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English > Glossary terms > Flashcards

Glossary terms Flashcards

1
Q

Abstract

A

brief synopsis of longer work of scholarship or research. the abstract of an entire book may be reduced to a single page

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2
Q

abstract terms

A

represent ideas or thoughts-generalities

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3
Q

dage

A

saying or proverb embodying a piece of common wisdom and based on experience and often couced in metaphorical language.
ex: it was always darkest before the dawn. fools rush in where angels fear to tread. a fool and his money are soon parted

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4
Q

aesthetic distance

A

refers to total objectivity of a writer ewherein his/her view and judgments are witheld in his aount of human experience. another conception of the term dfines it as the distance between a work of art and its pereiver, the perceiver recognizing that the work of art is pretence and theeby an occasion larger and truer than life

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5
Q

allegory

A

recounting of an unreal series of experiences bearing such lose resemblence to reality as to encourage the reader to make the association; an extended metaphor

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6
Q

alliteration

A

repetition of one or more initial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words or a line from a powem

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7
Q

allusion

A

reference to a person place, event, or other source meant to create an effect or enrich the meaning of an idea

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8
Q

ambiguity

A

ultiple maening:
lack of clarity in a work consciously used as a phase of the author’s view of his/her world or characters
and
reflecting on the vagueness of life

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9
Q

anachronism

A

incorporation of an event, scene, or person who does not corespond with the time period portraed in the work; as shakespeares’s use of a canon in King John or a hat in Julius Caesar

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10
Q

analogy

A

comparison that points out similarites between two dissimiliar things

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11
Q

anagonist

A

character or force that works against the protagonist to produce tension or conflict

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12
Q

antithesis

A

rhetorical opposition or contrast of words, clauses, or senences, as in teh following:
“as action, not words”
“they promised freedom but provided slavery”
“ask not what your ountry can do for you, t what you can do for your country.” -jfk

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13
Q

aphorism

A

a short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment, such as “the road to hell is often paved with good intentions.”

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14
Q

apollonian

A

refers to the noble qualities of human beings and nature as opposed to the savage and destructive forces

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15
Q

apostrophe

A

locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present.
ex “oh, you cruel streets of manhattan, how i detest you!”

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16
Q

archetype

A

plot that repeats basic historical or primitive life pattens; from the psychology of carl jung

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17
Q

ballad

A

simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited

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18
Q

bard

A

in modern usage, a poet. in the past, however, the term refereeed to poets who related stories of heroes o the accompaniment of a musical instrument such as the harp

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19
Q

baroque

A

in a strict sense, refers to an elaborate style of arcitecture that followed classicism; in general usage, however, refers to elaborate and unstructured style

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20
Q

bathos

A

the usage of ludicrous, commonplace language; anticlimas; he use of insincere or overdone sentimentality

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21
Q

belles-lettres

A

bod of literature including drama, poetry, fiction, and criticism that is inherently artistic

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22
Q

blank verse

A

unrhymed lines of iamic pentameter

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23
Q

bomast

A

inflated language; he use of hgh sounding language for a rivial subject

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24
Q

burlesque

A

literary composiion that aims to provoke laughter by ridiculing serious works; a grostesque imitation of the dignified or pathetic

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25
Q

cacophony

A

the use of inharmonious sounds in close conjuction to create an effect.

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26
Q

caricature

A

grotesque likeness of sriking characteristiccs in persons or things

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27
Q

carpe dien

A

“seize the day”; a motif in poetry; refers to the view that one should enjoy ife to the fullest while one is able

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28
Q

catharsis

A

cleansing of the spirit of he spectator at a tragedy through experienceing eh emoions of pity and terror; as epressed in aristotle’s poetics

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29
Q

classic

A

highly regarded work of lierature or oher art form that has withstood the test of ime. many of shakespeares’s plas and many of dickens’ novels are usualy considered classics.

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30
Q

classical or classiscism

A

deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and roman culture; usually implies objectivity and simplicity, restraint and formality

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31
Q

cliche

A

an overused or trite expression

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32
Q

climax

A

high point, or turning point in story or play

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33
Q

concei

A

figure of speech in which a sriking associaion is made beween two seemingly dissimilar things; an extended metaphor, as in teh poetry of John Donne

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34
Q

concree terms

A

refer to things that have actual existence, that can be seen or known

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35
Q

connoation

A

the suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase.

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36
Q

consonance

A

repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry

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37
Q

denotation

A

dictionary meaning of a word or phrase.

