Literary Exam Questions Flashcards
(37 cards)
1
Q
What are the OED Defintions of Literature?
A
- Knowing Letters or Books: Knowledge from reading and studying books, especially classical texts.
- Writing and Authorship: The act of writing, literary output, or the profession of an author or scholar.
-
Literary Works:
* a) Written works collectively, often grouped by country, period, genre, or studied as a subject. * b) Works valued for superior or lasting artistic merit.
- Non-fictional Writings: focused on a specific subject.
- Printed Materials: Any printed matter, such as brochures or leaflets, often for advertising or informational purposes (even a shopping list).
2
Q
What is the difference between broad and narrow definitons of literature?
A
Broad: All written works.
- excludes oral literature
Narrow: Focuses on poetic and imaginative texts.
- no consensus about the narrow definition
- Differentiated in normative (quality: high/low literature -> mostly avoided) and descriptive (fictionality)
3
Q
What’s the difference between Mimesis and Poesis?
A
Mimesis:
- Literature as imitation of reality
Poesis:
- the creation of new realities.
But:
- No pure mimesis or poesis -> dynamic interplay of both
- E.g. Harry Potter
4
Q
What is Polyvalence?
A
- polyvalence = ambiguity
- when literature texts allow interpretations (thanks to internal ambiguity)
- when polyvalency occurs it’s a sign of quality
5
Q
What are the approaches to Literature?
A
Text-Oriented Approaches
- Focus: Thematic, formal, and linguistic characteristics of texts, often disregarding context.
- Example: Analyzing Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 for its metaphors and structure without considering the author’s intent or historical background.
Author-Oriented Approaches
- Focus: The author’s biography, psyche, and process of creation.
- Example: Studying Sylvia Plath’s Ariel in light of her life events and psychological struggles.
Reader-Oriented Approaches
- Focus: Reader’s role in meaning-making and the reception of texts.
- Example: Analyzing how Pride and Prejudice is understood differently by modern readers versus its original audience.
Intertextual and Intermedial Approaches
- Focus: Relationships between texts and across media.
- Example: Comparing The Great Gatsby novel with its film adaptations.
Context-Oriented Approaches
- Focus: Relationship between texts and historical or socio-political realities.
- Example: Exploring how Dickens’ Oliver Twist reflects Victorian social issues.
6
Q
What are the Functions of Language (Roman Jakobson Communication Model)?
A
- Emotive function: Expresses the speaker’s feelings or attitudes.
- Conative function: Directs language towards influencing or commanding the receiver.
- Referential function: Focuses on conveying information about the context or subject.
- Phatic function: Aims to establish or maintain communication, often through small talk.
- Metalingual function: Refers to the use of language to discuss or clarify language itself.
- Poetic function: Emphasizes the aesthetic quality and form of language within the message.
7
Q
What is the communication Modell for Poetry?
A
Extratextual:
- Real historical author
- Real reader
Intratextual
Lyric I: fictive speaker:
- explicit subjectivity: lyric persona clearly represented
- implicit subjectivity: subjectivity inferred, less visible
Subject Matter of Speech
Lyric thou: fictive addressee
- explicit: clearly addressed in second person
- implicit: indirectly hinted at through tone or text
Speech situation can change throughout poem
!!!Lyrical I and Lyrical thou are never the actual author or addressee!!!
8
Q
What is a foot?
Structure
A
The smallest metrical unit, a foot is a combination of stressed (/) and unstressed (˘) syllables.
Types of Feet:
- Iamb: ˘ / (e.g., “to-DAY”)
- Trochee: / ˘ (e.g., “TA-ble”)
- Dactyl: / ˘ ˘ (e.g., “HAP-pi-ly”)
- Anapaest: ˘ ˘ / (e.g., “in the DARK”)
- Spondee: / / (e.g., “BREAK, BREAK”).
9
Q
What is Metre and how number of feet?
Structure
A
Metre is the formal arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Number of Feet
- Trimeter: Three feet (The kíng | sits in Dúm|ferline tówn).
- Tetrameter: Four feet (Behóld | the híp|popó|tamús!).
- Pentameter: Five feet (My míst|ress’ éyes| are nó|thing líke| the sún).
- Hexameter: Six feet (Ánd as | I líve | you wil | sée my | héxam|eters).
10
Q
What is Rhythm, Enjambment, and Caesura?
