Flashcards: Semester 2 Literary Terms

“I” do the actions of the story, the narrator is a character in the story, the narrative is inevitably limited and influenced by the narrator’s perspective, the narrator can’t be omniscient (unless the narrator is God, Death, etc.), watch out for unreliable narrators!

“You” do the actions of the story, it’s rare to see an entire text written in this voice. Ex: “Choose your own adventure” books. NOTE: Narrators sometimes slip into this narrative style briefly. Why? To what effect? (Often to get the reader invested in the story somehow – make it more personal)

“He/she/they” tell(s) the tale, the narrator is outside of the action, a sort of persona or stand-in for the author, sometimes confined to one character’s experiences, sometimes following multiple.

Narrator is not privy to all information, limited to the actions or perspectives of a single character or to a few characters.

“He/she/they” tell(s) the tale, the narrator is outside of the action, a sort of persona or stand-in for the author, sometimes confined to one character’s experiences, sometimes following multiple.

Narrator knows all events & thoughts of all characters — but may not tell the reader.

The abecedarian is an ancient poetic form guided by alphabetical order. Generally each line or stanza begins with the first letter of the alphabet and is followed by the successive letter, until the final letter is reached.

A short story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

repetition of similar consonant sounds at the beginning of the word and/or stressed syllable; a subset of consonance

an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text, often to include/implicate the ideas of another author.

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

a protagonist in a work of fiction who is placed in the position of a hero, but who lacks the traditional characteristics of a hero

Symbols that appear everywhere across literature, representing the same ideas. EX: darkness vs light, seasons (spring-winter) or daytimes (sunrise-midnight) to represent aging, etc.

The act of conforming to a larger culture/a culture different from your own. This results in the erasure of culture and diversity over time, and is often done as a means of survival )like, for example, on Native American reservations)

repetition of vowel sounds in close enough proximity to create an echo; not the same as rhyme (example, “meat” and “bean”)

Avant-garde refers to the people introducing new, experimental ideas/concepts, often in the form of literature or other works of art. It can also refer to the ideas themselves

Those novels that concentrate on the development or education of a central character… Traditionally, this growth occurs according to a pattern:  the sensitive, intelligent protagonist leaves home, undergoes stages of conflict and growth, is tested by crises and love affairs, then finally finds the best place to use his/her unique talents

Arts movement during the 1960s and 1970s that consisted of a proliferation of Black art: led by renowned artists, writers, and thinkers. It was inspired by the Black Power Movement, and aimed to create a new “Black aesthetic.” It led to the establishment of journals, magazines, publishing houses, and art institutions, as well as the creation of Black/Africana Studies programs in universities 

unrhymed iambic pentameter; usually spoken by characters of noble birth; lofty language is appropriate for these lofty characters; most closely resembles everyday speech, but elevated; or a decent character, especially when giving a speech

A literary blazon (or blason) catalogs the physical attributes of a subject, usually female. Blazon compares parts of the female body to jewels, celestial bodies, natural phenomena, and other beautiful or rare objects, made popular by Petrarch and used extensively by Elizabethan poets.

the practice of removing or restating any material in a text that might be considered offensive to some readers

The literary canon is the body of high-culture literature, music, philosophy, and works of art that are highly valued; works that have achieved the status of classics. 

Literary device: a collection of people, objects, ideas, and other elements in list form within poetry or prose. A writer can use this literary device when they want to list out multiple things for a single purpose

the intended effect upon the audience of tragedy; a kind of emotional wringing-out or cleansing or exhaustion as a result of experiencing the emotional extremes of the play; comes in part from the relief experienced from having wrongs set right again

The various means by which an author describes and develops the characters in a literary work (i.e., what the character does, says, thinks, looks like; what other characters do in reaction to that character)

The threat of punishment that us severe and unpredictable - often because people do not know when/if they are being watched

A short poem consisting of five, usually unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables OR Any poem composed of a series of five-line stanzas (of any length)

Consequentialism is a theory of ethics that focuses on the effects of actions: it emphasizes consequences of actions as the only relevant focus of ethical weight (includes utilitarianism)

Repetition of similar sounds, especially consonants, in close proximity (can happen anywhere in the word or phrase)

Inverts the Blazon convention, describing “wrong” parts of the female body or negating them completely (often used by poets to make fun of the blazon stereotype, or at least point out how it isn’t accurate) 

The middle set of stages in Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, defined by a mindset that is dependent on others – a mutually agreed upon “convention” – in order to know what is right morally (conformity).

