Lit Crit

Middle English Period

The period of English literature that produced notable works such as The Canterbury Tales and Le Morte Darthur.

Meditation

A work—usually religious or philosophical—in which serious subjects are handled in a reflective, contemplative manner.

Poem

A composition typically characterized by imagination, emotion, significant meaning, and concrete language.

Idiolect

One person's particular language, including vocabulary and pronunciation, that is slightly different from everyone else's.

Apocope

The omission of a final vowel in a word, as in 'th’ orient'.

Antonomasia

A figure of speech where a proper name is substituted for a general idea it represents.

Avant-garde

A term applied to innovative writing that shows striking changes in style, form, and subject matter.

Jeremiad

A work that foretells destruction because of the evil of a group.

Spondee

A metrical foot composed of two extended syllables, as in 'football'.

Pitch

A quality of articulated sound determined by frequency, intensity, and volume.

Feudalism

A system of social and political organization prevalent in Western Europe during the medieval period.

Petrarchan conceit

An elaborate comparison expressing the beauty and cruelty of the beloved and the suffering of the forlorn lover.

Expatriate

A term for those who leave their native lands to reside elsewhere.

Paragoge

The addition of an extra letter or syllable at the end of a word, as in 'dearie' for 'dear'.

Dialectic

The art of argumentation or debate, often referring to ongoing discussion of unresolved issues.

Tautology

The use of repetitious words that repeat an idea without adding clarity.

Terza Rima

A three-line stanza rhyming aba bcb cdc, supposedly devised by Dante.

Cognate

Words that are descended from a common linguistic ancestor.

Psalm

A brief statement of wisdom or a sacred song.

Begging the Question

A fallacious argument where a conclusion is presented without a proved premise.

Requiem

A chance embodying a prayer for the repose of the dead.

Recension

A revision or editing of a manuscript.

Ratiocination

A process of reasoning from data to conclusions, made significant in literature by Poe.

Didacticism

Instructiveness in a work, particularly moral, ethical, or religious.

Caricature

Writing that exaggerates certain qualities to produce a ridiculous effect.

Stanza

A grouping of two or more verse lines in terms of length, metrical form, and rhyme schemes.

English Sonnet

A sonnet consisting of three quatrains followed by a couplet.

School of Night

Another name for the metaphysical poets.

Anthology

A collection of writings usually by various authors.

Epistolary

Literature written entirely or partly as letters.

Iamb

A foot in poetry consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable.

Leitmotif

A recurrent word, phrase, or idea that unifies a work.

Chantey

A sailors' song marked by strong rhythm, often used during hard labor.

Dramatic irony

When the words or actions of a character carry a meaning unperceived by the character but understood by the audience.

Metathesis

The interchange of sounds in a word, as in 'perty' for 'pretty'.

Epiphany

A manifestation of a divine being or an event wherein the essence of something is suddenly perceived.

Spoof

A light, satirical parody of a work, style, or genre.

Oxymoron

A self-contradictory combination of words.

Portmanteau words

Words formed by combining two words into one, such as 'cosplay' from 'costume' and 'roleplay'.

Surrealism

A movement in art that expresses imagination as realized in dreams.

Suspension of disbelief

The audience's willingness to ignore questions about truth or accuracy in a work.

Ernest Hemingway

Not among the authors contributing to American Literature of the 19th century.

John Steinbeck

American author known for The Pearl, The Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men.

To bowdlerize a piece of writing is to...

Remove material considered offensive.

Rudyard Kipling

The 19th century English author of The Jungle Book and Barrack-Room Ballads.

Louise Gluck

The most recent American winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 2020.

Not one of the works of James Joyce...

Pygmalion.

Caedmon

The first English poet known by name, author of Hymns.

E. M. Forster

The author of A Passage to India and A Room with a View.

Ockham’s Razor

The principle that states entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.

Kailyard School

Scottish writers dealing idealistically with village life.

Period of the Confessional Self

A period of American literature focusing on uncertainty and internal conflict.

Impressionistic criticism

Criticism emphasizing how a work of art affects the critic.

Naturalism

The application of scientific determinism principles to literature.

Not one of the works of William Shakespeare...

The Spanish Tragedy.

Samuel Pepys

The author of the most famous diary in English kept between 1660 and 1669.

Oxford English Dictionary

The greatest of all English dictionaries.

Reggae

A style of music originating in Jamaica, popularized in the 1970s.

Lollards

Followers of John Wycliffe, who inspired religious reform in England.

Modern English is said to have emerged in...

c. 1500.