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Agrég lit > English literary terms > Flashcards

English literary terms Flashcards

1
Q

abjection

A

the horror of confronting “corporeal reality”, a breakdown in the distinction of Self vs Other (ex: the movie Alien, looking at a corpse)

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2
Q

accomodation

A

trying to put the ineffable attributes of God into graspable terms (“God is light”)

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3
Q

aestheticism

A

reverence for beauty; movement that held beautiful form is to be valued more than instructive content (art for art’s sake)

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4
Q

affective fallacy

A

the error of judging a literary work by its emotional effect upon readers or a confusion between the work itself and its results

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5
Q

agitprop

A

political (originally communist) propaganda, especially in art or literature

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6
Q

agon

A

a contest or struggle (between characters or authors)

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7
Q

American Renaissance

A

mid 19th century flourishing of literature and philosophy (Emerson, Melville, Hawthorne, Whitman, Dickinson, Poe)

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8
Q

anagogic

A

having a spiritual meaning or a sense referring to the heavenly life

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9
Q

aphorism

A

a concise statement of a truth or principle

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10
Q

assonance

A

repetition of vowel sounds

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11
Q

ballad stanza

A

4-line stanza, iambic meter, 1st/3rd unrhymed lines = four feet, 2nd/4th rhyming lines = three feet (I put my hat upon my head/and walked into the strand/and there I met another man/whose hat was in his hand)

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12
Q

bathos

A

insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity (unsuccessful attempt at pathos)

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13
Q

Bildungsroman

A

a coming of age story

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14
Q

burlesque

A

a work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation

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15
Q

chiasmus
kai ‘æz məs

A

a reversal in the order of words or sounds in an otherwise parallel structure (AB structure transformed into BA: “He labors without complaining and without bragging rests”)

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16
Q

chronotope

A

the interconnectedness of time and space in a work of literature

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17
Q

conceit

A

A fanciful expression, usually extended metaphor / surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

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18
Q

discordia concors/entantiosis

A

discordant harmony: opposite terms juxtaposed so that the contrast between them is striking

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19
Q

ekphrasis (adj: ekphrastic)

A

a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art

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20
Q

metonymy

A

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it (ex: “a bunch of hard hats” = construction workers)

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21
Q

mimesis

A

imitation, in the sense of making a representation, an image, or a model

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22
Q

pathetic fallacy

A

the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals

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23
Q

pathos

A

an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion

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24
Q

picaresque

A

an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

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25
Q

reification

A

thinking of or treating something abstract as a physical thing

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26
Q

stichomythia

A

short (1 or 1/2-line) exchanges between characters in a play, with parallelism and contrast

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27
Q

synecdoche
sɪ ‘nek dək i

A

the use of a part to stand for the whole (“fifty sails” = “50 ships)

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28
Q

zeugma
‘zu:g mə

A

a figure of speech in which a single word applies to two others

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29
Q

analepsis

A

flashback

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30
Q

prolepsis

A

look into the future

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31
Q

internal focalization

A

events seen from inside the story (with restricted or multiple focalization, depending on the number of viewpoints)

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32
Q

external focalization

A

events seen from the POV of someone outside the story

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33
Q

extradiegetic narrator

A

remains superior to the story they tell, and their story constitutes the major narrative perspective

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34
Q

intradiegetic narrator

A

tells a story which is imbedded in the main story

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35
Q

autodiegetic narrator

A

first-person narrator who tells their own story

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36
Q

heterodiegetic narrator

A

omniscient narrator, not a participant in the story

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37
Q

homodiegetic narrator

A

narrator who is also a participant in the story

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38
Q

euphony

A

a sequence of sounds which is pleasant to the ear

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39
Q

cacophony/dissonance

A

unpleasant sounds

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40
Q

asyntactic pun

A

a pun in which one of the meanings is grammatically incorrect in the context

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41
Q

plosives

A

p/b (bilabial), t/d (apico-alveolar), k/g (dorso-velar)

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42
Q

sibilants

A

tʃ, dʒ, s/z, ʃ/ʒ

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43
Q

fricatives

A

f/v (labio-dental), θ/ð (apico-dental), s/z (apico-alveolar), ʃ/ʒ (dorso-palatal), h (glottal)

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44
Q

antanaclass

A

a form of polysemy: first one meaning, then another (Ex: To England I’ll steal, and there I’ll steal)

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45
Q

asteismus
æs ti ‘ɪz məs

A

a form of polysemy: two speakers using the same word in different ways (“who’s on first”)

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46
Q

equivoque
‘ek wə voʊk

A

a form of polysemy: one word that can have two meanings (“I live by the church”)

