HU 142 Midterm Vocabulary

Deus Ex Machina

"A god out of the machine" artificial, convenient, easy, and illogical solution of problems

Anaphora

"To carry again or repeat" repetition of same word or phrase throughout a work or section of a work

Denouement

"Untying/resolution" final stage of plot development, in which mysteries are explained, characters find their destinies, etc.

Omniscient Point of View

3rd-person narrative in which the speaker or narrator, with no apparent limitations, may describe intentions, actions, reactions, locations, and speeches of any or all of characters and may also describe their innermost thoughts

Symbol or Symbolism

A specific word, idea, or object that may stand for ideas, values, persons, or ways of life

Satire

An attack on human follies or vices, as measured positively against a normative religious, moral, or social standard

Genre

Category of literature, such as fiction or poetry

Protagonist

Central character and focus of interest in narrative or drama

Dynamic Character

Character who tries to assert control by recognition, adjustment, and change

Archetype

Character, action, or situation that is a prototype or pattern of human life generally; a situation that occurs over and over again in literature (i.e. Myths)

Flat Character

Character, usually minor, who is not individual, rather useful and structural, static and unchanging

Feminist Critical Approach

Critical approach designed to raise consciousness about importance and unique nature of women in literature

Gender Studies

Critical approach that brings attention to gender rather than sexual differences

Explication

Detailed analysis of work of literature often word by word and line by line; a close reading

Close Reading

Detailed study of a poem or passage, designed to explain characters, motivations, similarities and contrasts of sound, situations, ideas, style, organization, word selections, setting, etc.

Motif

Element, subject, idea, or concept that is constantly present or repeated throughout a work of literature

Historical Context

Historical time when a work was written, together with intellectual and cultural ideas of this period

Parody

Imitation of particular writer, artist or genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect

Economic Determinist

Interpretive literary approach based on theories of Karl Marx, stressing that literature is to be judged from standard of economic and social inequality and oppression

Psychological/Psychoanalytical Critical Approach

Interpretive literary approach stressing how psychology may be used in explanation of both authors and literary works

Round Character

Literary character who is 3-D, rounded, authentic, memorable, original, and true to life. Undergoes change or development

Authorial Intrusion

Literary device wherein author penning work speaks directly to reader

Juxtaposition

Literary device wherein author places person, concept, place, idea or theme parallel to another. Purpose is to highlight contrast and compare them

Pastihe

Literary piece that imitates one or more other literary works

Epic

Long narrative poem elevating character, speech, and action

Irony

Major aspect of literature tone, a means of indirection, based on proposition that even the simplest events in human life may be seen in multiple ways

Theme

Major or central idea of a work

Connotation

Meanings that words suggest; overtones of words beyond their bare dictionary definitions or denotations

Comedy of the Absurd

Modern form of comedy dramatizing the apparent pointlessness, ambiguity, uncertainty, and absurdity of human existence

Conflict

Opposition between two characters, between large groups of people, or between protagonists and larger forces such as natural objects, ideas, modes of behavior, public opinion and the like

Antagonist

Person, idea, force, or general set of circumstances opposing protagonist

Open-Form Poetry

Poems that avoid traditional structural patterns, such as rhyme or meter, in favor of other methods of organization

Hubris

Pride and attitudes that lead to tragic figures to commit their mistakes or offenses

Pathos

Quality in a work of art that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy, and sorry

Image or Imagery

References that trigger the mind to fuse together memories of sights (visual), sounds (olfactory), sensations of touch (tactile), and perceptions of motion (kinetic or kinesthetic)

Stream of Consciousness

Refers to an uninterrupted and unhindered collection and occurrence of thoughts and ideas in the conscious mind

Melodrama

Sentimental dramatic form with an artificially happy ending

Unreliable Narrator

Speaker who through ignorance, self-interests, or lack of capacity may tell lies and distort details

Dramatic Irony

Special kind of situational irony in which a character perceives his/her plight in limited way whereas audience and one or more other characters understands entirely

Soliloquy

Speech made by character, alone on stage, directly to the audience, the convention being that the character is revealing his or her inner thoughts, etc.

Exposition

Stage of dramatic or narrative structure that introduces all things necessary for development of plot

Denotation

Standard, minimal meaning of a word, without implications or connotations

Coming-of-Age Story

Story of young person's first experiences with adulthood

Epiphany

Sudden realization of something important. Often at or near end of work of fiction. Particularly important in works of James Joyce

Metafiction

Term given to fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in order to pose questions about relationship between fiction and reality

Allusion

Unacknowledged references and quotations that authors make while assuming readers will recognize original sources and relate their meanings to the new context

Farce

Word derived from Latin farsus, meaning "stuffed." Outlandish physical comedy overflowing with silly characters, improbable happenings, wild clowning, extravagant language, and bawdy jokes