STEOP: VO Introduction to the Study of Literature Flashcards

Flashcards with vocabulary terms and definitions from the lecture notes.

Literature as Ambiguous

Literary texts have internal ambiguities and allow for various interpretations.

Literature as a Valued Kind of Writing

Written work valued for superior or lasting artistic merit.

Descriptive Definitions

Avoided by scholars, uses Descriptive criteria, based on textual and contextual factors.

Functional definition of Literature

That which is studied and read as literature

Literary Theory

The study of other people’s attempts to label and define literature.

Literary History

The study of what has been read and labelled as ‘literature’ at particular points in time.

Textual analysis / interpretation

The analysis of individual texts according to particular criteria in order to find out how their effect on the reader is created.

Literary History

Focuses on historical areas of enquiry into the development of literatures.

Textual Analysis and Interpretation

Employs analytical categories and methods to produce a precise and comprehensible account of the content, linguistic, formal, and structural characteristics of literary texts, does not aim to investigate the one meaning of a text.

Genre

A group of literary works that share significant characteristics in terms of content, form and/or function, signposts for authors and recipients.

Four Major Genre Areas

Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Television and Film