Terminology Flashcards
Existentialism
An idea made famous by Jean Paul Sartre in which the world has no meaning and each person is alone and completely responsible for the actions that define their character. Often involves characters where their choices made define them.
Realism
The attempt by writers to mimic real life.
Rising/falling action
Rising - before the climax
Falling - after the climax
Magic-realism/magic realist fiction
A novel written in a realistic style which incorporates impossible or unlikely events.
Picaresque
A novel where the protagonist’s travels and encounters are more important than the protagonist’s character. This could be applied to both THE HANDMAIDS TALE AND FRANKENSTEIN.
Interleaving
The telling of several stories in one text; the stories are interwoven with each other.
Agit-prop
A piece of drama that exists to make a political point often performed in the street.
Pastoral
An idealised depiction of rural life sometimes set in ‘Arcadia’ an Eden-like land.
Repetend
A repeating word or phrase not necessairly as formlally arranged as a refrain.
Effusion
A word meaning spontaneous expression. A concept valued by the Romantic poets.
Metatheatre
An aside could be considered as a ‘metatheatrical’ event. The audience offstage can hear words the onstage audience cannot.
Diatribe
An impassioned rant or angry speech of denunciation
Ludic
A text that plays games with readers’ expectations and or/ the expectations aroused by the text itself.
Perepiteia
is a reversal of circumstances, or turning point.
Apostrophe
Addressing something or someone that isn’t there or cannot respond.
