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literary terminology 3

Terms

undefined, object
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poetry
poem collection; genre characterized by rhythm, rhyme (sometimes), and stanzas, as opposed to prose.
malapropism
confusion of similar-sounding words which often ends up sounding humorous.
prose
literature written in sentences and paragraphs, as opposed to poetry or verse.
nuance
slight shade of meaning or detail.
plot
structure of the literature; the way it is put together; the unfolding or sequence of the events.
mystery play
early dramatizations of the Old and New Testaments.
metaphor
comparison of unlike things without using the word LIKE or AS.
play
story written to be acted out by actors on a stage; contains dialogue and stage directions; drama.
literary realism
literature reflecting real life, rather, than imaginary or idealistic life.
paraphrase
restatement of writing, keeping the basic meaning, but telling it in one's own words.
historical novel
full-length fiction book, using historical facts as its basis for plot or setting, but including imaginary characters and dialogue.
nom de plume
pen name or pseudonym used by author.
personification
literary device where writer attributes human qualities to objects or ideas.
rhetorical question
question asked without expecting an answer; used for effect.
literary parody
satire imitating, but mocking an author or work.
literary motif
recurrent words or phrases.
protagonist
main character, hero, or heroine in a written work.
n.b.
note well ( followed by important point to remember)
novella
short novel with fewer characters than novel.
pun
play on words; words put together in wuch a way as to be humorous.
morality play
early drama involving teaching and preaching of moral principles, usually by allegorical characters.
proverb
saying, adage, or maxium, usually short and generally believed to be true.
plagiarism
using other people's work as one's own without crediting the true author.
moral
a lesson the literature is teaching; fables usually teach a lesson about life.
oxymoron
used of paradoxical or opposite words for effect.
novel
long, fictional prose story.
paradox
contradictory statement that makes sense.
gothic novel
novel with medieval setting suggesting mystery and/or horror.
purple passage
writing that contains flowery, ornate language, often in the midst of otherwise dull passages.
miracle play
early drama based on religious stories; saint play.
point-of-view
perspective from which the story is written; can be omniscient (all knowing), first-person ("I"), shifting between characters, or other.
narration
telling a story.
pseudonym
name author uses instead of his/her really name; nom de plume
op. cit.
used in footnotes/bibliographies to refer to work previously cited or quoted.
litotes
understatement, where a positive is expressed as a negative.
mythology
traditional tales about goddesses, gods, heroes and otehr characters, often telling about the creation of the universe, talking about death, or otherwise philosophically explaining human existence.
picaresque novel
novel characterized by young hero or lower-class, unrespectable background, who leaves home and is faced with a harsh, cruel world, and eventually conforms to its realities.
narrator
person telling the story or narrative

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