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107 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
abridgment
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a shortened version of a literary work
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abstract
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a brief statement or summary of the essential thoughts of a book, article, etc.
an adjective which denotes qualities that exist only as attributes of particular persons or things |
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allegory
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a symbolic narrative created to parallel and illuminate a separate set of moral,
philosophical, political, religious, or social situations |
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alliteration
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the repetition of consonant sounds in a sequence of nearby words (BEGINNING of words)
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Our souls have sight of that immortal sea.
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allusion
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a reference, explicit or indirect, to a well-known person, place, event, literary work,
or work of art |
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ambiguity
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the use of a single word or expression to signify two or more distinct references, or to
express two or more diverse attitudes or feelings (poetic term); ordinarily, the term is applied to a fault in style |
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anachronism
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action, scene, object or character placed where it does not belong in time
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anapest
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in poetry, a foot with two weak stresses followed by one strong stress, as in the word
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disembárk
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anecdote
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a very brief account of an incident, usually personal or biographical
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antagonist
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character or force in conflict with the main character, or protagonist, in a literary
work |
Goliath is the antagonist battling David, the protagonist.
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antecedent
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the word a pronoun stands for, usually used before or in close proximity to that
pronoun |
When Miss Lottie awoke in the garden, she saw Lizabeth. (Miss Lottie antecedent
of she.) |
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anti-hero
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a protagonist who is petty, ineffectual, passive or dishonest; displaying few or none
of the characteristics of the traditional hero |
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aphorism ------
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the pithy and pointed statement of a serious maxim, opinion, or general truth
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Art is long; life is short
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apostrophe
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direct and explicit address to an absent person or non-human entity
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O solitude! Where are the charms
That sages have seen in thy face? |
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archetype
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UNIVERSAL SYMBOL recurrent narrative designs, patterns of action, character types, or images identifiable
in a wide variety of works of literature; archetypes are often to reflect a set of universal, primitive, and elemental mental forms or patterns in the human psyche; if used effectively, archetypes evoke a profound response from the reader; |
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aside
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a statement delivered by an actor to an audience in such a way that other characters
on stage are presumed not to hear what is said |
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assonance
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the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables containing dissimilar consonant
sounds |
I bequeath you that clean sheet and an empty throne.
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attitude
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a mental position or feeling with regard to a fact or statement; attitude is usually
discussed in terms of author, character, objects, ideas, etc. |
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audience .
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the person or persons who are intended to read a piece of writing. The intended
audience determines the form, tone, style, and details included in a piece |
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autobiography
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a narrative of ones own life
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ballad
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a poem or song that tells a story, a narrative species of folk songs which originate,
and are communicated orally, among illiterate or only partly literate people; a literary ballad is composed in imitation of an old folk ballad |
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bildungsroman
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novel dealing with the development of the protagonists mind and character, in the
passage from childhood to adulthood, the characters identity formation |
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biography
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a narrative of the life of an historical figure
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blank verse
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poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines
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One equal temper of heroic hearts
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. --- Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ulysses |
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cacophony (dissonance)
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language which seems harsh, rough, and unmusical; the discordance is
the combined effect of meaning and difficulty of pronunciation, as well as sound |
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caesura
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a pause in the middle of a line of poetry dictated by sense or natural rhythm
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candid
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free from bias, very honest and frank in ones writing
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canon
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the academically accepted body of great literature and art; ones collected work
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caricature
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in verbal description, the distortion or exaggeration, for comic effect of a persons
physical features or other characteristics |
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catharsis (purgation or purification)
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emotional purging of yourself after an emotional event
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Crying after a play
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cause and effect
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analysis of a subject by examining the reasons for specific actions or events or the consequences or the results of certain causes
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character
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a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work
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round/dynamic
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a multidimensional character changes/develops in the
course of the story |
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flat/static
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character does not change much or at all
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misfit