A
Rhythm
- Definition: Rhythm arises from the interaction between metre and linguistic features like sentence structure, word length, and phonology.
Enjambment
- Definition: When a sentence or phrase extends beyond the line break.
- Example: “Policemen look suspicious to normal | Murderers.”
Caesura:
- Definiton: A pause within a line, often marked by punctuation, to emphasize thematic breaks.
- Example: “You máke | us shélls. || You lí|sten wíth | delíght.”
11
Q
What Ryhme Schemes are there?
A
- Couplets: aa bb cc.
- Alternate rhyme: abab cdcd.
- Enclosed rhyme (embracing): abba cddc.
- Chain rhyme (interlocking): aba bcb cdc.
- Tail rhyme: aab ccb.
12
Q
Stylistic Devices
A
Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds.
- Example: “When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush”
Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate natural sounds.
- Example: “Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Anaphora: Repetition at the beginning of successive clauses or lines.
- Example: “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this…”
Inversion: Reversal of normal word order.
- Example: “Here rests his head upon the lap of earth” (Gray).
13
Q
What is a metaphor
A
Metaphor: Compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”
- Vehicle: The figurative image or word used (e.g., diamonds).
- Tenor: The subject being described (e.g., eyes).
- Shared Semantic Space: Shared qualities of a metaphor (e.g., sparkling or precious, but not hard and diamond shaped).
Other key semantic tropes:
- Simile: Explicit comparison using “like” or “as.
- Personification: Assigns human qualities to non-human elements.
- Symbol: material object stands for something else (scales = symbolds of justice)
- Allegory: multiple symbols (scales, blindfold, dagger)
14
Q
What is a Sonnet?
A
Definition and Origin
- Italian poetry tradition brought to England during the Renaissance.
- Credited to Sir Thomas Wyatt.
Common Themes:
- Unfulfilled love, often addressing an unattainable mistress (apostrophe).
- Praise of physical features (blazon) with comparisons to nature.
Structure:
- 14 lines, iambic pentameter.
- Volta: A fundamental thematic shift, often marked by rhyme or structure changes.
15
Q
What is an Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet?
A
Rhyme Scheme: abbaabba cdcdcd
- Octave (abbaabba): Introduces a problem or theme.
- Sestet (cdcdcd): Offers a resolution.
- Volta: Between octave and sestet.
Common Themes:
- Courtly love (Petrarch’s sonnets to Laura).
- Suffering in love, idealization of the beloved.
16
Q
What is an English/Shakespearean Sonnet?
A
Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
- 3 quatrains (abab cdcd efef): Explore variations of a theme.
- Heroic couplet (gg): Offers the conclusion or central message.
Common Themes:
- Physical beauty, love, nature.
- Apostrophes and catalogues of beauty.
17
Q
What is Narrativity, Story, Plot, Events, and Discourse?
A
Narrativity: Distinguishes narrative texts through features like storytelling, plot, and narrative mediation.
Story: Chronological sequence of events (“What is narrated?”).
Plot: A story with events linked causally
Events: Smallest plot units causing changes in the situation.
- Kernels/Cardinal Functions: Propel the plot and open narrative options.
- Catalysts/Satellites: Supplement the narrative but aren’t essential to its logic.
Discourse:
- How the story is narrated or mediated (“How is it narrated?”).
- Allows for the same story to be presented differently based on emphasis, perspective, and narrative techniques.
18
Q
What Communication Modell is there for Narrative Stories?
A
Extratextual Level:
- Real Author: Addresser of the text.
- Real Reader: Addressee of the text.
Intratextual Level of Narrative Transmission:
- Fictive Narrator: Speaks within the narrative.
- Fictive Narratee: Implied audience within the narrative.
Intratextual Story Level:
- Includes characters’ dialogue and actions within the fictional story world.
- This differentiation separates the narrator from the historical author and the fictive narratee from the real reader.
19
Q
What parts are there to Stanzas Modell?
A
Person: First Person vs. Third Person
Mode: narrator vs. reflector
Perspective: external vs internal
20
Q
What types of Narrative Situations are there?
A
Authorial Narrative Situation:
- Characteristics: External perspective; narrator is omniscient and omnipresent. The narrator comments, generalizes, and addresses the reader directly.
