Terms and Vocabulary
Last Posted: 3 September 2014
Literary Terms
Point of View—The vantage point from which a writer tells a story
Characterization—The process by which a writer reveals the personality of a character
Direct—Explicitly stating what a character is like
Indirect—Leaving clues for the reader to use in inferring the character’s personality
Genre of Literature—Major “family” groupings of literary types. The major literary genre
are prose, poetry, song, film and drama.
Humanities—The branches of learning that investigate human constructs or concerns
(philosophy, art, theater, language arts, etc.), as opposed to the natural or human sciences
Prose—Written literature that is not poetry.
Nonfiction—Prose that is factual
Fiction—Prose that is based, to some degree, on imaginary characters and/or events
Audience—In this context, those who will read what we write
Kenning—A “stock,” metaphorical phrase in Anglo-Saxon poetry
SQP3R—Reading strategy (Survey, Question—from my survey, Predict—answers to my
questions, Read-were the predictions correct? Recite—say it back to myself,
Review—am I correct?)
Epic Hero—Central figure in an epic who reflects the values and heroic ideals of a society
Epic—Quest story on a grand scale
Imagery—Language that appeals to the senses
Symbolism—The use, in literature, of persons, places, things or events, to stand for
something else
Tone—The attitude a writer takes toward the reader, a subject or a character (the
“atmosphere” of a piece of literature)
Alliteration—The repetition of initial consonant sounds in words that are close to one another
Old English—The form of language (and thus, literature) in use prior to the Norman
Invasion (1066 AD)
Middle English—The form of language and literature between the Norman Invasion and
the Renaissance (1066-1500)
Denotation—The dictionary meaning of a word
Connotation—Images and related meanings and concepts, more loosely associated with
the meaning of a word than its denotative meaning
Semantics—The body of knowledge related to, and the practice of considering, the
meaning of words
Tautology—A logical error in which a word is defined by using the word itself
Scop—An Anglo-Saxon poet/ bard
ISBN—International Standard Book Number
Allusion—A reference in a literary work to another, well-known literary work; the author
assumes his/her readers are familiar with the other work
Troubadour—A medieval singer and teller of tales; similar to a scop in Anglo-Saxon
culture, except troubadours traveled from place to place
Frame Story—Collection of stories contained with a larger story
Bob and Wheel—A medieval verse pattern that breaks a long narrative, consisting of a
short line (“bob”), followed by four lines (two couplets—“wheel”)
Romance—A narrative following the adventures of a hero on a quest, who faces
supernatural obstacles and proves his character (refer to page 167)
Irony—A strangely coincidental contrast between expectations and reality
Verbal Irony—When a speaker says one thing and means another, or when the words
spoken have a curiously coincidental and opposite meaning
Situational Irony—A similar situation between what exists or happens and what is
expected
Open Couplet—A pair of lines in poetry that share ending rhyme but in which the
sentence or thought in at least one of the lines extends beyond the line to another for its
conclusion
Voice—The sense of personality or authority that a writer conveys to the reader; the
ability of the writer to create a unique and interesting image or personality for
himself or herself in the mind of the reader
Tone—The attitude the writer conveys regarding a character, an object or an event
Epiphany—A sudden realization, enlightenment or understanding
Grammar Terms—Refer to the grammar handbook that you tore-out and put into your notebooks.
Clause
Essential/ Nonessential
Phrase
Subject/Predicate
Passive Voice
Comma Splice
Transitive Verb
Run-On
Intransitive Verb
Compound Sentence
Linking Verb
Simple Sentence
Prepositional Phrase
Complex Sentence
Verbal Phrase
Parts of Speech (Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Adjective,
Participial Phrase
Conjunction, Preposition, Interjection, Article)
Infinitive Phrase
Main Clause
Gerund Phrase
Subordinate Clause
Absolute Phrase
Adverb Clause
Fragment
Adjective Clause
Direct Object
Noun Clause
Predicate Nominative
Indirect Object
Predicate Adjective
All of the following--Refer to the “Five-Paragraph Essay Model” Diagram
Thesis—A statement summarizing the writer’s conclusion about the topic
Topic—The “narrowed-down” subject of the paper
Topic Sentence—The first sentence in each body paragraph naming the topic of the
paragraph
Transition Device—A word or phrase in each of the topic sentences connecting the
paragraph to what precedes it
Supporting Sentence—The details in a body paragraph that support the topic sentence
Clincher Sentence—The concluding sentence of each body paragraph, gives closure and
hints at transition
Echo of Thesis—A reference (not a restatement) of the thesis; the first sentence in a
concluding paragraph
Hook—A sentence creating a question or need in the reader’s mind, to be answered by
the thesis
Body Paragraph-(Refer to the Writing Process Diagram)
Pre-Writing—The most creative step in the writing process
Drafting—Producing the initial, complete composition
Revision—Making large-scale changes in the paper (structure, content, etc.)