Two lines standing alone in iambic pentameter that share an end rhyme (at the end of a Shakespearean sonnet, and also often in soliloquies)

The act of claiming an aspect of another culture for your own, without understanding and properly dealing with the cultural significance it has for the victimized people. There is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation.

the process of depriving a person or group of positive human qualities (often this is achieved through comparing humans to objects or animals, and it is seen in a wide range of genres from dystopian fiction to stories of cultural appropriation & victimization)

Deontology is an ethical theory that uses rules to distinguish right from wrong: it focuses on acts themselves, emphasizes duties, roles, principles, and obligations, and is based on inviolable moral norms

First-person narrative in which the character describes their own life, but with some kind of distance from the events (usually time), allowing the narrator to describe the events with clarity and awareness of cause and effect.

When a text consists of a series of “snapshots” that either mimic diary entries, or literally are diary entries

Those that dissent or otherwise rebel against official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state

language intended to conceal and manipulate rather than reveal, often euphemism or jargon, language intended to bypass critical thinking (like political slogans – they let you fill in the meaning) (prevalent in the military and politics)

The ability to hold two contradictory ideas in your mind at once, and consider both ideas equally true

a literary device by which the audience's or reader's understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters (often used in Shakespeare’s writing, especially effective in plays)

A character that changes (for better or worse) in response to circumstances and experiences

The opposite of a perfect society, contrasting with the time/place of the author

English from 1500-1700 AD, when Shakespeare wrote his works

An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning

In traditional English poetry, it is often a melancholy poem that laments its subject’s death but ends in consolation

A form of rhyme that is shared by the end of two or more lines

an extended simile often running to several lines, used typically in epic poetry to intensify the heroic stature of the subject and to serve as decoration (basically a really long simile with lots of detail)

Find definition

a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme

Find definition

A novel in the form of letters or documents, lets the novel be semi-personal (between two people)

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing 

Meaning “good sound”, it includes all forms of wordplay that make things sound better (assonance, alliteration, sibilance, rhyme, meter, etc.).

a form of rhyme between two words or phrases, satisfying the following conditions: The stressed vowel sound in both words must be identical, as well as any subsequent sounds

a literary device that is meant to relay background information about a main character, setting, event or other element of the narrative

an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story

A character that’s like a caricature or a stereotype, not fully developed, defined by a single quality

a character who, by contrast with the main character, or another character, serves to accentuate that character’s distinctive qualities or characteristics

A narrative device in which an author hints at a coming event or element of the story, often used to create suspense or cohesion. Could also be a warning.

A form of poetry that does not necessarily rhyme, and does not necessarily contain any specified meter/structure.

Originally an Arabic verse form dealing with loss and romantic love, medieval Persian poets embraced the ghazal, eventually making it their own. Consisting of syntactically and grammatically complete couplets, the form also has an intricate rhyme scheme.

The tendency for people to act without reason/individual reasoning in a group scenario: hivemind, mob mentality, can’t avoid participating, training unity with group

“The telling of saints’ lives in order to elevate the listener,” expands to anyone in literature (any great figure, any person), demonstrating perfection

The haiku is a Japanese poetic form that consists of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. It is the first three lines of a tanka poem.

the flaw or fundamental misunderstanding of the tragic hero that helps to lead to his/her downfall (most common: hubris)

9% of population in Afghanistan, Hassan’s cultural identity, historically discriminated against in Afghanistan

Two words spelled the same, not pronounced the same nor mean the same

Two words spelled and pronounced the same, but different meanings/origins

Two words pronounced the same, but not spelled the same nor mean the same

Stories where a character goes from rags to riches (the idea that anyone can rise above challenges through work, honesty, and dedication)

Exaggerated pride or self confidence – the most common tragic flaw/harmatia in a tragic hero

deliberate exaggeration for an effect in the reader, not meant to be taken literally

Generalized diagnosis for mental illness and “emotional excess” in women, “Hyst” = womb; “wandering womb disease” in ancient Greece

A form of meter consisting of lines with ten syllables and five metric feet, in an unrhymed rhymed pattern.

