english lit key definitions

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novella
short prose fiction; longer than short story but shorter than a novel
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lyric poetry
song-like poetry, usually with short regular stanzas, often expressing strong emotion or personal feelings
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narrative poetry
stories told in verse
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stanza
a paragraph in poetry
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bildungsroman
novel dealing with character development and growth; from childhood to adulthood
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gothic fiction
novel dealing with supernatural, horror, criminals, and socially unacceptable behaviour
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epistolary fiction
story written in mostly or completely letter form
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pastoral
dramatic works presenting society of shepherds and other rural societies free from the complexity and corruption of city life
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kitchen sink drama
form of drama from 1950s and 1960s depicting working class domestic situations and exploring related social and political issues
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reportage
factual journalistic account presented in book or other text
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literary criticism
judgements about and commenting upon the qualities and character of literary works
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literary theory
study of the way in which we interpret literary texts
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voice
distinctive manner of expression of an author or narrator
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fabula
details of a story
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syuzhet
way a story is told
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imagery
the use of words to visually or figuratively suggest meaning
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figurative language
metaphors and similies
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sonnet
14-line poem in iambic pentameter
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iambic pentameter
metre consisting of five iambic feet
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metre
regular rhythm used to structure a whole line of verse
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iamb
metrical foot consisting of a short beat followed by a long beat
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foot
unit of rhythm in metrical line
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prose
text is organised into paragraphs
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verse
text is organised into separate lines
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sestina
poem with six stanzas and a final triplet, each stanza comprises six lines and ends with the same six words repeated in six different sequences
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triplet
stanza with three lines
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couplet
stanza with two lines
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quatrain
stanza with four lines
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quintet
stanza with five lines
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sestet
stanza with six lines
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octave
stanza with eight lines
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prolepsis
foreshadowing; refers to something that hasn't happened yet
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analepsis
flashback; refers to something that has already happened
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tone
attitude conveyed by a literary text
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rhetoric
use of language to achieve persuasive or impressive effects
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tripartite patterning
group of three to create effect
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assonance
repeated identical or similar vowel sounds in nearby words
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consonance
repeated identical or similar consonant sounds in beginning, middle, or end of nearby words
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enumeration
listing of examples
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onomatopoeia
when words sound like what they mean
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allusion
indirect reference to an object, person, place, or idea in text (e.g. genesis in eve of st. agnes)
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minor sentence
does not contain verb; usually one or two words long
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balanced sentence
sentences whose clauses are structured in the same way
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complex sentence
at least one main clause and a subordinate clause; sub. clause cannot stand alone
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clause
at least one subject and one verb
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sibilance
repeated use of the 's' sound created by 's' or soft 'c'
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allegory
literary work which contains a moral, political, or religious meaning
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verse drama
plays written in verse (all of shakespeare's plays)
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discursive poetry
discusses, makes arguments about and/or satirises philosophical, historical, and political ideas and topics
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satire
humorous or ironical comment on topical issues, often intended to ridicule and mock the failings of individuals and societies
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poetic form
set of techniques used by poets to give poems a particular shape and structure
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turn
point towards the end of a poem where there is a shift in meaning
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blank verse
unrhymed verse; metre but no rhyme
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half rhyme
only the final consonant of the rhyming words is the same
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vowel rhyme
only the vowel of the rhyming words is the same
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consonant rhyme
the consonants at the beginning and end are the same in both rhyming words, not the vowel
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visual rhyme
looks like it should rhyme, but it doesn't
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scansion
system used to measure the metre of a line of verse
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dimeter
metre consisting of two feet
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trimeter
metre consisting of three feet
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tetrameter
metre consisting of four feet
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pentameter
metre consisting of five feet
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hexameter
metre consisting of six feet
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trochee
metrical foot consisting of a long beat followed by a short beat
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anapaest
metrical foot consisting of two short beats followed by one long beat
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dactyl
metrical foot consisting of one long beat followed by two short beats
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ballad form
four-line rhyming stanza in which the first and third lines are a different length and metre from the second and fourth line
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end-stopping
punctuation at end of line of verse
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caesura
punctuation in middle of line of verse
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enjambment
punctuation flows onto next line or stanza of verse
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free verse
poetry written without rhythm, metre, or regular length of lines and stanzas
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mimesis/mimetic
straightforward imitation of reality
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blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter (10 syllable lines)
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dramatic irony
audience or reader aware of something the character is not
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soliloquy
when a character speaks to themselves; inner thoughts
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hubris
excessive pride
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hamartia
tragic flaw
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protagonist
main character
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antagonist
evil character, usually tries to tear down protagonist
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industrial-capitalist society
industry, technology, and trade are main sources of wealth
