Glossary Quiz 3

ballad

narrative written in verse

epigram

a short statement that reveals a truth, can be snarky

proverb

a short statement that teaches a lesson (religion or culture)

aphorism

a short statement that reveals a truth (summation of theme)

adage

a short statement that passes down wisdom

overview/summary

a concise statement of the main points

paraphrase

a rewording of another person’s statement

stream of consciousness

a style of writing that portrays the inner workings of the speaker’s mind

memoir

a nonfiction story of an important period of a person’s life

biography

a nonfiction story of a person’s entire life

autobiography

a nonfiction story of the author’s life

vignette

a snapshot of a particular moment in time

fable

a short story that teaches a moral (uses animals as symbols)

parable

a short story that teaches a spiritual lesson

exemplum

a short story that serves as an example of how to live life

anecdote

a short person nonfiction story (can serve as evidence)

allegory

a story that is heavily symbolic

homily

a nonfiction work that gives moral or spiritual advice

elegy

a nonfiction speech work that expresses sorrow

criticism

a nonfiction work that evaluates the quality of an art piece

apologia

a nonfiction work that defends one’s opinions or beliefs

satire

the use of humor and irony to ridicule societal ills and human vices

pastoral

a work that idealizes country life

parody

a close imitation of another work, intended to ridicule

science fiction

a work of fiction that has elements of science

fantasy

a work of fiction that has elements of magic

romance

a work of fiction that has an idealized hero who succeeds at a quest

comedy

a work of fiction that ends well for the characters

tragedy

a work of fiction that ends badly for the characters usually through personal flaws

farce

a work of fiction in which there are ridiculous characters in far-fetched situations

tall tale

a work of fiction in which the elements are outrageously exaggerated