Lit Final

Romance

A work of fiction that does not aim at the probable or ordinary in man’s existence. A romance is not subject to nature’s laws, nor at the characters well-rounded or developed.

Prosthesis

The addition of a syllable at the beginning of a word for a rhythm

Periphrasis

Using a longer phrase or group of words for a much shorter word

Aristotle’s definition of tragedy

1. Hamartia
2. Peripeteia
3. Anagnorisis
4. Catharsis

Hamartia

A fatal flaw that leads to the downfall of the main character

Peripeteia

a sudden reversal of fortune

Anagnorisis

the discovery of critical information by a main character

catharsis

the reader’s release of emotions, especially pity or fear

diction

word choice

syntax

the rules that govern sentence structure

apocope

cutting the last syllable off for poetic, metrical reasons

enjambment

in poetry, extending the sentence of metrical verse onto the next line

dramatic monologue

“longish” form of short poetry that reveals inner thoughts of the unidentified speaker. The poet assumes the voice of the character. As the character speaks, he reveals what is really important to him.

didactic

writing with the intention to teach, often overbearing

bildungsroman

a story of becoming an adult

trope

a form of story used throughout history, transcending cultures and time (ex. the journey, coming of age story, the wise fool)

feminine rhyme

the rhyming of the last 2 syllables of a linem

masculine rhyme

the rhyming of the last syllable of a line

epigram

a witticism, a witty saying

epigraph

an excerpt of quotation from a book quoted at the beginning of a chapter in another

the sublime

(according to the romantics) the pinnacle of emotional expression, often found in nature- sunsets, waterfalls, lightning strikes, mountains, and horizon

elegaic rhyme

lines ending with an ABAB rhyme rhyme scheme

sentimentalism

any work that exploits the reader’s feelings of tenderness to a disproportionate degree by presenting an unrealistic view of the subject (Julia moore)

Denouement

the conclusion or resolution of a conflict

4 types of heroes

epic, anti, byronic, tragic

Victorianism Author

Charles Dickens

Romanticism Authors

Hawthorne, Melville, Poe

Transcendentalism representatives and critics

Representatives: Emerson, Thoreau

Critics: Poe, Hawthorne

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Naturalism authors

Stephen Crane, Jack London

Modernism Authors

Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Kafka

Victorianism Dates

1830-1900’s

Victorianism location

only in Great Britain

Romanticism dates

1800-1850

Transcendentalism Location

New England

Transcendentalism dates

c1830-1855

Naturalism Dates and location

1890-1920; US

Modernism dates

1910-1965