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agrarian society
people cultivate the land and produce only what they need in order to stay alive
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psychological novel
focuses on the inner workings of the minds of its characters
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picaresque
novel that focuses on the adventures of a roguish character who has to rely on their wits to survive
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sentimental novel
genre that focuses on the emotional responses of its characters
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foil
character who contrasts to the protagonist, emphasising particular aspects of the protagonist's personality
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attributed speech
clear who is speaking; "he said" "she said"
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unattributed speech
not clear who is speaking
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direct speech
speech in inverted commas
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reported speech
speech of character reworded by other character or narrator
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bipartite
sentence divided into two deliberately balanced parts
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tripartite
sentence divided into three deliberately balanced parts
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rhetorical device
method of arranging words for a particular effect
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omniscient
all-knowing
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focalisation
when third person narrator tells the story from the perspective of one particular character
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free indirect discourse
when a third person narrator adopts certain language and attitudes of particular character
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narrative frame
story within a story
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metafiction
fiction that draws attention to the act of writing; commenting on process or difficulty of writing
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megalopsychia
'greatness of the soul' that the tragic protagonist should possess
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peripeteia
reversal of fortune experienced by the tragic protagonist
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anagnorisis
point of revelation for the protagonist towards the end of the play
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catharsis
making an audience purge emotions
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unity of plot
a focus on one plot, no sub-plot
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unity of place
single location in which all the action of the play takes place
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unity of time
limiting the action of a play so that it takes place on a single day
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fourth wall
imaginary barrier separating the crowd from the stage
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mystery play
dramatises biblical stories
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de casibus story
uses tales of disasters that befell great men as examples of how to behave
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cautionary tale
contains a warning, showing consequences of some kind of error
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wheel of fortune
good and bad luck; when good luck, at the top of wheel, when bad luck, at bottom of wheel - always turning; inevitable
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morality play
characters represent abstract qualities or concepts
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machiavel
character prepared to behave immorally to get what they want
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malcontent
dissatisfied character because of unfair treatment, often as a result of a decision made by the protagonist
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great chain of being
strict hierarchy encompassing everything that existed, with god at the top
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archetype
character who represents a particular characteristic; some names will reflect their characteristic
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caricature
exaggerated or unrealistic representation of a character
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realism
movement in art and literature to represent life in as realistic a way as possible
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social realism
form of realism that focuses on contemporary social and political issues
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agitprop theatre
explicitly political nature designed to show the struggles of the working classes
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kitchen sink realism
social realist drama depicting the domestic lives of working class people, often set in small flats or rooms in working class areas
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gritty realism
form of social realism investigating the extremes of poverty and social alienation
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modernism
literary and artistic movement that challenges traditional forms and conventions
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fascism
extreme right wing political movement
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socialism
political left wing movement that aims to increase the economic and social power of ordinary people
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charlatan
person who falsely claims to have particular skills or knowledge
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dystopian fiction
dealing with nightmarish worlds
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totalitarian regime
non-democratic political party ruling over country; complete power
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authorial intention
what an author intended for their work to mean
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hegemony
power structure in which one group has dominance over another
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gender
socio-cultural behaviours stereotypically associated with each sex
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proletariat
working class
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bourgeoisie or aristocats
upper class
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alienation
state experienced by workers who are not in control of their lives
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bourgeoisie or aristocats
upper class
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alienation
state experienced by workers who are not in control of their lives
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colonialism
process by which nations have been conquered and exploited by other nations
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subaltern
refers to people ruled by colonial powers
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malapropism
word used mistakenly in place of another word with a similar sound
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palindrome
word or phrase that reads the same both forwards and backwards
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republic (republic of venice)
power is held by people and elected representatives rather than a monarchy
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infidel
no religion or doesn't support main religion of the country
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parody
imitates and mocks; humorous
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pastiche
imitates respectfully; tribute
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high concept
title which is obvious and draws reader in (e.g. snakes on a plane, jaws)
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intrusive narrator
interrupts, reminder of view or opinion
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monosyllabic
one syllable word
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ephemeral
not sustainable
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philanthropist
does good things; kind
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misanthropist
does bad things; hates humanity
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antithesis
direct opposition
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cacophony
harsh sounding
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euphony
pleasant sounding
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connotations
implied meanings with a word
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euphemism
sugarcoating a harsh concept or word
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hyperbole
exaggeration of a concept
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

lyric poetry

Back

song-like poetry, usually with short regular stanzas, often expressing strong emotion or personal feelings

Card 3

Front

narrative poetry

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

stanza

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

bildungsroman

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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