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Literary Terms
Literary Vocabulary
39
Language - English
Undergraduate 3
09/16/2008

Additional Language - English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Allegory
Definition
A narrative where literal events point to a parallel sequence of symbolic ideas.

Two levels of meaning-- literal story and symbolic story where abstract ideas lie.
Term
Allusion
Definition
A brief reference to a person, place or thing carrying the meanings and implications of the original.
Term
Close Reading (poetry)
Definition
A careful step-by-step explication of a poem. Common among Formalist analyzers.
Term
Convention
Definition
An established feature, form or technique understood by both authors and readers.
Term
Couplet
Definition
A two line stanza in poetry, usually rhymed with lines of equal length.
Term
Dialogue
Definition
Direct representation of conversation
Term
Didacticism
Definition
Fiction meant to teach a moral lesson or model appropriate or proper behavior
Term
Elegy
Definition
A lament or sadly meditative poem.
Term
Epic
Definition
A long narrative poem usually tracing the adventures of a legendary or Mythic hero.
Term
Explication
Definition
Explaining in detail, unraveling complexities.
Term
Fable
Definition
A short narrative often used to illustrate a moral. Frequently uses animals personified.
Term
Fiction
Definition
A work not bound by factual accuracy, though some aspects of the work may be true.
Term
Figure of Speech
Definition
An expression or comparison that relies on connotations and suggestions.
Term
Flashback
Definition
A scene re-lived in a character's memory.
Term
Foreshadow
Definition
Arranging events and information in such a way that later events are prepared for.
Term
Free verse
Definition
Poetry that's lines are not metered and usually do not rhyme.
Term
Genre
Definition
A literary category in which an author and a reader share expectations about what the story is and is not.
Term
Imagery
Definition
A collective set of images in a poem or other literary work
Term
Irony
Definition
A literary device in which a discrepancy of meaning is masked beneath the surface of the language.
Term
Literary Theory
Definition
Literary criticism that tries to formulate general principles rather than discuss specific texts
Term
Narrator
Definition
A voice or character that provides the reader with information and insight into characters and incidents. The narrator's perspective and personality affects the story.
Term
Novel
Definition
An extended work of fictional prose.
Term
Novella
Definition
A fictional work that is shorter than a novel and longer than a short story
Term
Persona
Definition
A character created to be the speaker of a work. A persona is always the narrator, not just a character.
Term
Personification
Definition
A figure of speech in which an animal, object or abstract term is given human characteristics.
Term
Plot
Definition
The arrangement of actions, events and situations in a narrative.
Term
Point of View
Definition
The perspective from which a story is told.
Term
Prose
Definition
Nonrhyming, nonmetered text arranged in paragraphs.
Term
Romance
Definition
A narrative mode that employs exotic adventure and idealized emotion rather than a realistic depiction. Common to have Medieval romances
Term
Scansion
Definition
A process to describe rhythmic patterns in a poem, marking accents, counting syllables.
Term
Setting
Definition
The time and place of a literary work. May also include climate and social, psychological and spiritual state of participants.
Term
Short Story
Definition
A work too short to be published on its own. Focused on one or two characters.
Term
Sketch
Definition
A short, static descriptive composition. Describes a person or place with no narrative involved.
Term
Stanza
Definition
A recurring pattern of two or more lines of verse. The organizational division of a poem.
Term
Subplot
Definition
A second story or plotline that is interesting and complete in its own right occurring "beneath" the main plot of a narrative.
Term
Symbol
Definition
A person, place or thing that suggests meaning beyond its literal sense. Symbols can contain multiple meanings and associations
Term
Theme
Definition
A recurring subject or idea conspicuously evident in a literary work. Works can contain multiple themes.
Term
Tone
Definition
The attitude toward a subject that us conveyed in a literary work. A writer's tone plays an important role in establishing the reader's relationship.
Term
Verse
Definition
a) Any single line of poetry
b) Composition in lines of more or less regular rhythm.
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