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)

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

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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