World Literature Vocabulary – Flashcards
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allegory
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A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent ideas
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alliteration
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Repetition of beginning consonant sounds
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allusion
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A reference to another work of literature, person, or event
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analogy
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A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
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antagonist
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A character or force in conflict with the main character
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antithesis
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(n.) the direct opposite, a sharp contrast
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archetype
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A recurring symbol, character, landscape, or event found in myth and literature across different cultures and eras.
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assonance
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Repetition of similar vowel sounds
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ballad
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narrative poem or song with a repeating refrain
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blank verse
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unrhymed poetry
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burlesque
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ridiculous exaggeration
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caricature
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exaggeration for comic effect
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characterization
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artistic presentation of a fictional character
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citation
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reference to a source
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climax
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turning point in fiction
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comedy
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story that has a positive ending
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conflict
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struggle between two opposing forces
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consonance
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almost rhyme; consonants agree but vowels differ
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couplet
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A pair of lines that end in rhyme
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denouement
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resolution; conclusion
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diction
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author's word choices
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didactic
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literature with moralistic or instructive purpose
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elegy
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A lyric poem that laments the dead.
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end rhyme
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repetition of identical or similar sounds in two or more different words found at the end of poetic lines
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epic
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long narrative poem; tells a story
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epigram
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brief saying or poem; often ironic or satirical
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epigraph
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phrase, quotation, or poem at the beginning of the chapter or book, hinting at the theme
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epistolary style
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novel composed of a series of letters
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essay
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a paper that takes a position on a topic
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euphemism
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substitution of a socially acceptable word or expression in place of harsh or unacceptable language
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exposition
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in which the scene is set, characters introduced, situation established
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fable
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short story that illustrates a moral lesson
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falling action
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portion of plot structure following the climax; problems are solved
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figure of speech
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in which something is pictured or figured in other more familiar terms
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flashback
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plot device; a scene from the fictional past is brought into the fictional present
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foot
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a group of syllables that form a basic unit of poetic rhythm
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foreshadow
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hints or clues about future events in a narrative
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framed narrative
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story or stories told within a narrative frame
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free verse
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poetry that does not rhyme
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full stop
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end of sentence
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genre
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category of classification for literature
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Gothic novel
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genre that evokes an aura of mystery
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heroic couplet
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two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter, forming a complete thought
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homonym/homophone
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words that sound the same but have different meanings or spellings
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hubris
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excessive pride; often a feature in Greek tragedy
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hyperbole
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overstatement through exaggerated language
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imagery
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words, phrases, and sensory details used to create a mood or mental picture in a reader's mind
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iambic pentameter
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ten-syllable line of verse; alternating five unaccented and five accented syllables
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irony
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stylistic device or figure of speech in which the real meaning of the words is different from and opposite to the literal meaning
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novel of manners
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focuses on and describes in detail the social customs and habits of a particular social group
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metaphor
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comparison between two objects, not using "like" or "as"
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meter
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pattern of stressed an unstressed syllables
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mock herioc
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satiric style; encourages the readers to see the ridiculousness of the heroic pretensions of trivial people
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motif
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recurrent device, formula, or situation
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myth
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story that is usually symbolic and extensive, including stories shared across a culture to explain its history and traditions
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narrator
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the character who tells the story
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octave
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in poetry, the first eight lines of the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet
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ode
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a lyric poem with a serious topic and formal tone but without formal patter
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omniscient point of view
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narrative perspective from multiple points of view that gives the reader access to the thoughts of all the characters
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onomatopoeia
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a word that sounds like what it means
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oxymoron
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figure of speech
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parable
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short story with an explicit moral lesson
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paradox
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a statement that may appear contradictory but is actually true
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parody
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style of writing that deliberately seeks to ridicule another style
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pastoral
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poem or play that describes an idealized simple life
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personification
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to endow a non-human object with human qualities
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plagiarism
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to use someone else's thoughts, words, or ideas without giving them appropriate cited credit
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plot
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sequence of narrated events that form a story
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poetic justice
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virtue is rewarded or vice punished
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point of view
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perspective from which people, events, and other details in a story are viewed
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protagonist
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main character
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pseudonym
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false name used to disguise a writer's identity
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pun
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wordplay that exploits the double meaning or ambiguity in a word to create an amusing effect
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quest
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plot that focuses on a protagonist's journey
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realism
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life as it really is
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reductio ad absurdum
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satiric technique in which the author agrees with attitudes or assumptions he wishes to satirize, and then pushes them to a ridiculous extreme in order to expose their foolishness
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refrain
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phrase, line, or group of lines repeated throughout the poem
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resolution
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point of closure to conflict in the plot
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rhetoric
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art of using language to persuade or influence others
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rhyme scheme
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pattern of end rhymes in a poem, noted by small letters
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rising action
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plot structure in which events complicate or intensify the conflict
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romance
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type of novel that presents an idealized picture of life
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rubric
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checklist for scoring that includes guidelines for expectation
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sarcasm
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verbal irony; apparent praise is actually criticism
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satire
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composition which uses humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to point out vice or folly in order to expose, discourage, and change morally offensive attitudes or behaviors
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scansion
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scanning a poem line by line to determine its meter
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setting
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time and place in which the action of a story, poem, or play takes place
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simile
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comparison of two things, using the words "like" or "as"
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soliloquy
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monologue in which a character talks to himself
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sonnet
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fixed verse form; fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter
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stanza
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section of a poem, preceded and followed by an extra line space
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stereotype
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characterization based on the assumption that a personal trait is predictably accompanied by certain characteristics
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stock character
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flat character sketch that fills a classic, easily understood role without much detail
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stream of consciousness
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modern writing style that replicates and records the random flow of thoughts, emotions, memories, and associations
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structure
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arrangement of various elements in a work
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style
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distinctive manner of expression distinguished by the writer's diction, rhythm, imagery, and so on
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syllabus
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outline of course requirements
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symbol
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person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that is not only itself but also stands for something else
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textual support
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brief quotes from a text that is being analyzed; should usually be smoothly integrated into an original, analytical sentence
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theme
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main idea or dominant concern
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tone
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attitude a novel or poem takes toward its subject
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tragedy
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story in which the character begins at a high point but ends badly
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tragic flaw
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error in judgment, accidental wrongdoing, or unwitting mistake that results in tragedy
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tragic hero
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character, often a noble person of high rank, who comes to a disastrous end in his or her confrontation with a superior force
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unreliable narrator
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speaker or voice whose narration is consciously or unconsciously deceiving
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voice
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the style, personality, and tone of a narrative; also teh speaker or narrator
