Literary Terms- B's & C's Flashcards
(20 cards)
Bathos
False or forced emotion that is often humorous. Whereas pathos draws upon deep emotion, bathos takes this emotion to such an extreme that the reader find that humorous rather than touching
Begging the question
A fallacy and reasoning which omits the minor premise and goes directly to the conclusion. Cut out the middle man
Ex:
First time drivers are reckless.
Steven is a first time driver.
Steven will be reckless.
Bildungsroman
A coming of age novel, the story of a person’s development
Canon
An excepted list. Religious canon = Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc.
Carpe Diem
Literally, seize the day, a philosophy of living for the day and not thinking of tomorrow
Catharsis
A moral and spiritual cleansing you receive when watching a protagonist overcome great odds to survive
Character
A person described as an individual with reference to characterization. Characterization; an imaginary person who seems life like
Chiasmus
A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed
Ex:
Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country
Chronological
In the order of time; first, second, third. The simplest way to structure a narrative
Clause
Any combination of subject and verb which makes a complete sentence. If the subject verb combination expresses complete meaning, the clause is independent. If the subject verb verb combination does not express complete meaning, the cause is dependent.
Colloquial
Informal conversation; it differs in grammar, vocabulary, syntax, imagery or connotation
Conceit
A type of metaphor that is strikingly odd and thoughtful
Ex:
Love compared to a motorcycle
Concrete
Opposed to abstract; quantifiable
Concrete Detail
Details used in a persuasive paper which attempt to convince the reader; proof or evidence
Confidant (male)/ Confidant (female)
A person who partakes little in the action, is very close to the protagonist, and hears all of the intimate secrets of the protagonist
Conflict
Protagonist/antagonist clash; anytime these two come into the same arena, there is some form of conflict; conflict maybe external or internal
Contrast
Writers often use contrast, or oppositions, to elaborate ideas. Contrast help writers to expand on their ideas by allowing them to show both what a thing is and what it is not. Take, for instance, images of light and darkness; a reader may better appreciate what it means to have light by considering it’s absence- darkness.
Controlling Image
An image or metaphor which runs throughout the work
Crisis
The point of the highest clash
Criticism
Analysis, study and a valuation of individual works of literature