Meaning “In the middle of things,” this literary device appears when a chapter, play, novel, etc. starts in the middle of a chaotic scene, often to emphasize some aspect of the scenario (like chaos or disorganization)

The inability to describe a concept (or anything, for that matter) completely in English. For example, human emotions are often so complex that they are ineffable, they cannot be fully described by language

The deliberate comparison of something to an infant (a baby), basically making something seem childlike. This is often done to diminish the impact of something, or make something seem more simple. “Infantilization is the prolonged treatment of one who is not a child, as though they are a child”

An interior monologue is the voice inside of your head. Readers often see a character’s interior monologue through stream of consciousness narration, which allows them to experience the personal thoughts and feelings of the main character as they happen. It also lets readers see the progression/development of ideas as they occur.

Internal rhyme is a type of rhyme used in literature that involves similar-sounding syllables placed within a line, instead of at the end. Internal rhyme can happen across multiple lines, or within one.

Intertextuality is the relationship between texts. This is developed through allusions to other texts, or real-world connections between authors or ideas. Through intertextuality, new authors can give new meaning to old texts, or use old texts to develop their own.

In literature, irony is a deliberate gap between the language used and what is being discussed. Irony results when there is a difference in point of view between a character and the narrator or reader. There are four major types of irony: verbal, dramatic, situational, and cosmic

the close placement of contrasting ideas, images, or entities, with the intent of highlighting the contrast between those entities (often encouraging the reader to make their own conclusions, and pointing to a larger thematic meaning within the context that they are used)

A series of moral states outlining a progression from one system of ethical logic to another. It follows the general progression: egoism (1-2, pre-conventional), conformity (3-4, conventional), solidarity (5-6, post-conventional).

Medical diagnosis: sleeping too long in the moonlight, especially the full moonlight, was thought to cause madness

When people are grouped together and pushed out of the way, usually because of some shared cultural identity (when people are marginalized, they are forgotten and pushed aside)

Comparison without using “like” or “as”, more specifically: “a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison”

A single unit of meter, usually two or three syllables (stressed or unstressed)

English between 1100 and 1500 AD. The most influential text during this time period was The Canterbury Tales (The Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400)

The Newspeak term for the Ministry of Love, which controls the secret police and is in charge of torturing “traitors” and “dissidents” to the society of Oceania. It is often referred to as “the place with no darkness”. Doublethink: miniLUV even though it deals with torture.

The Newspeak term for the Ministry of Peace, which controls the military and performs other war-related duties in Oceania. Doublethink: miniPAX even though it deals with war.

The Newspeak term for the Ministry of Plenty, which handles Oceania’s economy, as well as the falsification and publication of statistics related to consumption and production, among other things. Doublethink: miniPLENTY even though it deals with scarcity.

The Newspeak term for the Ministry of Truth, which handles the erasure and fabrication of the past, as well as the creation of media throughout Oceania. Doublethink: miniTRU even though it deals with falsification.

A misanthrope is defined as a person characterized by feelings of general dislike and distrust of humankind

Anything that’s repeated in a text; especially any recurrent image, symbol, theme, character, type, subject, phrase, or narrative detail (gathers meaning each time it appears)

The “new” language invented in the world of Oceania in order to narrow range of thought and make it impossible for people to rebel (or even conjure any thought related to rebellion)

The first eight rhymed lines of a Petrarchan Sonnet, that gives/sets-up an initial idea. The end of the eighth line contains the volta OR any unit of poetry containing eight lines

A formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates a person, place, thing, or idea. Its stanza forms vary, and it is often set to music.