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character whose values are at odds with the other characters
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stock
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character type that occurs repeatedly in a literary genre
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the
clever servant of Elizabethan comedies |
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stereotype
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fixed character with little individuality, often based on racial, social,
sexist, or ethnic prejudices |
the ditzy blond, dumb jock, rich Texan, rude New
Yorker |
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clause
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a group of words containing a subject and complete verb and forming part of a
compound or complex sentence |
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climax
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the high point of interest or suspense in a literary work
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classicism
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the principles or styles of literature or art of ancient Greece and Rome
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colloquial/
colloquialism |
informal speech, characteristic of spoken language or writing that seeks the effect of
everyday speech |
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comedy
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a work in which the materials are selected and managed primarily in order to interest,
involve, and amuse us |
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conceit
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a figure of speech which establishes a striking parallel, usually elaborate, sometimes
far-fetched, between two very dissimilar things or situation |
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concrete
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(1) able to be perceived by the five senses; (2) a pattern poem in which the visual
form or shape of the poem reflects the poems theme or content |
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conflict
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a struggle between opposing forces
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external conflict
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a struggle between the character and some outside force
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internal conflict
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a struggle within a character
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connotation
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an association that a word calls to mind in addition to its dictionary meaning;
the emotional, psychological or social overtones or implications that words carry |
the difference between the synonyms childish and childlike
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consonance
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(1)repetition of consonant sounds within a line of verse, similar to alliteration but not
limited to the beginning letter of a word (DOESNT HAVE TO BE AT THE BEGINNING) (2)the repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowel |
(1)But such a tide as moving seems asleep
(2)live - love, lean - lone, pitter-patter, black - block, slip - slop, creak - croak, feat - fit, slick - slack |
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context
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the part of discourse surrounding a passage which gives it more meaning; context can
be social, historical, racial, etc. |
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convention
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(1) necessary, or at least convenient, devices accepted by tacit agreement between
author and audience, for solving the problems in the representation of reality that are posed by a particular artistic medium; (2) conspicuous features of subject matter, form, or technique which occur repeatedly in works of literature; (3) codes of genre, plot, etc. constituting all literary works |
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couplet
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a pair of rhyming lines written in the same meter
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And if I give thee honor due,
Mirth, admit me of the crew To live with her, and live with thee, In unreproved pleasures free (Miltons LAllegro) |
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crisis
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the point of uncertainty and tension, the turning point, that results from the conflicts
and difficulties brought about through the complications of the plot |
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dactyl
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a three-syllable metrical foot consisting of a heavy stress followed by two lights
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might-i-est
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denotation
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a words exact, specific meaning, independent of other associations the word calls to
mind |
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denouement
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untying or resolution--the final stage of plot development in which mysteries are
explained, characters find their destinies, and the work is completed |
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dialect
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regional speech, vocabulary and pronunciation particular to a certain geographic area
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dialogue
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a conversation between characters
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diction
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word choice--the kinds of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative
language that constitute any work of literature |
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didactic
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work of literature which has a moral or teaches a lesson
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digression
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the turning aside from the main subject in writing or speaking
i.e., a tangent in a discussion |
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dilemma
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situation where a person must choose between two equal alternatives
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dimeter
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a line of verse consisting of two metrical feet
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dramatic monologue
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a type of lyric poem or dramatic speech where a single person, who is patently not
the poet, utters the entire poem in a specific situation at a critical moment |
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dramatic
technique |
the way in which the author uses dramatic elements or drama
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dramatis personae
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the cast of characters in a play
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elegy
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a formal and sustained poetic lament (and usually consolation) for the death of
a particular person |
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ellipsis
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omission from an expression of a word or phrase clearly implied; marks (... or ***)
used to indicate omission |
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end-stop line
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poetic line in which the pause in the reading, naturally occurring, coincides with the
end of the line |
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enjambment
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run-on lines-- the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one verse line to the next
without end-stopped punctuation |
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epic
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long narrative poem on a great or serious subject told in an elevated style and
centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe or nation |