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47
Q

paronomasia

A

a pun based on homonymy (similar-sounding words)

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48
Q

amphibology

A

statements which can be understood in two very different ways (double syntax)

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49
Q

aphaeresis/aphesis
ə ‘fer ə sɪs

A

omission at the beginning of a word (twixt/betwixt)

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50
Q

syncope
‘sɪŋk ə pi

A

omission in the middle of a word (ev’ry)

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51
Q

apocope
ə ‘pɑ:k əp i

A

omission at the end of a word (broke/broken)

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52
Q

prothesis/prosthesis
‘prɑ:θ ə sɪs

A

addition at the beginning of a word (a-moaning)

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53
Q

epenthesis
ə ‘pɪnθ əs ɪs

A

addition in the middle of a word (visitating/visiting)

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54
Q

paragoge/proparalepsis
per ə ‘goʊdʒ i

A

addition at the end of a word (dearie/dear)

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55
Q

diaeresis
daɪ ‘er ə sɪs

A

making 1 syllables into 2

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56
Q

synaeresis
sə ‘nɪr əs ɪs

A

making 2 syllables into 1

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57
Q

neologism
ni ‘ɑ:l ə dʒɪz əm

A

a newly-created word (that is accepted into circulation)

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58
Q

parataxis (paratactic style)

A

sentences linked only by juxtaposition (veni, vidi, vici)

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59
Q

hypotaxis (hypotactic style)

A

sentences linked by subordination or coordination

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60
Q

isocolon/homeoptoton

A

a succession of clauses of equal length and structure

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61
Q

antithesis
æn ‘tɪθ əs ɪs

A

contrasting words/ideas balanced against each other in parallel structures (“If we try, we might succeed, if we do not try, we will not succeed”)

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62
Q

apostrophe

A

an address to a specific group, person, or personified abstraction

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63
Q

antanagoge
æn ,tæn ə ‘goʊdʒ i

A

stating something unfavorable but immediately balancing it by something favorable

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64
Q

anaphora/epanaphora
ə ‘næf ərə

A

repetition in verse:
X……
X……
Or repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

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65
Q

epistrophe
ə ‘pɪs trə fi

A

repetition in verse:
……X
……X
Or repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses

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66
Q

symploce
sɪm ‘ploʊ si

A

repetition in verse:
X……Y
X……Y

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67
Q

anadiplosis

A

repetition in verse:
……X
X……

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68
Q

antimetabole / antimetathesis

A

repetition in verse:
XY……YX

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69
Q

epanalepsis
ep ən ə ‘lep sɪs

A

repetition in verse:
X……X

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70
Q

epizeuxis
ep ə ‘zu:ks əs

A

repetition in verse:
…X, X, X, X….

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71
Q

diacope
daɪ ‘æk ə pi

A

repetition in verse:
X…..X….X…

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72
Q

antistrophe
ænˈtɪs trə fi

A

repetition of the same word/phrase at the end of successive clauses (“And in the night he did nothing but weep Philoclea, sigh Philoclea, cry out Philoclea”)

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73
Q

epanodos
ɪˈpæn əˌdɑ:s

A

a general statement which is then developed by developing each of its parts (He is rich and greedy. Rich because…greedy because…)

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74
Q

epanorthosis
ep ə nɔ:r ˈθoʊ sɪs

A

form which rephrases what one has just begun to say

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75
Q

metanoia
met ə ˈnɔ:ɪ ə

A

qualifies a statement by recalling it (or part of it) and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way (Fido was the friendliest of all St. Bernards, nay of all dogs)

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76
Q

distinctio

A

explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word, in order to remove or prevent ambiguity

77
Q

quaesitio

A

repetition of questions

78
Q

tautology/pleonasm
ˈpli əˌnæz əm

A

needless repetition

79
Q

polyptoton
ˌpɑ ləp ˈtoʊ tɑn

A

repetition of words which have the same root (Fierce to their skill, and to their fierceness valient)

80
Q

asyndeton
ə ˈsɪn dɪ tɑn

A

presenting words or sentences in a series, without the conjunctions that would normally link them

81
Q

polysyndeton
,pɑli ˈsɪn dɪ tɑn

A

adding conjunctions between each word, phrase, or clause

82
Q

sententia

A

quoting a maxim or wise saying

83
Q

exemplum

A

citing an example or illustrative story

84
Q

catachresis
ˌkæt ə ˈkri sɪs

A

an extravagant, implied metaphor using words in an alien or unusual way (“I will speak daggers to her”)