Editing—The most critical (vs. creative) step in the writing process; looking for incorrect
detail (small-scale changes)
Publishing—Delivering your finished composition to its intended audience
The following definitions apply within the context of the writing process only:
*Creative—focusing on what might work—new ideas or possibilities
*Critical—looking for what might be wrong or what needs to be improved
Vocabulary Words/ Terms for the Poetry Test
Evoke—to call forth (as with emotions or images).
Ineffable—incapable of being expressed in words
Catharsis—a purification or purging of the emotions
Proposition(al)—a statement of fact representing itself as the truth
Aesthetic—artistically oriented, related to a consideration of the aspects of beauty in a
given object
Articulate—(verb) to express in words
Existentialism—A philosophical outlook that holds the existence of the individual to be
the basic (or only) certainty; beyond that, the individual must construct his or
her own meaning from an otherwise absurd universe
Vicarious—experienced through second-hand participation
Anthology—A collection of literary works
Explication—A detailed explanation of a literary text
Epigram—A brief poetic expression that memorializes or commemorates
Macbeth Test Terms and Vocabulary Words
Duplicity—the quality of being “two-faced” or deceptive about one’s true nature or intent
Duality—A pair of opposites
Equivocate—To “flip-flop,” or go back and forth in one’s speech between two opposites
Apparition—An appearance, vision
Thane—A Scottish Lord
Heath—The Scottish countryside
Lechery—Inordinate indulgence in sexual activity
Tanistry—A Scottish law forbidding a king to pass the crown directly to a son
Aside—A conversation or comment which some other actors on the stage do not appear
to notice
Soliloquy—A brief speech by a lone actor on the stage
Malevolence—Ill-will or intent
Benevolence—Goodwill or good intent
Presupposition—What is assumed to be true before an argument begins
Bias—A preference against a position based more upon feeling than logic or ethical
argument
Britons, Scots, Picts, Irish—Names of tribal groupings in British Isles during the AngloSaxon Period
Paganism—A variety of religions that are polytheistic (worship more than one divine
being, some of which are female) and that view nature as a manifestation of deity,
itself (as opposed to nature being the creation of a divine being). Pagan religions
also emphasize the role of fate in determining destiny and the use of omens in
reading the future or in making decisions. The early Celts were pagan. Modern
paganism may, or may not, be consistent with the forms practiced in the early
Roman Empire.
Animism—A form of religion that finds spirits in natural objects, even some that are,
otherwise, inanimate, such as trees or rivers.
Druidism—Druids were priests of the ancient Celts
Worldview—The window by which each person views the world, and decides, often
subconsciously, what is real/unreal or important/unimportant. A worldview
answers three basic questions: (1) What is my own origin and the origin of the
universe? (2) How do I account for adversity, evil and suffering? (3) How are
things properly “put right,” or made the way they should be? Are things the way
they should be? Also, what is the desired state or condition or outcome, or the
desired outcome or goal, of human effort? Individuals within the same historical
period or cultural group commonly share similar worldviews. Thus, we may
speak of a “Celtic worldview,” an “Anglo-Saxon worldview, a “Renaissance
worldview,” or an “Enlightenment worldview,” realizing that any given
individual within these time periods and cultures may have held a slightly
different one.
