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Literary Terms
Basic Terms for Comp. II
34
English
Undergraduate 1
08/31/2010

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Term
criticism
Definition
the study and interpretation of literature
Term
theme
Definition
the abstract moral or observation which a literary work tells or suggests through action, character, setting, ect.
Term
satire
Definition
the type of literature which seeks moral improvement through ridiculing the bad and the ugly
Term
character
Definition
fictional personage in literary work
Term
protagonist
Definition
the chief character in a literary work
Term
antagonist
Definition
the principal opposing character to the protagonist
Term
foil
Definition
a character whose primary function is to set off another character
Term
plot
Definition
the action or events of a story, considered as a unit
Term
denouement
Definition
the conclusion or resolution of the plot
Term
conflict
Definition
the struggle which actuates the plot: man against man, himself, society, etc.
Term
setting
Definition
the physical situation in which a work takes place. Often has symbolic value
Term
point-of-view
Definition
the perspective from which a literary work is told-1st person, 3rd person
Term
persona
Definition
literally a mask: the "second self" created by an author to present the narrative
Term
stream-of-consciousness
Definition
narrative point-of-view which seeks to present the mental flow of a character: ultimate realism
Term
figure
Definition
technically, using laguage in an unusual way--generally it is meant to refer language that is symbolic
Term
abstracet
Definition
language that refers to ideas, concepts, and qualities as opposed to tangible, percepible, immediate things (concrete): God, honor, love.
Term
concrete
Definition
opposite to abstract.
Term
symbol
Definition
something that stands or exists on its own while also serving to stand for something else. Expressing the abstract by using the concrete.
Term
imagery
Definition
words of sensory experience, akin to concrete, and often symbolic in significance. An image is a sensory picture: anything with a specific physical being.
Term
simile
Definition
a comparision between two things with like or as
Term
metaphor
Definition
a direct or implied comparison of unlike things
Term
analogy
Definition
a sustained comparison between two things. Seeks to make something more vivid and impressive by using concrete, specific items of comparison.
Term
allegory
Definition
a lengthy narrative in which abstract qualities are personified as characters.
Term
denotation
Definition
the literal, dictionary definition of a word.
Term
connotation
Definition
the emotional, historical, and other associative and suggestive meanings attached to a word.
Term
allusion
Definition
a reference to a previous literary work or character, or more generally an allusion to something outside a work.
Term
ambiguity
Definition
a word, phrase, or situation which maybe interpreted in more than one way.
Term
hyperbole
Definition
deliberate overstatement for rhetorical effect.
Term
understatement
Definition
an ironical figure which de-emphasizes the importance of a statement
Term
irony
Definition
saying one thing while meaning something else. Irony is a figure of speech which points outthe difference between apperances and reality.
Term
oxymoron
Definition
deliberately combininb opposite or illogical words
Term
paradox
Definition
a statement which seemingly contradictory or illogical is true
Term
personification
Definition
a figure which endows animals, ideas, objects, and abstractions with human attributes or personality.
Term
synesthesia
Definition
mixing sensory perception, specificaly using one sense to describe another.
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