85
Q

solecism
ˈsoʊ lə sɪz əm

A

the misuse of genders, tenses, etc

86
Q

malapropism
ˈmæl ə prɑp ɪz əm

A

confusing a word with another word

87
Q

metathesis
mə ˈtæθ ə sɪs

A

when the transposition of letters/sounds changes over the years

88
Q

anthimeria/enallage
æn θɪ ˈmɪr iə

A

the use of one part of speech (or tense, gender, number) for another (“The thunder would not peace at my bidding”)

89
Q

aposiopesis
æp ə saɪ ə ˈpi sɪs

A

a sentence left incomplete

90
Q

anacoluthon
æn ə kə ˈlu: θɑn

A

beginning a sentence with one grammatical structure and ending it with another (“Be careful with these guns because improperly used they can–well, I’ve warned you”)

91
Q

ellipsis

A

the omission of one or more words whose meaning can be easily guessed

92
Q

nominal sentence

A

emphasizes an idea by expressing it in a string of generally synonymous phrases or statements

93
Q

anastrophe
əˈnæs trə fi

A

change of the usual word order (“this is the forest primeval”)

94
Q

hysteron proteron
ˈhɪs tə rɑn ˈprɑt̬ ər ɑn

A

inversion of logical or chronological sequence of two actions

95
Q

hypallage
haɪ ˈpæl ə dʒi

A

an epithet unexpectedly associated to a noun; changing the application of words (I see a voice)

96
Q

parenthesis
pə ˈren θə siz

A

a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence

97
Q

hiatus
haɪ ˈeɪ təs

A

a gap in the reasoning of an argument

98
Q

reductio ad absurdum

A

proving the absurdity of an idea by pushing it to its extreme logical conclusion

99
Q

auxesis
ɑg ˈzi sɪs

A

a progression (gradatio) towards increasing meaning and intensity

100
Q

hypophora
haɪ ‘pɑ: fə rə

A

raising one or more questions and then answering them

101
Q

invective

A

accumulation of insulting epithets

102
Q

apophasis
ə ˈpɑ:f ə sɪs

A

stating something while pretending to pass it over (“If you were not my father, I would say you were perverse”)

103
Q

litotes
laɪ ˈtoʊ t̬iz

A

denial of the contrary (“this is not unreasonable”)

104
Q

accismus
æk ˈsɪz məs

A

hypocritical denial or refusal (“I couldn’t possibly…” when refusing sth you actually do want)

105
Q

antonomasia
,æn tə nə ˈmeɪ ʒə

A

using an adjective/noun instead of a proper name, or a proper name instead of an adjective/noun (“The Bard” = Shakespeare / “a Don Juan” = a seducer)

106
Q

synesthesia
ˌsɪn əs ˈθi ʒə

A

describing a sensation in terms of another sensation

107
Q

prosopopoeia
proʊ soʊ pə ˈpi ə

A

personification of inanimate/supernatural objects

108
Q

syllepsis
sɪ ˈlep sɪs

A

a zeugma in which the governing word applies differently to each of the two referent words (“our teeth and ambitions are bared”)

109
Q

internal rhyme

A

a word inside a line rhymes with another word in the same line

110
Q

the rhyme scheme

A

the pattern of rhyme

111
Q

a heroic couplet

A

two end-stopped iambic pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc

112
Q

tercet

A

a 3-line stanza

113
Q

triplet

A

a tercet in which all three lines rhyme

114
Q

terza rhyme

A

a three-line stanza rhymed aba, bcb, cdc

115
Q

quatrain
ˈkwɑ: treɪn

A

a 4-line stanza

116
Q

envelope rhyme

A

ABBA rhyme scheme

117
Q

cross rhyme

A

ABAB rhyme scheme

118
Q

heroic/elegiac stanza
el ɪ ˈdʒaɪ ək

A

four end-stopped lines of iambic pentameter

119
Q

sesta rhyme

A

six lines = quatrain + couplet, ABABCC

120
Q

rime royal

A

7 lines in iambic pentameter: ABABBCC

121
Q

ottava rima
oʊ ˈtɑ və

A

8 lines, iambic pentamer: ABABABCC

122
Q

Spenserian stanza

A

8 lines, iambic pentameter + concluding Alexandrine: ABABBCBCC

123
Q

Alexandrine

A

a line of verse with 6 iambs with a caesura after the third iamb

124
Q

prosody

A

the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry

125
Q

metre

A

the regular rhythmic pattern of poetry

126
Q

end-stopped line

A

a line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation

127
Q

enjambment

A

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line

128
Q

caesura
sɪ ‘zʊr ə

A

a strong pause within a line of verse

129
Q

masculine line

A

a line that ends on a stressed syllable

130
Q

feminine line

A

a line that ends on an unstressed syllable

131
Q

masculine caesura

A

a pause after a stressed syllable

132
Q

feminine caesura

A

a pause after an unstressed syllable

133
Q

alliterative metre

A

4 stresses in each line with a varying number of syllables; stress emphasized by sound repetition

