lit test 7 Flashcards
a short, usually anonymous, story passed along by word of mouth
folktale
brief, fanciful stories that present a moral
fable (form of folktale)
encompass a wide range of fictional stories set in an indefinite time and place and containing an element of the fantastical or magical
fairy tales (form of folktale)
Stories that explain specific aspects of life or the natural world, usually in terms of supernatural forces of beings. Together, these stories form a culture’s mythology, its explanation of how the world came to be as it is
myths (form of folktale)
long, stylized narrative poems celebrating the deeds of a national or ethnic hero of legend
epic
sprang from the practice of oral poetry and told stories of past cultural event or heroes
traditional epic
devised and written by individual poets in imitation of traditional epics
literary epic
describe the vehicle of comparison at considerable length, often more than is strictly necessary
epic similes
stock phrases that can be inserted to describe a particular person or thing that recurs in the poem
Homeric epithet
recurring character types, plot patterns, or images
archetype
imaginary people who perform the action of the plot
characters
the main character at the center of the conflict
protagonist
a character or force who opposes the protagonist
antagonist
those with whom the reader identifies or for whom the reader has favorable feelings
sympathetic characters
ones with whom the reader cannot identify or for whom the reader has strong feelings of dislike
unsympathetic characters
the reasons characters behave as they do
character motivations
those that lack complexity, being defined primarily by only one or two characteristics
flat character
those who are complex in thought and behavior, with personal beliefs and desires that may even at times seem to conflict with each other
round characters
remain essentially the same throughout the story
static character
a generally sympathetic character who usually falls into tragedy because of a personal character flaw
tragic hero
the tragic hero’s personal flaw that leads to his downfall
tragic flaw
- wrote the Ant and the Grasshopper
- the Ant and the Grasshopper is a form of _____
- which animal did what?
- moral
- Aesop
- beast fable
- ant was productive; grasshopper sang
- prepare today for the wants of tomorrow
story about 4 friends, three who were learned and one who had common sense
The Lion-Makers
- The Lion-Makers is from _____
- its theme was ________
- India
- knowledge is not as important as common sense
