Lit Quarter 1 Vocab

Visceral (Adj)

derived from deep inward feelings or instinct, rather than intellect; course or elemental

Ardent (adj)

enthusiastic, passionate or characterized by strong feelings

Archetype (n)

a recurrent symbol, motif, or character type in literature or mythology

Anachronism (n)

something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time

Penury (n)

extreme poverty of destitution

Liminal (adj)

occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold; transitional

Ignominious (adj)

deserving or causing public disgrace or shame; marked by humiliation.

Intertextuality (n)

relationship between texts, how one shapes interpretation of the other

Avarice (n)

extreme greed for wealth or material gain

Ephemeral (adj)

lasting for a very short time; fleeting

Atavistic (adj)

relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral

Inexorable (adj)

impossible to stop or prevent; relentless

Communion (n)

The sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings; in literature any instance where characters eat together

Surreptitious (adj)

kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of

Fastidious (adj)

very attentive to and concerned about accuracy, detail, or cleanliness

Pedantic (adj)

overly concerned with minute details, rules, or formal book learning

Panacea (n)

a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases

Ameliorate (v)

to make something bad or unsatisfactory better; to improve

Taciturn (adj)

removed or uncommunicative in speech; saying little

Lugubrious (adj)

looking or sounding sad and dismal, often to an exaggerated degree

Sacrilege (n)

violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred

Patriarchal (adj)

relating to or characteristic of a system controlled by men

Chimerical (adj)

existing only as the product to unchecked imagination; wildly fanciful or unrealistic

Geographical (adj)

pertaining to the physical features of the Earth; how landscape shapes character, psychology, plot

Capricious (adj)

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

Obfuscate (v)

to render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible; to deliberately confuse

Primal (adj)

relating to an early stage in evolutionary development; basic and fundamental

Dogmatism (n)

tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or opinions

Archetypal (adj)

representing a universal, ideal pattern or model

Diffident (adj)

modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence

Anthropological (adj)

relating to the study of human societies, cultures, and their development

Execration (n)

the act of cursing or expressing great loathing for someone or something

Christ Figure (n)

a character whose actions, traits, or narrative arc parallel those of Jesus Christ

Perfidious (adj)

deceitful and untrustworthy

Sycophant (n)

a person who praises, pleases, or obeys someone important in order to gain advantage

Isolation (n)

The state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others; a central thematic element in gothic literature

Prognosticate (v)

to foretell or prophesy a future event

Irony (n)

A contrast between expectation and reality; when the actual outcome is strikingly different from what was anticipated

Verisimilitude (n)

the appearance of being true or real

Esoteric (adj)

intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge

Bog (n)

wet, muddy ground too soft to support a heavy body; in Northern European literature, a landscape rich with preserved history, sacrifice, and myth

Malicious (adj)

intending or intended to do harm; characterized by malice

Quest (n)

a narrative structure often involving a knight

Enervate (v)

to cause someone to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken

Insidious (adj)

proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects