sun," his metaphors compare her window to the east and Julie to the sun

Front 26

Narrative techniques

Back 26

The methods involved in telling a story; the procedures used by a writer of stories or accounts. Narrative techniques is a general term that asks you to discuss the procedures used in the telling of a story

Hint 26

Techniques: point of view, manipulation of time, dialogue, or interior monologue

Front 27

Novel

Back 27

A fictional narrative in prose of considerable length. Shorter words are called novellas, and even shorter ones are called short stories

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Omniscient point of view

Back 28

The vantage point of a story in which the narrator can know, see, and report whatever he or she chooses. The narrator is free to describe the thoughts of any of the characters , to Skip about in time or place to speak directly to the reader.

Front 29

Oxymoron

Back 29

A combination of opposite; the union of contradictory terms.

Hint 29

Romeos line "feather of lead, right smoke, cold fire, sick health"

Front 30

Parable

Back 30

A story designed to suggest a principle, illustrate a moral, or answer a question. Parables are allegorical stories

Front 31

Rhetorical question

Back 31

A question asked for effect, not in expectation of a reply. No reply is expected because the question presupposes only one possible answer

Front 32

Rhetorical techniques

Back 32

The devices used in effective or persuasive language.

Hint 32

Common examples: contrast, repetitions, paradox, understatement, sarcasm, and rhetorical question

Front 33

Rhetorical techniques

Back 33

The devices used in effective or persuasive language.

Hint 33

Common examples: contrast, repetitions, paradox, understatement, sarcasm, and rhetorical question

Front 34

Satire

Back 34

Writing that seeks to arouse a reader's disapproval of an object by ridcule. Satire is usually comedy that exposes errors with an eye to correcting vice and folly

Hint 34

Satire can be found in the novels of Charles dickens, mark twain, and Joseph heller

Front 35

Setting

Back 35

The background to a story; the physical location of a play, story,or novel. The setting of a narrative will normally involve both time and place

Front 36

Simile

Back 36

Directly express comparison; a figure of speech comparing two objects usually with like, as, or Than.

Hint 36

Easier to recognize a simile and a metaphor because that comparison is explicit. For example:

"My love is like a fever"

"My love is deeper than a well"

"My love is as dead as a door nail"

Front 37

Solilquy

Back 37

A speech in which a character who is alone speaks his or her thoughts aloud. A monologue also has a single speaker, but the monologuist speaks to others who do not interrupt.

Hint 37

Hamlet's "To be, or not to be"

And "O, what a rogue and a peasants slave am I"

Front 38

Strategy (or rhetorical strategy)

Back 38

The management of language for a specific effect. The strategy a rhetorical strategy of a poem is the planned placing of elements to achieve an effect. The rhetorical strategy of most love poems, for example, is deployed to convince the loved one to return the speakers love.

Hint 38

By appealing to the love one sympathy:

"If you don't return my love, my heart will break"

Or by flattery:

"how could I not love someone as beautiful as you?"

Or by threat:

"when you're old, you'll be sorry you refused me"

The Lover attempts to persuade the loved one to love in return

Front 39

Structure

Back 39

There arrangement of materials within a work; the relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical divisions of a work. The most common principles of structures are series ( A,B,C,D,E)

Contrast ( A versus B, C versus D, E versus A)

Repetition (AA, BB, AB)

Hint 39

The most common units of structure:

Play: scene and act

Novel: chapter

Poem: Line, stanza

Front 40

Stule

Back 40

The mode of expression and language; the characteristic manner of expression of an author. Many elements contribute to style, and and if a question calls for discussion of style or of " stylistic techniques," You can discuss diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail, sound effects, and tone using that are appropriate

Front 41

Syllogism

Back 41

A form of reasoning in which two statements I made and a conclusion is drawn from them.

A syllogism begins with the major premise ("all tragedies and unhappily ") followed by a minor premise ("Hamlet is a tragedy") and a conclusion ("therefore, hamlet ends unhappily)

Front 42

Symbol

Back 42

Something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else.

Hint 42

For example;

Winter, darkness, and code are real things, but in literature they are also likely to be used as symbols of death

Yorick's goal is a symbol of human mortality, and Melville's White whale is certainly a symbol, but exactly what it symbolizes has yet to be agreed upon

Front 43

Theme

Back 43

The main thought expressed by work

Front 44

Thesis

Back 44

The theme, meaning, a position the writer undertakes to prove or support

Front 45

Thesis

Back 45

The theme, meaning, a position the writer undertakes to prove or support

Front 46

Tone

Back 46

The manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning. Tone is described by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly endless. Often a single adjective will not be enough, and tone may change from chapter to chapter or even line to line.

Hint 46

Tone may be the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery, Arnie, symbol, syntax, or style.

Front 47

Tragedy

Back 47

now defined as a play with the serious content and unhappy ending.

Hint 47

Examples:

Shakespeare's Hamlet

Or

Miller's Death of a Salesman