The Great Gatsby

tone

means of conveying an attitude or mood

connotation

In diction - as opposed to denotation, ______ is the implied or suggested meaning of a word

The denotation of “lamb” is a young sheep.

paradox

a seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth.

allusion

a reference to something

verbal irony

when a person writes or says one thing and means the opposite

situational irony

when actions have an effect that is the opposite of what is intended so the outcome is opposite to what was expected.

dramatic irony

______ is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters. This is the result of the reader having a greater knowledge than the characters themselves.

personification

attributing human characteristics to something not human.

metaphor

a figure of speech in which two unlike things (that actually have something in common) are compared. If the phrase uses “like” or “as,” it is a simile.

anaphora

regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.

For example: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills …”

asyndeton

a figure of speech in which one or several conjunctions are omitted from a series of related clauses. Example: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

polysyndeton

the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (as in "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"). It can increase the rhythm of prose, speed or slow its pace, convey solemnity or even ecstasy and childlike exuberance. Another common use of _______ is to create a sense of being overwhelmed, leaving little room for a reader to breathe.

parallelism

a technique that relies upon the use of the same syntactical structures in a series in order to emphasize an idea.

cumulative (or loose) sentence

a _____________ makes sense if brought to a close before the actual ending.

“We reached Edmonton that morning after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, tired but exhilarated, full of stories to tell our friends and neighbors.”

periodic sentence

a _______________ makes sense fully only when the end of the sentences is reached.

“That morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton.”

simple sentence

a sentence with one independent clause and no dependent clauses.

My aunt enjoyed taking the hayride with you.

compound sentence

a sentence with multiple independent clauses but no dependent clauses.

The clown frightened the little girl, and she ran off screaming.

complex sentence

a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

After Mary added up all the sales, she discovered that the lemonade stand was 32 cents short

compound-complex sentence

a sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Catch-22 is widely regarded as Joseph Heller's best novel, and because Heller served in World War II, which the novel satirizes, the zany but savage wit of the novel packs an extra punch

hortatory speech

speech that is strongly urging a course of action; exhorting; encouraging.

"So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!'“ - Network

admonitory speech

speech that is giving a warning or reprimand.

antecedent

every pronoun refers back to a previous noun. The ________is the term for the noun from which the pronoun derives its meaning.

“Mark and Sandy ran from the zombies who were chasing them”

analogy/analogous

when a reader is asked to think about the correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different. Often, when something unfamiliar is compared to something familiar.

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part refers to the whole. Closely related to metaphor and metonymy.

Examples: hired hands, wheels, bubbly, ivories, pigskin,

metonymy

a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated with it. Examples: Hollywood, Washington, dish, the press, “lend me your ears,” the crown

trope

a _____ is an artful use of diction (typically, a figure of speech)

Metaphor

Simile

Personification

Hyperbole

etc.

scheme

a _____ is an artful use of syntax

Parallelisms

Juxtapositions

Antitheses

etc.

diatribe

in writing or speech, a forceful or bitter attack against someone or something. A polemic is a strong verbal or written attack (without the negative connotation of _______).

antithesis

an opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses.

For example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . .”

allegory/ allegorical

a fictional work in which the characters represent abstract ideas or concepts. It typically presents a moral or political message. Related to: symbolism, metaphor, fable, myth

alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. Related to: assonance, consonance

symbol

a word, place, character, or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level. _____ often serve__s__ to make the abstract more concrete and the complex more simple. In literature, _____ can be cultural, contextual, or personal.

theme

a central idea or statement that unifies and controls an entire literary work. The ___ can take the form of a brief and meaningful insight or a comprehensive vision of life. A _____is the author's way of communicating and sharing ideas, perceptions, and feelings with readers, and it may be directly stated in the book, or it may only be implied.

motif

a conspicuous recurring element, such as a type of incident, a device, a reference, or verbal formula, which appears frequently in works of literature. Frequently, critics use the word motif interchangeably with theme and leit-motif.

