American Literary Periods & Key Terms: Puritanism to Modernism

Puritanism

A literary period characterized by strict religious beliefs and a focus on morality, often reflecting the values of the Puritan settlers in America.

Rationalism

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason and logic as the primary sources of knowledge, often associated with the Enlightenment.

Romanticism

A literary movement that emphasized emotion, individualism, and the beauty of nature, often reacting against the industrial revolution and rationalism.

Transcendentalism

A philosophical and literary movement that advocated for the inherent goodness of people and nature, emphasizing intuition and self-reliance.

Realism

A literary movement focused on depicting everyday life and society as it is, often highlighting the struggles of ordinary people.

Naturalism

A literary movement that suggested that environment, heredity, and social conditions shape human character, often portraying a deterministic view of life.

Modernism

A literary period marked by a break from traditional forms and subjects, exploring new narrative techniques and themes of alienation and disillusionment.

Local Color

Literature that focuses on the characteristics of a particular region, including its customs, dialect, and culture.

Free Verse

A form of poetry that does not adhere to regular meter or rhyme schemes, allowing for greater freedom of expression.

Symbolist Poetry

A style of poetry that uses symbols to evoke emotions and ideas, often focusing on the subjective experience of the poet.

Imagist Poetry

A movement in early 20th-century poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language.

Exposition

The introduction of background information in a story, including setting, characters, and context.

Inciting Incident

The event that sets the main conflict of the story in motion, leading to the rising action.

Rising Action

The series of events that build tension and develop the conflict in a story, leading up to the climax.

Climax

The turning point of a story, where the main conflict reaches its highest intensity.

Falling Action

The events that follow the climax, leading to the resolution of the story.

Protagonist

The main character in a story, often facing a central conflict.

Antagonist

The character or force that opposes the protagonist, creating conflict in the story.

Foreshadowing

A literary device used to give hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up a story, including the conflict and resolution.

Setting

The time and place in which a story occurs, providing context for the characters and events.

Theme

The central idea or message conveyed by a literary work.

Symbol

An object, character, or event that represents a larger idea or concept in a literary work.

Conflict

The struggle between opposing forces in a story, which can be external (between characters or forces) or internal (within a character).

Irony

A literary device where the intended meaning is opposite to the literal meaning, often highlighting a contrast.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told, influencing how readers perceive the events and characters.

Essay

A short piece of writing on a particular subject, often presenting the author's argument or perspective.

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory but may reveal a deeper truth.

Parallelism

A rhetorical device that involves the repetition of grammatical structures to create rhythm and emphasis.

Aphorism

A concise statement that expresses a general truth or principle.

Allusion

A reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that is not explicitly mentioned.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

Logos

A rhetorical appeal to logic and reason.

Pathos

A rhetorical appeal to emotion, aiming to persuade an audience by eliciting feelings.

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal to credibility and ethical character, establishing trust with the audience.

Meter

The rhythmic structure of a poem, determined by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Rhyme

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

Couplet

A pair of consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same meter.

Heroic Couplet

A couplet consisting of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem, typically written in iambic pentameter, with various rhyme schemes.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem, often described using letters to denote which lines rhyme.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words in a phrase.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as.'

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that is developed over several lines or throughout an entire work.

Simile

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

Personification

A literary device in which human qualities are attributed to non-human entities.

Feet

The basic unit of measurement in poetry, consisting of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables.

End Rhyme

Rhyme that occurs at the end of lines in poetry.

Slant Rhyme

A type of rhyme that is not exact but has similar sounds.

Repetend

A word or phrase that is repeated in a poem or song for emphasis.

Diction

The choice of words and style of expression that an author uses in writing.

Persuasion

The act of convincing someone to believe or do something through argument or reasoning.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities.

Connotation

The implied or suggested meaning of a word, beyond its literal definition.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created by a literary work, influencing how the reader feels.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject matter or audience, conveyed through word choice and style.

Refrain

A repeated line or group of lines in a poem, often at the end of a stanza.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect or emphasis, not requiring an answer.

Eulogy

A speech or piece of writing that praises someone who has died.

Style

The distinctive way in which an author expresses their thoughts through language, including word choice and sentence structure.

Motivation

The reasons behind a character's actions or behavior in a story.

Epistle

A letter or literary composition in the form of a letter, often addressing a specific audience.

Epitaph

An inscription on a tombstone in memory of the person buried there.

Analogy

A comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, often used in English dramatic and epic poetry.

Stereotype

A widely held but oversimplified belief or idea about a particular group of people.

Folk Tale

A story originating in popular culture, typically passed down orally, that conveys moral lessons.

Allegory

A narrative in which characters and events symbolize deeper meanings and moral lessons.

Parable

A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.

Suspense

A feeling of excitement or anxious uncertainty about what may happen next in a story.

Gothic Literature

A genre characterized by dark themes, supernatural elements, and an emphasis on emotion and horror.

Ballad

A form of verse, often a narrative set to music, that tells a story.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally.

Epigraph

A quotation or saying at the beginning of a literary work, often related to its theme.

Elegy

A mournful poem or song, typically written in remembrance of someone who has died.

Aside

A remark made by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters.

Epithet

A descriptive phrase expressing a quality or characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.

Flashback

A scene that interrupts the chronological order of a narrative to depict an event that occurred earlier.

Onomatopoeia

A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes.

Parody

A humorous or satirical imitation of a particular writer, genre, or work.

Satire

A genre that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or mock societal norms or individuals.

Motif

A recurring element, theme, or idea in a literary work.

Dialect

A particular form of a language that is specific to a region or social group, often used to convey authenticity in dialogue.