Recursive—Repeats itself (an adjective); the writing process is recursive
Mutually Exclusive—A situation in which two things do not have any overlap
Inclusive—Includes other elements (an adjective)
Resonate—In physical terms: To vibrate after an initial stimulus; As a figure of speech:
To “strike a chord,” or to “stay with,” an audience. If something “resonates,”
it
evokes thoughtful attention and reflection.
Universal—(An adjective) Applies to everyone
Dignity—The quality or estate of being worthy, honored, esteemed
Medieval Terminology
Chivalry—Code of conduct for knights
Tournament—Festival to display military skills of knights
Joust/ Tilt—Tournament event in which two knight on horseback oppose each
other with lances
Page—First step in becoming a knight
Squire—Second step in becoming a knight; assists knights in battle and at
tournaments
Knight
Heraldry—Colorful display of coats-of-arms to identify knights at tournaments
and on the battlefield
Yeoman—Small, independent landowner, long-bowman
Guild—Trade (work skill) organization, precursor of modern-day labor unions
Courtly Love—Idealized, romantic love of knights for noble-women; the customs
and courtesies of this, as seen in literature
Additional Words
Civility—Respecting the dignity of others in interaction; polite and courteous behavior;
control or restraint of emotions
Argument—A skillfully constructed appeal, or attempt, to persuade an audience to
change its convictions regarding a particular issue
Premise
Logos—A persuasive appeal to logic
Pathos—A persuasive appeal to emotions (specifically, the emotions of sympathy and
pity)
Ethos—A persuasive appeal to ethics
Integrity—Moral soundness or wholeness, with particular emphasis on (complete)
honesty or truthfulness
Valor
Emotivism
Metanarrative
Absolute--Fixed, unchanging, complete in itself
Rhetoric—Persuasive discourse, skillfully delivered; the art of such
Duplicity/ Duplicitous
Relative/ Relativism—Changes depending upon circumstances, a belief system based
upon the notion that truth is not absolute
Critic/ Critical—One who analyzes something (as literature) and then makes an informed
judgment about it
Discern/ Discernment—The application of wisdom and knowledge to specific situations
or issues
Discriminate—To distinguish; an essential aspect of the human faculty of reason; not to
be confused with “racial discrimination,” which connotes unfairly stereotyping all
members of a particular racial or ethnic group
Tolerance/ Tolerant—Dealing in a civil manner with, and respecting the personal dignity
of, those with whom one disagrees
Equivocate
Nihilism—A (self-defeating) view of reality which holds that no ultimate meaning exists
Naturalism
Occult/ Occultism
Perverse/ Perverted
Noble/ Nobility
Sensual/ Sensuality
Humility/ Humble—The avoidance of undue or excessive personal pride or selfadulation; surrender of the demand for preferential treatment
Redeem/ Redemption/ Redemptive
Depravity/ Depraved
Anarchy
Despair—loss of hope
Naïve/ Naiveté
Coherence/ Coherent
Rational/ Irrational/ Rationality
Theism/ Monotheism
Objective—As an adjective: To be based upon specific, stipulated criteria
Subjective—As an adjective: To be based upon whim, feeling or intuition
Modesty—Avoidance of vulgarity, baseness or “flaunting” of personal attributes,
understatement of one’s strengths
Secular/ Secularism
Parley—An attempt to avoid confrontation; a conference among leaders of opposing
sides (often conducted in the middle of the battlefield between opposing forces) as an
attempt to avoid the impending clash
Hubris—An arrogant projection of power or advantage
Additional Persuasive Writing Terminology (Refer to Handout for Definitions)
Evidence
Logic
Inductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Syllogism
Satire
*Target/Object/Point/Method
Logical Fallacies
Stereotyping
False Analogy
Loaded Words
Overgeneralization
Oversimplification
Premise
Arthurian Literature—Names and Places
Lancelot
Galahad
Holy Grail/ Grail Quest
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Cretien de Troyes
Sir Thomas Malory
Joseph of Aramethea
Glastonberry
Cadbury
Vortigren
Uther Pendragon
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
T.H. Whyte
Tintagel Castle
Bedeviere
Mordred
Excalibur
The Lady of Shalott
Igrain, Duchess of Cornwall