leit-motif

originally was coined to designate a musical theme associated with a particular object, character, or emotion. In literature, critics have adapted the term to refer to an object, animal, phrase, or other thing loosely associated with a character, a setting, or event. It is not necessarily a symbol; rather, it is a recurring device loosely linked with a character, setting, or event. It gives the audience a "heads-up" by calling attention to itself.

mood

in literature, a feeling, emotional state, or disposition of mind-especially the predominating atmosphere or tone of a literary work. Most pieces of literature have a prevailing ____ __b__ut shifts in this prevailing ___ may function as a counterpoint, provide comic relief, or echo the changing events in the plot. The term ______ is often used synonymously with atmosphere and ambiance.

style

the author's words and the characteristic way that writer uses language to achieve certain effects.

colloquailism

a _________ is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech or academic writing. Examples: “raining cats and dogs,” “dead as a doornail.”

zeugma

a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses. For example: On his fishing trip, he caught three trout and a cold. or: John, and his license, expired last week.

didatic

intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive. In the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to treat someone in a patronizing way.

parody

an effort to ridicule a work or author by writing an imitation of the work or of the author’s style.

assonance

a type of internal rhyme in which vowel sounds are repeated. For example: My lizard, my lively writher May your limbs never wither

syllogism

in logic, a form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Adjective: _______. Example: Major premise: All mammals are warm-blooded. Minor premise: All black dogs are mammals. Conclusion: Therefore, all black dogs are warm-blooded.

logical fallacy

an error of reasoning. When someone adopts a position, or tries to persuade someone else to adopt a position, based on a bad piece of reasoning, they commit a _______. Example: When the rooster crows, the sun rises. Therefore, the rooster causes the sun to rise.

bildungsroman

a “coming of age story”

A novel that recounts the development (moral, psychological, spiritual) of an individual from childhood to maturity, to the point at which the protagonist recognizes his or her place and role in the world.

Character change is, of necessity, very important to a ________.

picaresque

is a popular sub-genre of fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society.

ambiguity/ ambiguous

when something is uncertain or indefinite and subject to more than one interpretation.

apostrophe

is a figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker. For example: “Oh love, where have you gone?”

apotheosis

when a character or a thing is treated in such a grand or exalted manner that it appears godlike

appositive

a word or phrase that follows a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity. ________ are usually set off by commas. For example: In “Mr. Llewellyn, my English teacher, was eaten by zombies,” “my English teacher” is the appositive for “Mr. Llewellyn.”

hyperbole

a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis. For example: “There were a million people on line at the deli”

jeremiad

a long literary work in which the author bitterly laments the state of society and its morals in a serious tone of sustained criticism. It always contains a prophecy of society's imminent downfall.

bathos

a false or forced emotion that is often humorous. Whereas pathos draws upon deep emotion, _____ takes this emotion to such an extreme that the reader finds it humorous rather than touching.

cliché

a _______ overuse. Good writers normally avoid these trite expressions. "The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot." – S. Dali

an ‘Ad Hoc’ Argument

in argumentation, an _________ argument is one that is hastily constructed to support or explain something without any underlying sense or logical framework.

‘Ad Hominem’ Argument

attempt to discredit a point of view by discrediting the person that holds it. The character of the person that holds a view, though, entails nothing about the truth of that view. Such arguments therefore commit a fallacy of relevance.

begging the question

is a type of logical fallacy in which a proposition is made that uses its own premise as proof of the proposition. In other words, it is a statement that refers to its own assertion to prove the assertion.

elegiac

an ______ is a work (of music, literature, dance, or art) that expresses sorrow. It mourns the loss of something, often the death of a loved one

exemplification

a type of exposition (like definition, process analysis, etc.) in which the author uses a series of examples to support a point.

epiphany

a sudden intuitive insight or perception into the reality or meaning of something, usually brought about by a common occurrence or experience.

In Medias Res

when a story opens in the middle of the action, requiring past details to be filled in through exposition or flashback.

epigraph

a quote set at the beginning of a literary work to set the tone or suggest a theme.

anachronism

the use of historically inaccurate details in a text. For example, a 19th century character using a computer.

invective

the use of angry and insulting language, often in satiric writing.