A Glossary of Literary Terms

Transcription

1 A Glossary of Literary Terms 1. allusion: a reference to some person, place or event with literary, historical, geographical, Biblical, mythical or cultural significance. 2. analogy: a comparison of ideas or objects which are essentially different but which are alike in one significant way. For example: His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free. Uh, yeh 3. antagonist: the force (usually, but not always, a person) that opposes the main character (the protagonist) in his attempt to solve a problem and thus to resolve the conflict he is involved in. 4. anticlimax: an outcome of a situation or series of events that, by contrast to what was anticipated, is ludicrous or disappointing. The anticlimax can often create a humorous effect. For example: "It is impossible to travel faster than the speed of light, and certainly not desirable, as one's hat keeps blowing off." 5. archetype: a representation of an element of universal human experience; something recognized by all. An idea or desire that automatically and unconsciously resonates (a feeling of shared emotion or belief) powerfully and deeply within a large group. As in April 2000 The Third Expedition by Ray Bradbury: none of the rocket crew question the arrival of loved ones long since dead. 6. atmosphere: the general over-all feeling of a story conveyed in a large part by the setting and the mood. 7. archaic: language of the past. For example: "Hail, fair sir knight! And what bringeth thee to these perilous woods this fine eventide? Be it the tales of a dragon hereabouts?" As opposed to: Hey, knight! Whatcha doin' in the woods after dark? You looking for that dragon they say lives around here?" 8. autobiography: the life story written by the subject herself. 9. ballad: a narrative (story) poem with many specific characteristics. A few structural considerations are rhythm, rhyme, repetition and chorus. 10. biography: non-fiction that records the life of an individual, not written by the person. 11. blank verse: poetry that has rhythm (5 beats to a line) but has no rhyme, used extensively in Shakespearian plays. Note the rhythm in the following: "The course of true love never did run true. As you read this line aloud, listen for the stress pattern: da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM (i.e. the COURSE of TRUE love NEver DID run TRUE) hmmm fascinating 1

2 12. characterization: the portrayal in a story of an imaginary person by what he says or does, by what others say about him or how they react to him, and by what the author reveals directly or through a narrator. 13. cliché: an expression so often used that it has lost its freshness and effectiveness. Examples: All that glitters is not gold. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. 14. climax: the point of highest interest or dramatic intensity in a story.. Usually it marks a turning point in the action, since the reader is no longer in doubt about the outcome. 15. coincidence: a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance Example: Newspaper headline: Man LOSES Job WINS Lottery 16. conflict: the struggle between two opposing forces, ideas, or beliefs which form the basis of a story s plot. The conflict is resolved when one force usually the protagonist- succeeds or fails in overcoming the opposing force or gives up trying. 17. connotation: an emotional coloration/association in addition to the explicit or denotative meaning of any specific word or phrase Example: used car and previously owned car have the same literal meaning, but many dealerships prefer the latter, since it is thought to have fewer negative connotations. 18. context: the whole sentence or paragraph surrounding a word or expression. 19. couplet: a pair of lines in a poem which rhyme. Example: Thus, though we cannot make our sun Stand still, yet we will make him run. (To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvel) 20. denotation: the precise, literal meaning of a word or expression (the dictionary meaning) as opposed to a possible connotative meaning (see # 16) 21. denouement: the unraveling of the plot of a story, following the climax, in which the writer explains how and why everything turned out as it did falling action. 22. dialect: the language used in a particular region. The vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation differerent from other regions. Example: Newfoundland dialectic phrase and translation: Now luh, da arse is gone right out of er =>(The economy is facing hard times ) 23. dichotomy: A division into two opposing parts, such as the dichotomy of the soul and body or the dichotomy of good and evil in humans. 24. drama: a story with a plot and conflict, acted upon a stage in front of a camera or over the radio. Types: comedy, tragedy, horror, melodrama, fantasy and so on. 2

3 25. episode: An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin (similar) to a chapter of a book. 26. essay: a short non-fiction work on one topic. Types: Informational and Personal. 27. fantasy: a tale involving such unreal characters and improbable events that the reader is not expected to believe it. Some fantasies are intended merely to entertain (escape fantasy); others have a more serious purpose as in Interpretive fantasy (The Rocking Horse Winner DH Lawrence) 28. figurative language: imagination is needed to complete meaning( See the 30-1 History and Development of the Essay handout for a full list of Figurative language) 29. flashback: a device by which a writer interrupts the main action of a story to recreate a situation or incident of an earlier time as though it were occurring in the present. 30. flat character: a character presented in outline (one or two traits), somewhat stereotyped; easy to describe. 31. foreshadowing: the dropping of important hints by the author to prepare the reader for what is to come and to help the reader anticipate the outcome. 32. free verse: poetry which has neither rhythm or rhyme. Vers Libre formulated by the French in the 19 th century. 33. hackneyed: trite; statements or words which are worn out as an expression or comment. (See cliché # 12) 34. imagery: a general term for any representation of a particular thing with its attendant and evocative detail. Imagery in writing can involve any of the senses: touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. Imagery is achieved through the use of descriptive detail that often utilizes various forms of figurative language. Ex. where the smell of lemon pop was so sweet on the dark pool hall air that I am sometimes awakened by it in the night, even yet (The Town Dump Wallace Stegner) 35. incident: one of the events (usually minor) that make up the total action or plot of a work of fiction. 36. internal rhyme: a line of poetry in which a word in the middle rhymes with a word at the end of the line. Ex. The Artic nights have seen queer sights. (The Shooting of Dan McGrew Robert Service) 3

