Bernheim Final

Rara Avis

T.C. Boyle

Night Women

Edwidge Dandicat

The Courtship of Mr. Lyon

Angela Carter

Are These Actual Miles?

Raymond Carver

The Immortals

Martin Amis

The Lifeguard

Mary Morris

The Elephant Vanishes

Haruki Murakami

The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff

Patrick Chamoiseau

A Family Supper

Kazuo Ishiguro

The House Behind

Lydia Davis

Happy Endings

Margaret Atwood

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

T.S. Eliot

This Be The Verse

Phillip Larkin

Waiting for Godot

Samuel Beckett

Excuses I Have Already Used

Antonia Clark

The Little Girl by the Fence at School

William Stafford

Adolescence II

Rita Dove

Bilingual Sestina

Julia Alvarez

Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio

James Wright

the mother

Gwendolyn Brooks

Girl

Jamacia Kincaid

One Art

Elizabeth Bishop

Regrets

Allison Joseph

Starry Night

Anne Sexton

Not My Best Side

U.A. Fanthorpe

The Colonel

Carolyn Forche

Girl, Interrupted

Susanna Kaysen

Kindred

Octavia Butler

100 Demons

Lynda Barry

Archetype

A universal example or model of a character, theme, or symbol frequently seen in literature and art. (In example, The Lifeguard has the archetypal mother)

Dynamic Character

A character who undergoes significant internal change throughout the story, often experiencing growth or transformation.

Static Character

A character who remains largely unchanged throughout the story, showing little to no personal growth or transformation.

Unreliable Narrator

A narrator whose credibility is compromised, leading to distorted perspectives or biased accounts of the story. (ex. Susanna in Girl, Interrupted)

Magic Realism

A literary genre that blends magical elements with realistic settings, often presenting extraordinary events as part of everyday life. (ex. The Courtship of Mr. Lyon)

Exposition

The introduction of background information, characters, and setting in a narrative, often establishing the context for the story.

Climax

The turning point of a narrative, where the plot reaches its most intense moment, leading to the eventual resolution. (ex. the girl choking on a grape in The Lifeguard)

Motif

A recurring element or theme in a literary work that has symbolic significance and helps develop the narrative. (ex. the well in A Family Supper)

Theme

The central idea or underlying message of a literary work, often reflecting on universal concepts and human experiences. (ex. Kindred’s is the ongoing effects of racism and slavery)

Falling Action

The events that follow the climax, leading to the resolution of the story. (ex. the woman saving the girl from choking on the grape)

Resolution

The final part of a narrative where the story's conflicts are resolved.

Tone

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

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight experienced by a character.

Stereotype

A widely held but oversimplified belief or idea about a particular group of people. (Kindred deals with this a lot)

Microcosm

A small, representative system that reflects a larger whole, often used to illustrate broader societal issues. (what)

symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, often conveying deeper meanings in literature and art. (ex. some people argue that Godot might be a symbol representing god / a god)

gratuitous

unnecessary or excessive

catharsis

purging of the emotions (ex. 100 demons)

vingette

a brief, evocative description or scene in literature that captures a moment or feeling. (ex. 100 Demons)

In medias res

starting a story in the middle (ex. the elephant vanishes)

metaphor

a figure of speech that involves an implied comparison between two unlike things, suggesting they are alike in a meaningful way.

simile

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

stanza

a grouped set of lines in a poem

postmodernism

a late-20th-century reaction against modernism, characterized by a questioning of narratives and embracing of pluralism and complexity in art and literature. (ex. waiting for godot)

allusion

a brief reference to a person, place, event, or literary work, often used to convey deeper meaning.

sensual

appealing to the senses (ex. adolescence II)

language

the specific vocabulary, syntax, and stylistic choices an author uses to create a text and convey meaning, tone, and effect (ex. the way people speak in Kindred in the past vs present)

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told, influencing how readers interpret the narrative and characters.

epigraph

a quotation at the beginning of a literary work, often used to set the theme or tone. (ex. prufrock)

pastoral

a literary genre that idealizes rural life and nature, often highlighting the simplicity and beauty of the countryside.