ENG2413: World Literature Final Exam Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary and key conceptual flashcards covering major literary movements, narrative techniques, and thematic elements from the ENG2413 World Literature final exam study guide.

Shahrazad

A character in The Thousand and One Nights who embodies wisdom and cunning, using storytelling as a means of survival and empowerment.

Frame narrative

A storytelling structure used in The Thousand and One Nights and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to enhance the narrative and influence the development of themes.

Satire

A literary device used by Chaucer in “The General Prologue” of Canterbury Tales to critique various social classes.

Soliloquy

A dramatic device, exemplified by Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be,” used to reflect on life and death and explore the broader themes of a play.

Antic disposition

A state assumed by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Hamlet to advance the themes of appearance versus reality.

Tragedy

A literary structure, as seen in Hamlet, to which the theme of revenge contributes.

Romanticism

A literary movement that differs from the Enlightenment by emphasizing individual emotion, nature, the sublime, and a fascination with the past.

The Sublime

A portrayal within the works of Romantic poets, often using nature to explore the theme of individualism.

Gothic

Elements incorporated into the works of Romantic writers like Edgar Allan Poe, often signifying a fascination with the past.

Realism

A movement that uses internal conflict and understatement to explore the complexities of human relationships and societal norms, as seen in Anton Chekhov's “The Lady with the Dog.”

Magical Realism

A literary style used by García Márquez in “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” to make social commentary through a character like the old man with wings.

Post-colonial Literature

Literature by writers like Chinua Achebe that uses narrative techniques to challenge colonial perspectives and address themes of displacement and belonging.

Hybridity

A significant concern for post-colonial writers, explored in “Chike’s School Days” through education and the protagonist's lineage.

Theme

The central idea or underlying message in a literary work, such as justice and retribution, appearance versus reality, or action versus inaction.

Protagonist

A lead character whose typical depictions may be challenged in realist literature, such as Gurov in “The Lady with the Dog.”

Imagery

Visual or descriptive language used to convey meaning, such as the disease and decay in Hamlet or the vitality of the tomato in Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to the Tomato.”

Understatement

A literary technique used by Anton Chekhov in “The Lady with the Dog” to enhance the exploration of complex emotions.

Enlightenment

The intellectual movement from which Romanticism fundamentally differs, particularly in the role and importance assigned to emotion.