Untitled Flashcards Set

Text

Any form of written or spoken material that can be analyzed for meaning, structure, and content.

Context

Circumstances or environment in which a text was produced or is being interpreted, including historical, cultural, social, and personal factors.

Literary Theory

The framework or approach used to analyze, interpret, and evaluate literary works.

Literary Criticism

The analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literature using various theories.

Authorial Intention

The meaning or purpose that the author had in mind when writing a text.

Intentional Fallacy

The concept arguing against determining an author's intentions to understand a text's meaning.

Affective Fallacy

The error of judging a text solely by its emotional effect on the reader.

Close Reading

A method focusing on detailed examination of a text's language, structure, and meaning.

New Criticism

An approach emphasizing close reading of a text as a self-contained object.

Formalism

A literary theory focusing on the form and structure of a work, rather than its content.

Reader-Response

A theory suggesting the meaning of a text is co-created by the reader and the text itself.

Interpretive Communities

Groups of readers who share common interpretive strategies influenced by cultural factors.

Structure

The way a text is organized and how its parts relate to each other.

Prosody

The study of the rhythmic and melodic aspects of language.

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounds, typically at the ends of lines in poetry.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines in a poem.

Slant Rhyme

Occurs when words have similar but not identical sounds.

Meter

The structured rhythm of a poem, determined by stressed and unstressed syllables.

Regular Meter

Follows a predictable pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Irregular Meter

Does not follow a strict pattern, allowing for variation in rhythm.

Foot

A unit of meter in a poem consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Stressed Syllables

Pronounced with greater emphasis.

Unstressed Syllables

Pronounced with less emphasis.

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem, typically separated by a space.

Repetition

The recurrence of words, phrases, or sounds in a text.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of closely connected words.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity.

Caesura

A pause or break within a line of poetry.

Enjambment

When a line of poetry continues onto the next line without a break.

Diction

The choice of words and style of expression used by the author.

Connotation

The set of associations or emotional implications that a word carries.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Figurative Language

Uses metaphors, similes, and other devices to convey meaning beyond the literal level.

Trope

A common or recurring theme, motif, or figure of speech in literature.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that describes something as if it were something else.

Tenor

The subject of a metaphor, the thing being described.

Vehicle

The image or object used to describe the tenor in a metaphor.

Simile

A figure of speech that directly compares two things using 'like' or 'as'.

Personification

Attribution of human qualities or characteristics to non-human entities.

Apostrophe

A direct address to an absent or imaginary person or thing.

Symbol

An object that represents a larger idea or theme.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, event, or literary work.

Convention

An established practice or style widely accepted in literature.

Ambiguity

A situation in which a word, phrase, or text has multiple meanings.

Tone

The author's attitude or approach toward the subject matter.

Verse Forms

Specific patterns of rhyme, meter, and structure in poetry.

Shakespearean Sonnet

A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme (ABABCDCDEFEFGG).

Petrarchan Sonnet

A 14-line poem divided into an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet.

Volta

The shift in a sonnet where the argument or theme changes direction.

Ghazal

A form of poetry consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain.

Textual Criticism

The scholarly study of texts to determine their original form.

Biographical Criticism

Analyzes a text in relation to the author's life and experiences.

Old Historicism

Literary approach emphasizing the importance of historical context.

Narrative Poetry

Poetry that tells a story, often with characters and a plot.

Genre

A category or type of literature, each with its own conventions.

Didacticism

Literature intended to teach or instruct.

Points of View

Perspectives from which a story is told.

Reliable Narrator

Provides an accurate, truthful account of events.

Unreliable Narrator

May distort the truth, creating ambiguity.

Character

A person, animal, or entity in a narrative work.

Flashback

A narrative device that reveals past events important to the plot.

Foreshadowing

A technique used to hint at future events in the story.

Epigraph

A short quotation placed at the beginning of a book or chapter.

Linear Narration

Follows a chronological order of events.

Non-linear Narration

Presents events out of chronological order.

Setting

The time, place, and context in which a story occurs.

Irony

A discrepancy between expectation and reality.

Epistolary Novel

A novel written in the form of letters, diary entries, or documents.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden realization or insight.

Flat Characters

One-dimensional characters lacking depth.

Round Characters

Complex and fully developed characters.

Vignette

A short, descriptive piece of writing capturing a moment.

Prose Poem

A work blending characteristics of prose and poetry.

Memoir

A non-fiction work reflecting on the author's personal experiences.

Bildungsroman

A coming-of-age story focusing on the protagonist's growth.