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38
Q

denouement

A

final resolution of the strands of plot complications or probems

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39
Q

deus ex machina

A

as in greek theater, the employment of any artificial device or gimmick that the author uses to solve a different situation

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40
Q

dionysian

A

refers to the sensual, pleasure0seeking qualities of man and nature

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41
Q

dramatic irony

A

inconsistency, known by the audience of areader, between a character’s perception of a situation and the truth of he situation

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42
Q

dramatic monologue

A

type of poem or prose piece in which the speaker gives an accoun of a dramatic movement in his/her life and, ind doing so, reveals his/her character

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43
Q

eley

A

poem or piece of prose lamenting or mediating on the death of a person or pet

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44
Q

ellipsis, elliptical

A

three periods (…) indicating the omission of words. A sentence with elliptical structure omits something in the second half, usually the verb in a subject-verb-object sentence, as in “Ma was hot and june the same. the verb was is omitted from “June was the same.”

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45
Q

empathy

A

feeling of assocaion or identification wih an object; experiencing its sensations and responding with similar feelings

46
Q

epic

A

narrative poem, often quite long, that tells of all of the adventures of a hero important to his nation or ace.

47
Q

epigram

A

the ingenious, witty, thoughtful, provocative statement

48
Q

euphony

A

the use of pleasant, haronious words to create an effect

49
Q

exegesis

A

detailed analysis or interpretation of a peom, parable, or other piece of discourse

50
Q

exisentialism

A

as expressed in the workds of such writers as afka, camus, and faulkner, a view of life hat emphasizes sexistene as opposed to essence; human beings are presented as unable to solve he basic engimas of life

51
Q

expose

A

piece of writing, often journalistic, meant to reveal or expose weaknesss, faults, frailies, or otehr shortcomings

52
Q

exposition

A

explanation or analysis of a text

53
Q

expressionism

A

form of art in which the artist depicts the inner essence of man and projects his view of the world as coloed b that essence

54
Q

fable

A

short story designed ot teach a useful lesson; is characers are usaully animals or inanimae things

55
Q

falling action

A

the action in a pla or story tath occurs afer the climasx. during this time, conflicts are usally resolved

56
Q

free verse

A

kind of poetry without rhymed lines or regular rhythm

57
Q

genre

A

describes literary forms such as ttragedy, comedy, novel, and essay

58
Q

hamartia

A

aristotle’s term for the protagonist’s tragic flaw or tragic error of judgement

59
Q

hubris, huybris

A

aristotles’ term for the pride of the tragic hero that leads him to ignore or ovrlook warnings of impending disaster or to break mral laws

60
Q

humanism

A

attitude that emphasizes the human interests; an optmistic view or human potential

61
Q

umor

A

the quality in action, speech, or writing that excites amusement; less intellectual than wit and having a more sympathetic tone

62
Q

idyll

A

lyric poem describing the kind of ideal life or place

63
Q

impressionism

A

presentation of the salient features of a scene, even, or person as the appear to the author a the time; a highly personal approach

64
Q

invective

A

satirical writing, the use of denunicatory, angry, and insulting language

65
Q

irony

A

fo-form of expression in which he meaning is intended is the opposite from what is stated

  • define the tragic constrast between aspirations of human beings and the dark elements of life hat frustrate them
  • used to describe the view of humanity in which human limiations and posturings are seen as debasing and ridiculous, there is in the ironic view and element of mockery
66
Q

lampoon

A

violent and scurrilous satirical attack against a person or insitution

67
Q

light verse

A

type of poetry meant to entertain or amuse. some light verse has a serious intent to satirize or parody for ex

68
Q

limerick

A

a form of light verse, often nonsensical, containing five lines and a prescribed rhythm and ryme scheme for ex
there was a young lady of niger]who smileda s seh rode on a tier:
the yame back from the ridewith the lady inside
and a smile on the face of a tiger

69
Q

litotes

A

a form of understatement in which he negative or the contrary is used to achieve emphasis and intensity ex “he is not a bad dancer”

70
Q

loose sentence

A

sentence that follows the customary word orer of englis sentences, ex subject erbb object. the main idea of the sentence is presented in first and is then folowed by one or more subordinate clauses

71
Q

lyric

A

subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and meter that reveals thoughs and feelings to crate a single, unique impression
ex: dover beach by matthew arnold

72
Q

maxism

A

saying or proverb expression common wisdom or truth.