English between 400 and 1100 AD. The most influential text during this time period was Beowulf (Beowulf is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend)

“Orthodoxy means not thinking – not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness” (Orwell 52-53).

Ownlife is anything done by a Party member that suggests a taste for solitude or any sense of individuality, even the act of taking a walk alone (anything that resembles/indicates preference for being alone, or refusal to participate in community/groupthink)

Pantoums comprise a series of quatrains, with the second and fourth lines of each quatrain repeated as the first and third lines of the next. The second and fourth lines of the final stanza repeat the first and third lines of the first stanza

a fundamental change in shared approach, assumptions, belief, attitude, or way of doing things on a culture-wide scale

Repetition among the first word (or few words) across lines in a poem.

42% of population in Afghanistan, Amir’s cultural identity, grants him privileges that are unavailable to others (pay attention to power dynamic between Amir and Hassan)

Verse in the tradition of Theocritus (3 BCE), who wrote idealized accounts of shepherds and their loves living simple, virtuous lives in Arcadia, a mountainous region of Greece. Poets writing in English drew on the pastoral tradition by retreating from the trappings of modernity to the imagined virtues and romance of rural life

A system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it

Personification is a literary device that gives human characteristics to nonhuman things or inanimate objects, and is often used to get the reader invested emotionally into a concept

The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate, serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry

In reaction to colonialism, grapples with how to deal with the world that colonialism left behind (fractured culture, displaced people, etc). Post-colonial lit. often deals with violence, frustration, and erasure, and is created after-the-fact

The final set of stages in Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, defined by a mindset that has moved out of Conventional ethical reasoning (solidarity).

The relationship between or among people or groups, as defined by: who has power over whom, and the sources of that power (IN TYW: husband/wife, physician/patient)

The first set of stages in Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, defined by a mindset that has not yet realized the values of society (egoism).

The lower class in Oceania, often not unique/distinguishable from one another: they all consume the same state-fabricated media, aren’t aware of the true structure of their society, and are easily controlled by the state

any sort of art, media, or literature that promotes a political viewpoint, especially through deception or cheap appeals to emotion

not verse (i.e., not rhymed or metered); usually reserved for commoners, but may also be used by more “noble” character when riled or defensive, as for example, when manhood is in question; make denote anger, idiocy, or drunkenness

A pun is a joke based on the interplay of homophones — words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. It can also play with words that sound similar, but not exactly the same. The joke’s humor (if any) comes from the confusion of the two meanings

The first three sections of a Shakespearean sonnet, each with four rhymed lines OR any poetic stanza of four lines

A narrative in which the protagonist goes on a journey to achieve a goal or complete an important task: The term comes from the Medieval Latin questa, meaning “search” or “inquiry.”, quests are often heroic, featuring a protagonist who goes on a dangerous mission against all odds, to save someone or to retrieve a symbolic object, there is usually both a literal quest and a symbolic (or internal) quest that happen simultaneously. 

Realism is about humans in natural settings, and portrays everyday experiences in real life. It does not contain mysticism/mythology, as it’s quite the opposite.

the cultural process by which a group reclaims words or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. It is a specific form of a semantic change.

Literary device by which a word (or phrase) is repeated a number of times, usually to some point of emphasis

Commonly prescribed for mental illness (especially in women) in the late 19th century, pioneered by Silas Weir Mitchell, who was Perkins Gilman’s doctor, often for postpartum depression, Charlotte Perkins Gilman herself experienced the rest cure and wrote this story in part to try to convince Mitchell not to prescribe it to others.

Find definition

A character that has three-dimensional complexity and may contradict him/herself

Sensory details use the five senses (sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell) to add depth of detail to writing

The idea that in an ideal marriage, each spouse has a gender-appropriate sphere of influence/power (note the assumption of the gender binary and that same-sex marriage doesn’t exist) 

The second stanza in a Petrarchan sonnet containing six rhymed lines, and offering a counter argument or resolution OR any poetic stanza of six lines

Repetition of “s” sounds as a form of euphony

A comparison using “like” or “as”

A form of irony in which situations and events contradict what is expected

Slant rhyme is a rhyming scheme with words that sound similar but not exactly the same. This can mean that the consonants match, but the vowels do not, or the other way around.