-
Privileges:
* Psychological: Access to all characters' thoughts and feelings. * Spatial: Presence in all locations. * Temporal: Awareness of past, present, and future.
First-Person Narrative Situation:
- Characteristics: Narrator is part of the story, recounting events as a protagonist (I-as-protagonist) or witness (I-as-witness).
- Limitations: Cannot access other characters’ internal thoughts directly or observe events they are not present for.
Figural Narrative Situation:
- Characteristics: Narrator recedes; events are presented through the perspective of a character (the “reflector”). Focuses on sensory impressions and subjective experiences.
- Mode: Viewing frame rather than storytelling; immerses the reader in the character’s consciousness.
21
Q
What types of Narrators are there and what involvment do they have? (Ge)
A
Types of Narrators:
- Extradiegetic: Narrators outside the story, responsible for narrative transmission.
- Intradiegetic: Characters within the story who narrate events to other characters.
Involvement in the Story:
- Heterodiegetic: Narrator is not part of the story world.
- Homodiegetic: Narrator is part of the story world.
- Autodiegetic: A homodiegetic narrator who is also the protagonist.
Narrator Presence:
- Overt: Narrator is clearly identifiable, provides commentary, and addresses the reader directly.
- Covert: Narrator is anonymous, offers minimal personal input, and focuses on transmitting information neutrally.
22
Q
What types of focalization’s are there?
A
Types of Focalization:
- Zero focalisation: Narrator knows more than the characters
- Internal focalisation: Narator knows as much as the characters.
- External focalisation: Narator knows less than the characters
Internal focalisation:
- Fixed: Events are seen through one character’s perspective throughout the narrative.
- Variable: Perspective shifts among multiple characters.
- Multiperspectivity: Combines multiple viewpoints or narratives
23
Q
What is Freytag’s Pyramid
A
Exposition
Initial Incident
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Denouement
24
Q
What are the Markers of short stories?
A
1. Special beginnings (unvermittelbarer Einstieg)
- this genre is typical for special beginnings
- in medias res (lat. in the middle of things)
- in ultima res (lat. in the end of things)
- ab ovo (lat. from the very beginning)
2. Condensed narrative (Narrative Situation) → Discourse
3. Concentration on one scene or situation → Plot/Story
4. Omissions / lacuna(e)
- according to Poe there are no accidental gaps in the plot
- something is left out for a reason
- if there are gaps they are planned → intended gap(s) = lacuna(e)
5. Protagonist = outsider (ethnicity, class…)
6. Epiphany
7. “Open ending”
25
What types of short stories exist?
**Initiation Story (Rite of Passage)**
* Characters get to know something new
* at least one character needs to change positions → exchange one status
* they go through a development and gain a drastic new insight
**Slice-of-Life-Story**
* short window into their protagonists life
**Plot-Story**
* focused on the actual plot
* example: detective stories or horror stories
* initiation: beginning - middle - ending
26
What are key characterstics of Drama?
**Script vs. Performance:**
* **Script**: text for performance
* **Performance**: independent artistic work
* **Variations** in character presentation, gesture, and setting across performances highlight this independence.
* Performances are **transient** and **cannot** be exactly **reproduced**.
**Multimedial Presentation:**
* Theatre is a multimedial art form, combining **acoustic** (voices, music, sound effects) and **visual** (sets, costumes, lighting) elements.
27
What stage forms are there in theatre?
**Ancient Greek Amphitheaters:** Large open spaces with audiences seated in semicircles, minimal set design, and distance preventing realistic performances.
**Shakespearean Theatre**:
* Intimate proximity between actors and audience.
* Minimal sets, natural daylight, and imaginative audience participation.
**Modern Proscenium Stage**:
* Box-like structure with lighting and props, creating an aesthetic illusion of a "fourth wall" separating stage and audience.
**Contemporary Experimentation**: Challenges traditional forms, sometimes reviving older stage styles.
28
What is the communication Model for Drama and theater?
**Internal Communication in Drama**:
* Communication occurs primarily on the character level without an intermediary narrator.
* **Absolute nature of dramatic texts**: Unlike narrative texts, dramas generally lack a mediating communication level
**Communication Model in Drama:**
* **Adresser**: Author
* **Message**: Dramatic text
* **Adressee**: reader
**Communication Model in Theatre:**
* **Addresser**: theatre apparatus (director, actors, designers)
* **Message**: performance (**dialogue** most important medium for transmission)
* **Addressee**: audience
The dramatic **text** and **performance** mutually **influence** one another
29
What level of meanings are there in drama?