4 37. irony: a mode of expression in which the author says one thing and means the opposite. The term also applies to a situation, or the outcome of an event, (or series of events), that is the opposite of what might be expected or considered appropriate. There is verbal, situational and dramatic irony (See the 30-1 Short Story handout) 38. juxtaposition: an act or instance of placing two things close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc. It has a quality of being unexpected. Ex. A teacup and its saucer are expected. A kitty cat who is reflected in a mirror looking like a Lion is not. 39. locale: the particular place in which the action in a work of fiction occurs. 40. mood: the frame of mind or state of feeling created by a piece of writing. Ex. the eerie mood of a story by Edgar Allan Poe. ( a writer primarily known for his horror stories) 41. moral: the lesson taught by a literary work; found in escape fiction, parables and fables. Recall that interpretive literature has a theme. (See the 30-1 Short Story handout for definition of theme) 42. motif: a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature (Ex. Paul s eyes in DH Lawrence s story The Rocking Horse Winner). A motif may also be two contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil. (Ex. Goodman Brown and the Devil in Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown). A motif is important because it allows one to see main points and themes that the author is trying to express, in order that one might be able to interpret the work more accurately. 43. motivation: reason(s) given in a narrative for the characters behaving the way they do. Understanding a character s motivations is essential to Literary analysis. 44. narration: an account or story of an event, or series of events, whether true or imaginary. 45. narrative poetry: a poem which tells a story. Types: ballad, epic, saga. 46. narrator: the person in a poem, short story or novel who tells what is happening. 47. paraphrase: a restatement of a poem or piece of prose in your own words. 48. pathos: that quality in prose that evokes in the reader a feeling of pity and compassion. Ex. The reader feels pity for the child Paul in The Rocking Horse Winner by DH Lawrence. 49. plot: the series of events or episodes that make up the action in a work of fiction. 4

5 50. point of view: the method used by the short story writer to tell his story; the position psychological as well as physical, from which he presents what happens and the characters involved in it. (See the 30-1 Short Story handout for the 4 points of view) 51. protagonist: usually the main character, who faces a problem and, in his attempt to solve it, becomes involved in a conflict with an opposing force. 52. quatrain: a four-line stanza, commonly used in the English/Shakespearian sonnet: 3 quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet. 53. realism: the faithful portrayal of people, scenes, and events as they are, not as the writer would like them to be. (See # 64 verisimilitude) 54. resolution: the events following the climax in a work of fiction; sometimes called the falling action. 55. rising action: the series of incidents in a story which provide suspense and lead to the outcome. 56. round character: a complex character, like a real person- possessing both good and bad qualities- not stereotyped. 57. satire: a piece of writing that criticizes manners, individuals, or political and social institutions by holding them up to ridicule. 58. sentimentality: a superabundance of emotion in a story; the author of a sentimental story is consciously manipulating the reader through selective use of detail and stereotypes. 59. setting: the time and place in which the events of a work of fiction occur. 60. stereotype: a stock character in a story, presented according to certain widely accepted ideas of how such a person should look, think, or act. Ex. a good student wears glasses and is poor at sports. 61. style: the distinctive manner in which a writer uses language, her conscious choice and arrangement of words. 62. suspense: a feeling of excitement, curiosity, or expectation about the outcome of a work of fiction. 63. symbol: an object that stands for, or represents an idea, belief, superstition, social or political institution, etc. Ex. a pair of scales is often used as a symbol for justice. (See the 30-1 Short Story handout) 5

6 64. theme: the idea, general truth, or commentary on life or people brought out through a story. 65. tone: the feeling conveyed by the author s attitude toward his subject and the particular way in which he writes about it. (Lawrence s tone of censure in The Rocking Horse Winner) 66. unity: an arrangement of parts of material that will produce a single, harmonious design or effect in a literary work. 67. verisimilitude: the state of being true to life. Any specific details that are realistic and help to make a story seem true. 6