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epigram
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any short poem which is polished, terse, and pointed, which often ends with a
surprising or witty turn of thought |
Swans sing before they die---twere no bad thing
Should certain people die before they sing! --- Coleridge |
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epigraph
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an inscription on a statue, stone or building; a quotation on the title
page of a book |
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epilogue
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a short addition or concluding section at the end of a literary work, often dealing with
the future of its characters |
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epiphany
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a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something
a comprehension or perception by means of a sudden intuitive realization |
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epistolary novel
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a novel which is conveyed entirely by an exchange of letters
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esoteric
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understood only by a select few, intended for an inner circle of
disciples or scholars |
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euphemism
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an inoffensive expression used in place of a blunt one felt to be disagreeable or harsh
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to pass away vs. to die
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euphony
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language which is smooth, pleasant, and musical to the ear
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exclamatory
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a type of sentence that makes a statement or exclaims something
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exposition
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in plot structure, background or explanatory information that furthers
the readers understanding of the characters and conflicts; often it occurs before the main plot begins, but can occur elsewhere in the novel |
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expository
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writing that explains or shows and tells by giving information about a
specific topic; term papers, textbooks and reports are typical examples of expository writing |
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fable
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a brief story, usually with animal characters, that teaches a lesson or moral
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fairy tale
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a simple childrens story about fairies; a magical tale
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Grimm Brothers
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falling action
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an element of the plot which follows the climax or crisis and leads into resolution
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fantasy
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highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life
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farce
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a play full of ridiculous happenings, absurd actions, and unreal
situations; meant to be very funny |
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figurative language
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writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally
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figures of speech
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literary devices that communicate ideas beyond the literal meaning of the words;
common types |
include hyperbole, metaphor, personification, and simile
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flashback
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interruption of the sequence of events to relate an event of an earlier time
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foil
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a character in a work who, by sharp contrast, serves to stress and highlight the
distinctive temperament of the protagonist |
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folk tale
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a story composed orally and then passed from person to person by word of mouth
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foot/feet
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a measured combination of heavy and light stresses
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foreshadowing
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the use, in a literary work, of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur
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form
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(1) genre or literary type; (2) patterns of meters, lines, and rhymes; (3) central critical
concept; (4) the principle that determines a works organization; (5) structure frame mood, an arrangement of structural (literal) parts that gives form to the work |
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free verse
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poetry not written a regular, rhythmical pattern, or meter
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Brother, we are men,
conscious of more than material needs. How can this happen to us my friend, my foe? |
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genre
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literary form--a recurring type of literature
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gothic
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a story of horror or suspense set in the medieval period or in a gloomy old castle or
monastery hence the name gothic which is an architectural term-- gothic has been extended to a type of fiction developing a brooding atmosphere, representing events which are uncanny or macabre or melodramatically violent, and often dealing with aberrant psychological states |
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grotesque
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fanciful, bizarre, eccentric, or absurdly incongruous
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hamartia
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error of judgement tragic flaw of a tragic hero which leads him to a mistaken act
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Aristotle
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heptameter
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verse composed in lines of seven metrical feet
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hero
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a character whose actions are inspiring or noble; the protagonist
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heroic couplet
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lines of iambic pentameter which rhyme in pairs (aa, bb, cc, etc.)
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You knóck your páte, and fáncy wít will cóme.
Knóck as you pléase,--theres nóbody at hóme. Alexander Pope |
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hubris
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pride or overwhelming self-confidence which leads a protagonist to
disregard a divine warning or to violate an important moral law; hubris is a common form of hamartia in Greek tragedies |
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humor
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a comic utterance; a comic appearance or mode of behavior
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hyperbole
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a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement as a means of emphasis, Figurative language not meant literally
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Id give
my arm for a slice of pizza. |
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analogy
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a point by point comparison made between two things for the purpose of clarifying
the less familiar of the two subjects |
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