The system of ethical reasoning that defines the final two stages of Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development (see “post-conventional” for more detail)

A character that does not change significantly over the course of the work no matter what action takes place

A literary technique that approximates the flow (or jumble) of thoughts and sensory impressions that pass through the mind each instant

Subjective narration is when a story is told through the lens of one character's experience at a time. There can be multiple narrators or just one, but each perspective is limited to what the narrating character sees, hears, feels, knows, etc.

A concrete object (or person) that represents an abstract idea or emotion, and often fits in with the thematic ideas of the text.

When a whole is addressed by one of its parts, reducing it to that part

A Japanese form of five lines with 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables—31 in all. The first three lines are more commonly known as a “haiku”

Not simply the subject of a literary work, but rather a statement that the text seems to be making about that subject, or the author’s message or observation about a particular concept or problem.  

Thought Police are the secret police of the superstate of Oceania, who discover and punish thoughtcrime. Using criminal psychology and omnipresent surveillance (via informers, telescreens, cameras, and microphones) the Thought Police monitor the citizens of Oceania and arrest all those who have committed thoughtcrime in challenge to the status quo authority of the Party and of the régime of Big Brother

Thoughtcrime is any explicit thought (or physical indication of a thought) that either demonstrates a level of individuality or expresses dissent for the government or societal structure in Oceania.

elements of tragedy originated by Aristotle thousands of years ago in Greece, and now updated by Shakespeare; the story of a character going from the top of the wheel of fortune to the bottom; shows that even the most powerful and important characters are subject to the whim of fate

the flaw or fundamental misunderstanding of the tragic hero that helps to lead to his/her downfall (most common: hubris)

the main character in a tragedy, noble, respected, or in some other way elevated – usually a king; has a long way to fall (Interesting that Shakespeare placed Othello in this role – unusual; same for Romeo & Juliet)

The point in a sonnet (usually in the couplet) that is a “turn” (it signifies a twist/change in ideas)

Referenced everywhere throughout the literary canon & life in general, like Shakespeare, for example

A narrator whose conclusions, judgments, or depictions of events the reader mistrusts for some reason, seeing them as inaccurate or incomplete because the narrator may be… (naive, selfish, memory-issues, etc…)

A system of thought that boils down to: “the greatest happiness of the greatest number should decide the guiding principle of conduct”

Man-made utopias, founded on the notion that human beings, not the gods, control our destiny through laws, reason/logic, peace, technology, ethics, etc. Assumes the perfectibility of man and human society, usually in the form of the imaginary city or an island, plato’s Republic, Thomas More’s Utopia

Myths that look to the past or beyond death for a time when human life was or will be easier and more gratifying. Made by God or the gods or pre-exist somewhere in the world. (includes safety, security, unity, paradise)

A concept that states: If one does not see the result of their action (its consequences), then they will be much more likely to take action which they consider morally wrong– even evil.

The language/dialect that is local to a particular region/community

Writing that has rhythm (meter), and sometimes has rhyme

A villanelle is a poem of nineteen lines, and which follows a strict form that consists of five tercets(three-line stanzas) followed by one quatrain (four-line stanza). Villanelles use a specific rhyme scheme of ABA for their tercets, and ABAA for the quatrain. The first and third lines of the first tercet function as repeating refrains, which alternate as the final line of each subsequent tercet and appear again as the two final lines of the concluding quatrain

“a very short story – basically, a single powerful scene”, usually 2-5 pages in length, usually incorporates vivid, sensory language; active, lively verbs; and at least some dialogue, and has thematic richness

Theory of ethics that focuses on the moral character of the doer (about cultivating the right virtues or moral habits)

the notion that fortune can change/reverse, that a character can be at the “top” of the wheel and then go all the way to the “bottom” because of an internal flaw or external events / fate

the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history based on the ideas & beliefs of the time