Foundational Literary Terms and Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering essential literary terms, genres, devices, and analytical frameworks introduced in the lecture notes.

Fiction

Literature created from the imagination and not presented as fact, though it may draw on real events or people; includes novels, short stories, and novellas.

Nonfiction

Prose writing based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biography or history.

Genre

A classification of literary works by form, content, and style (e.g., poetry, drama, novel, fiction, nonfiction).

Canon

The body of books and texts considered the most important and influential within a specific time period or culture.

Prose

Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.

Novel

A book-length fictitious prose narrative that portrays characters and action with some degree of realism.

Short Story

A concise narrative with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel.

Poetry

Literary work that expresses ideas and emotions with special intensity through distinctive style, rhythm, and often meter.

Drama

A portrayal of fictional or non-fictional events through performed dialogue (prose or poetry); commonly called a play.

Memoir

A historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or specialized sources.

Folktale

A traditional story originating in popular culture and passed down orally.

Literary Era (Movements)

Time periods marked by major cultural, artistic, or societal shifts that shape literature (e.g., Enlightenment, Romantic, Modern, Postmodern).

Literary Elements

Fundamental components of a literary work such as character, setting, plot, theme, exposition, and denouement.

Critical Approaches (Lenses)

Frameworks for analyzing literature by focusing on specific perspectives, such as Marxist, Feminist, Historical, or Psychoanalytic.

Literary Devices

Tools writers use to hint at larger themes and meanings, including techniques like symbolism, imagery, and allusion.

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that conveys a hidden moral or political meaning through symbolic figures and actions.

Allusion

A brief reference to a person, place, event, or another literary work presumed to be known by the reader.

Imagery

Descriptive or figurative language that appeals to the senses to create vivid mental pictures.

Symbolism

The practice of using objects, colors, or events to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal sense.

Theme

The underlying message or central idea explored in a literary work.