memoir vocab Flashcards
(21 cards)
memoir
a type of autobiographical nonfiction where a writer takes a reflective stance in looking back on a particular time in their life
a short text focused on a single incident that is meaningful to the author
focus
the main idea
topic
the general subjecct being writen about
audience
who the writing is intended for
task
the purpose, often internal and reflective
(the emotional/intellectual purpose)
voice
the unique personality, style, and perspecive of the narrator
how the narrator sounds in your mind
(ex: witty, comic, concerned, loving, regretful)
tone
authors attitude toward the subject matter and reader
(ex: hostile, serious)
reflection
the author steps back to interpret, analyze, or make meaning of the events
(required in a memoir)
plot line
sequence of key events or experiences that structure the story
sub plots
smaller, secondary stories within the larger memoir
pacing
how quickly or slowly the story unfolds
character development
refers to how the characters in the story, specifically the author, grow or change over time
dialogue
the use of direct speech to recreate conversations from the author’s life
imagery
descriptive language that appeals to the senses
show vs tell
showing is using action, dialogue, and sensory details to let readers infer whats happening or how someone feels
manipulation of time
refers to how a memoirist chooses to structure or distort time
(ex: slowing down, speeding up, jumping forward, jumping backwards)
chronological order
telling events in the sequence they happened in real life
flashback
jumping backward in time to show something that already happened
flash forward
moves ahead in time to show something that hasn’t happened yet in the current moment of the narrative
subtext
the unspoken meaning beneath dialogue or action - what characters feel or think but don’t say directly
characterization
how the author reveals who people are