**Dramatic level:** Interaction between characters on stage.
**Theatrical level**: Communication between performers and the audience.
**Everyday level**: Audience interpretation and discussion of the play in relation to societal norms.
30
What are primary and secondary texts?
**Primary Text:** The dialogue spoken by characters.
**Secondary Text**: Stage directions, scene descriptions, character actions, and other non-spoken elements.
31
What is an Epic in Drama?
**Epic**: when performance resembles narrative form
* **Characters Inside the Action**: Narrators who are part of the play’s events, e.g., Salieri in Amadeus, narrating his rivalry with Mozart.
* **Characters Outside the Action**: Narrators who observe but do not participate, e.g., the Stage Manager in Our Town.
**Epic Elements**:
* **Verbal Forms**: Commentary in stage directions, banners, or projections.
* **Non-Verbal Forms**: Techniques such as **breaking the fourth wall** or **stepping out of character**, which challenge the theatrical illusion.
32
What are Verbal and Non-Verbal Theatrical Codes?
**Acoustic signs: Durative**
* Actor: voice quality
**Acoustic signs: Non-durative**
* Stage: music, short sounds, lighting, props
* Actor: pitch (child voice), utterances
**Visual signs: durative**
* Stage: stage-set
* Actor: costume, stature
**Visual signs: Non-durative**
* Stage: props, lighting
* Actor: body language
**durative theatre codes**: remain constant over an extended period of time
**non-durative theatre codes**: temporary codes
33
What is Dialogue and Monologue?
**Dialogue**:
* Exchange of remarks between two or more characters.
* Functions: Progresses action, reveals character, clarifies conflict, and communicates central themes.
**Monologue**: Spoken with others present.
**Soliloquy**: Spoken alone or ignoring others, revealing private thoughts.
* Provide exposition and transition.
* Reveal thoughts, plans, and internal conflicts.
* Establish character traits and elicit audience sympathy.
34
What is Aside and Dramatic Irony?
**Aside**
* **Monological Aside**: A private thought for the audience.
* **Dialogical Aside:** A conspiratorial exchange hidden from others.
* **Aside ad Spectatores**: Direct address to the audience.
* **Function**: Provides the audience with exclusive information, creating an advantage over characters.
**Dramatic Irony and Discrepant Awareness**
* **Discrepant Awareness**: When characters and audience have different levels of information.
* **Dramatic Irony**: Audience knows more than the character, leading to unintentional double meanings.
* **Congruent Awareness**: Audience and characters share the same level of information.
35
What is antique theater?
**Aristotelian Drama**
* Emphasizes unity of place, time, and action to create a linear and comprehensible plot (e.g., events often occur within 24 hours in a single setting).
**Tragedy**:
* Often shaped by external forces frustrating characters’ plans.
* 5 Act Structure:
* Introduction
* Conflict development
* Climax and tragic descent
* Delay
* Catastrophe/Dénouement
**Comedy**: Resolutions arise from chance events or opponents’ failed schemes.
36
What are Theatre of the Absurd and In Yer Face theatre and Verbatim theatre?
**Theater of the Absurd**
* Emerged in the 1950s, influenced by post-WWII existentialism, expressing despair and confusion.
* Rejects Aristotelian conventions: circular narratives, no clear action, time, or place (Waiting for Godot).
**In-Yer-Face Theatre**
* Provocative 1990s movement confronting taboos (rape, murder, incest) with explicit language and themes.
* Often performed on smaller stages for an intimate, uncomfortable experience.
**Verbatim Theatre**
* Documentary-style theater using real transcripts (e.g., interviews) performed word-for-word.
* Focuses on replicating accents and maintaining the original meaning for a sense of truth and reality.
37
What is Simulacrum Theater (Jean Baudrillard’s Theory)?
**Mirrors reality:** Simulacrum reflects something real (e.g., Titanic film mirrors historical Titanic).
**Masks reality**: Adds fictional elements, masking true events (e.g., Jack and Rose weren’t real).
**Masks absence of reality**: Represents something that never existed (e.g., Disneyland castle).
**No reality, only simulacrum**: Pure fiction treated as real (e.g., Edward Cullen’s fandom).