134
Q

accentual-syllabic metre

A

stresses and syllables are counted and fixed into regular patterns

135
Q

syllabic/quantitative metre

A

the number and length of syllables (rather than stress) is counted

136
Q

a foot

A

a unit of verse containing stressed and unstressed syllables

137
Q

substitution

A

when of the usual feet is replaced by a foot with a different stress pattern

138
Q

inversion

A

when an irregular foot reverses the usual stress pattern

139
Q

outride

A

a foot containing an extra unstressed syllable

140
Q

catalectic line

A

a line of poetry missing an unstressed syllable

141
Q

hypercatalectic line

A

a line of poetry with an extra unstressed syllable

142
Q

acephalous line

A

when the unstressed syllabe in the first foot is missing

143
Q

falling metre

A

lines containing feet that end on an unstressed syllable

144
Q

rising metre

A

lines containing feet that end on a stressed syllable

145
Q

synaloepha/elision

A

the ending vowel sound of one word is contracted with the beginning vowel sound of the next word

146
Q

iamb

A

U /

147
Q

trochee
ˈtroʊ ki

A

/ U

148
Q

anapest
ˈæn ə pest

A

UU/

149
Q

dactyl

A

/UU

150
Q

spondee

A

//

151
Q

pyrrhic

A

UU

152
Q

amphibrach
ˈæm fə bræk

A

U/U

153
Q

monometer
mə ˈnɑ:m ɪ t̬ər

A

1 foot/line

154
Q

dimeter
dɪm ɪ t̬ər

A

2 feet/line

155
Q

trimeter
ˈtrɪm ɪ t̬ər

A

3 feet/line

156
Q

tetrameter
te ˈtræm ɪ t̬ər

A

4 feet/line

157
Q

pentameter
pen ˈtæm ɪ t̬ər

A

5 feet/line

158
Q

hexameter
hek ˈsæm ɪ t̬ər

A

6 feet/line

159
Q

heptameter
hep ˈtæm ɪ t̬ər

A

7 feet/line

160
Q

octameter
ɑ:k ˈtæm ɪ t̬ər

A

8 feet/line

161
Q

lyric poem

A

poem in which a single speaker expresses thought and emotion

162
Q

ballad

A

a story/narrative in poetic form

163
Q

blazon

A

a poem celebrating parts of the beloved’s body through metaphor

164
Q

aubade

A

a love poem which heralds the dawn

165
Q

epithalamion
ˌep ə θə ˈleɪ mi ən

A

a poem written in celebration of marriage

166
Q

elegy

A

a poem of lamentation

167
Q

pastoral

A

conventional, classically-influenced poetry idealizing rural life

168
Q

vers de société

A

light verse written for and about society

169
Q

ode

A

a formal lyric poem addressed to a person, object, or abstract concept

170
Q

Pindaric ode
pɪn ˈdær ɪk

A

a ceremonious poem = strophe/antistrophe (w/same metre)/epode (different metre)

171
Q

Horatian ode

A

an ode in which each stanza follows the same metrical pattern

172
Q

epigram

A

a short poem that expresses a pointed or ingenuous thought

173
Q

epitaph

A

a poem inscribed on a tomb

174
Q

dramatic monologue

A

a poem in the form of a speech/narrative by imagined person who inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a situation/series of events

175
Q

blank verse

A

unrhymed iambic pentameter

176
Q

sonnet

A

a 14-line poem of rhyming iambic pentameter

177
Q

sestet

A

6-line stanza

178
Q

octave

A

8-line stanza

179
Q

volta

A

the turning point in a sonnet

180
Q

villanelle

A

19 line poem, two rhymes and two refrains

181
Q

concrete/pattern poem

A

a poem arranged so that the shape it occupies on the page reflects its content

182
Q

acrostic

A

a poem in which certain letters in each line form a word or words

183
Q

verse drama

A

a dramatic narrative written in verse, read rather than performed

184
Q

free verse

A

poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

185
Q

diegesis
ˌdaɪ ə ˈdʒi sɪs

A

the story is told (rather than shown or enacted)

186
Q

diegetic

A

part of the fictional world

187
Q

metadiegetic/hypodiegetic narrator

A

a story with a narrator (either part of the story or not)

188
Q

hendiadys
hen ˈdaɪ ə dɪs

A

A figure of speech where two ideas are combined into a single image (“in the gross and scope of my opinion”)

Agrég lit (2 decks)

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