Greatbooks (1-3): The Canon, The Classics, The Odyssey, Dante's Divine Comedy, and Allegory

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the Canon, Homeric epics, and Dante’s Divine Comedy, plus related literary terms and allegory.

Canon

The accepted body of authentic works deemed valuable and worthy of preservation and transmission.

Literary canon

Works regarded as authentic and good literature, assumed to be worth preserving and passing on.

Classic

A work (or group of works) regarded with high praise; part of the Classics; top of the canonical hierarchy.

Masterpiece

A work of outstanding artistry and skill.

Bestseller

A book that sells in large numbers.

Homer

Ancient Greek poet credited with The Iliad and The Odyssey; pivotal in moving from oral to written epic.

Iliad

Homer’s epic about the Trojan War.

Odyssey

Homer’s epic about Odysseus’s ten-year journey home, including temptations, monsters, and clever strategy.

Asia Minor

Geographic region believed to be Homer’s homeland; includes Smyrna.

Smyrna

Coastal city in Asia Minor; possibly Homer’s birthplace.

Chios

Ionian island possibly associated with Homer.

Ios

Island where Homer is said to have died.

Ionic Greek

Archaic Greek dialect used by Homer; basis of Epic Greek.

Aeolic Greek

Greek dialect contributing to the Homeric language.

Homeros

Greek word meaning 'hostage' or 'one who is forced to follow' (also sometimes linked to 'blind').

Odysseus

Hero of the Odyssey; renowned for cunning and leadership.

Sirens

Sea nymphs whose tempting songs lure sailors; Odysseus avoids them by having his crew block their ears and bind him.

Scylla

Sea monster to be avoided along with Charybdis.

Charybdis

Treacherous whirlpool/sea monster; navigation hazard in the Odyssean voyage.

Polyphemus

Cyclops, son of Poseidon, encountered by Odysseus.

Helios

Sun god whose cattle Odysseus’s crew slaughters, bringing disaster.

Calypso

Nymph who keeps Odysseus on Ogygia; Odysseus eventually departs.

Ulysses

Roman name for Odysseus.

Ilion

Ancient name for Troy.

Beatrice Portinari

Beatrice, Dante’s beloved and an inspiration in his Divine Comedy.

Vita Nuova

Dante’s early work about Beatrice and love.

La Divina Commedia / La Commedia

Dante’s Divine Comedy; epic journey through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.

Inferno

First cantica of the Divine Comedy; Hell with 34 cantos; guided by Virgil.

Purgatorio

Second cantica; Purgatory with 33 cantos where souls are cleansed.

Paradiso

Third cantica; Paradise with 33 cantos; culminates in the Beatific Vision.

Terza rima

Italian verse form used by Dante; tercets linked by a chain rhyme (ABA, BCB, CDC, etc.) with 11-syllable lines.

Cantos

Individual sections of a long narrative; The Divine Comedy contains 100 cantos.

Pilgrim

Dante’s alter ego in the Divine Comedy; the traveler through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.

Virgil

Ancient Roman poet who guides Dante through Inferno in the Divine Comedy.

Gate of Hell

Entrance to Hell in Inferno; scene with the souls awaiting judgment.

Great Refusal

Angels' or souls’ refusal to serve God; in Dante, associated with Lucifer as the emblematic figure.

Vuolsi cosi…

'It is willed thus'; a key phrase associated with Dante’s text.

Aeneid

Virgil’s epic; referenced in Dante’s work for Virgilian subtext.

Allegory

A representation of a deeper meaning through concrete forms; extended metaphor with a double meaning.

Extended metaphor

A long metaphor where the literal action carries symbolic meaning throughout.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration used for emphasis as a figure of speech.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using like or as.

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Irony

A figure of speech where the intended meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning.

Stockholm syndrome

A psychological phenomenon where hostages develop positive feelings toward captors; noted in Odysseus–Calypso context.