73
Q

melodrama

A

literary account in which the incidents are sensational, the charactes are exceptionally noble or evil, the appeal to the emotions extreme; usually end well

74
Q

metaphysical poetry

A

work of poes, particulary those of teh seventeenth century, that implies elaborate conceits; such poetry is highly intellectual and expresses life’s complexities

75
Q

meter

A

poetry’s rhythm, or its patter of stressed and unstressed syllables

76
Q

metonymy

A

figure of speech that uses the ame of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated

77
Q

mode

A

attribute or quality of a thing; a work of literature may be written in a particular mode

78
Q

montage

A

quick succession of images or pictures to express an idea; used primarily in films

79
Q

mood

A

emotional response that a literatre stimultes the reader

80
Q

motif

A

serves as as unifying agent in a conveying theme

81
Q

muses

A

goddesses presiding over the arts; the daughters of Zeus: callipoe (epic poetry), Clio (history), erato (lyrics and love poetry), euterpe (music), melpomene (tragedy), polyhymnia (sacred poetry), terpsichore (choral dance and song), thalia (comedy), and Urania (Astronomy)

82
Q

narrative

A

form of a verse or prose that tells a story

83
Q

nonsequitar

A

statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before

84
Q

ode

A

lyric verse usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject

85
Q

oomniscient narrator

A

narrator with unlimited awareness, understanding and insight of character, setting, background, and all other elements of the story

86
Q

topological criticism

A

sconcern by a critic with analysis of a work itself without seeking answers to problems in the biograpy or milieu of the author or in influences upon himm; the method of the new critixs

87
Q

oxymoron

A

tem made up of contradictory elements brought into juxtaposition to create a paradoxical efffect
ex: loud silence, jumbo shrimp

88
Q

paradox

A

statement that seems self contradictory but is nevertheless true

89
Q

parody

A

satirical imitation of a work for the purpose of ridiculing its style and suject

90
Q

pastoral

A

work of literature dealing with rural life

91
Q

pathos

A

stimulates sorrow

92
Q

periodic sentence

A

sentence that departs from usual word order of english sentences by expressing the main thought only at the end. in other words, teh aprticular sin the sentee are presnted ahead of the idea the support

93
Q

persona

A

role or facade that a character assumes or depicts t oa reader, a viewer, or the world at large

94
Q

pov

A

limited or omniscient

95
Q

protagonist

A

chief character in work of literature

96
Q

realism

A

in literature and art, the depiction of people, things, and experiences as it is believed they really are without idealization or exaggeration; in recent use, it has been used synonymously with naturalism as depicting events that are unpleasant or sordid

97
Q

romanticism

A

in lit and art, the e depiction of idealized, fabulous or fantastic characters and events; the stories abound in dashing, extravagant adventures ,characters of extreme virtues or faults ,exotic worlds, strong inflexible loyalties, and idealized love-making

98
Q

sentiment

A

refined and tender emotion in literature; sometimes use derisively to represent insincerity or mawkishness

99
Q

sentimenal

A

used to describe characters excessive emotional response to experience; describes also insincere and exaggerated emotional displays

100
Q

sonnet

A

14 line verse form, usually consisting of three four line units called quatrains and a concluding rhymed couplet.

101
Q

stream of consciousnss

A

refers to an attempt on the part of an author to reproduce the unembellished flow of thoughts in the human mind wit hits feelings, judgments, associations ,and memories

102
Q

surrealism

A

in lit and art, an attempt to reproduce and interpret the visions and images of the unconscious mind as manifested in dreams; characterized by an irrational arrangement of bizarre experiences

103
Q

synecdoche

A

fig speech in which ap art signifies the whole (fifty masts for fifty ships) or whole signifies the part (days for life, as in “he lived his days under american skies.”) when the name of a material stands for the ting itsel as in pigstkin for football, that, too, is a synecdoche

104
Q

tragedy

A

form of literature in which teh hero is destroyed by some character flaw and set of forces taht cause the hero considerable anguish

105
Q

transcendentalism

A

form of romanticism, largely of a philosophical nature; sponsored b americans suc as emersonn and thoreau

106
Q

trope

A

words used with a decided change or extension in their literal meaning;;

107
Q

verbal irony

A

discrepancy between the true meaning of a siuation and the literal meaning of the written or spoke nworms

108
Q

versimilitue

A

similar to the truth; the quality of elaism in a work that persuades the reader that he or she is getting a vision of life as it is

109
Q

villanelle

A

french verse forms, strictly calculatesd to appear simple and sponaneous, but consisting of nineteen lines and prescribed rhyme scheme

110
Q

wit

A

quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that surprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene

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