Reading & Literature Content

A style of writing that portrays the inner thoughts of a character; may not have regard for language/grammar standards

Language that intentionally distorts or disguises meaning

This era in British lit. (1830-1901) represents a reflection on major transformations and a shift away from romanticism

Beatniks; Confessional poetry

A contradictory statement that makes sense

Naturalism, post-modernism

Shift away from Victorian values; Utopian and science fiction

A long speech made in a play while no other characters speak; usually the speaker is alone on stage

The repetition of a line or phrase of a poem at regular intervals, particularly at the end of each stanza

The flaw that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero; from the Greek word hybris, meaning "excessive pride"

Repetition of final consonant sound in words containing different vowels

A 14-line poem, usually written in iambic parameter, with a varied rhyme scheme

A 19-line poem of five tercets with ABA scheme and a final quatrain of ABAA

A poem that depicts life in an idyllic, idealized way

Beowulf; hymns and elegies

Attribution of human feelings or responses to inanimate things or animals

British Literature 1660-1785

Enlightenment

Two syllables, stressed unstressed (', u) i.e. "MAScot"

The overall feeling created by the author's use of words; how the author feels

Juxtaposition of one sensory image with another that appeals to an unrelated sense i.e. "region where the sun is silent"

Reliance on familiar character types and narrative structures

Use of words to suggest sounds

The multiple use of a word, phrase, or idea for emphasis or rhythmic effect

Canterbury Tales; morality play Everyman; lyric poetry

Any text has more than one interpretation; any interpretive reading can only go to a certain point

Resolution or conclusion of a story

Literature that tries to represent life as it really is

Animals, ideas, and things are represented as having human traits in a literal sense

Focuses on experiences of characters who can't find any inherent purpose in life; ultimately meaningless actions, events

A metrical foot consisting of two syllables, both of which are stressed (',') i.e. "cowboy" or "baseball"

An author's choice of words based on their clarity, conciseness, effectiveness, and authenticity

Three syllables, unstressed unstressed stressed (u, u, ') i.e. "underSTAND"

An expression in which the specific language means something different from the literal meaning

Golden age of Russian poetry; shift towards realism

Records events or situations as they have been remembered, often through the subjective views of the characters

Character, plot, image, theme, or setting that appears in literature across cultures and is repeated over time

American Lit: 1828-1836

Novels composed of idealized events far removed from everyday life; gothic and medieval subgenres

Rogue main character living by his or her wits and is told in a string of loosely connected events

Two syllables, unstressed stressed (u, ') i.e. "da DUM"

Specific type of metaphor that compares two very different things, but with more complexity and clearer juxtaposition

Main character seeking to find something/achieve a goal; overcomes obstacles and becomes wiser over the journey

A lyric or poem on a serious subject, written in dignified language

Harlem Renaissance; Naturalism; Surrealism

Word or phrase that substitutes for an offensive or suggestive one

A genre that uses magic and other supernatural forces as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting

Silly, often stereotyped characters are involved in far-fetched scenarios

Text is viewed as existing independently, & a close reading of the text reveals meaning; no outside knowledge/inference

British Literature 1785-1832

Paradise Lost; Herbert; Carew's elegy for John Donne

Dark & picturesque scenery, startling & melodramatic narrative devices; overall atmosphere of mystery & dread

A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another which it is closely associated i.e. "Hollywood" for L.A.

Represents an idea or generalization about life; includes strong lesson or moral

Examines economic and social class structures; who has power & money; what happens as a result of these differences;

A poem in which a character speaks to listeners whose response is not known, and who may or may not be present

A pun/play on words that results when two words become mixed up in the speaker's mind

Society is viewed as patriarchal; consider gender/orientation and power relations/roles of characters

A comparison of two unlike things, usually including the word like or as

American Lit: 1660-1760

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole

A stanza made up of two rhyming lines

Three syllables, stressed unstressed unstressed (', u, u) i.e. "HAPpiness"

A descriptive phrase or word frequently used to characterize a person or thing

Emphasized a focus on naturalism; serious subjects treated with maximum realism;

American Lit: 1760-1787

The relationship between texts, especially works of literature

A philosophy that values human freedom and personal responsibility; existence means to act independently

Joining of opposites; things that are out of place or absurd

The art and science of text interpretation

New Testament; monk writings on the Crusades; Diet of Worms; Machiavelli's The Prince

Experimental forms of literature are honored; represented by both honoring the past and celebrating popular lit.

Criticism that poets struggle against the earlier influences of previous generations of poets

A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or a phrase at the beginning of several clauses

A rhythmical pattern in verse that is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables

Criticisms or interpretations of a work of literature should not be influenced by the author's background/beliefs

A reference to a familiar person, place, thing, or event within a work of literature

A comparison that explains the connection between objects/ideas that appear to be different

Repetition of same vowel sounds in words close to one another

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in words

Examines Western ethnocentrism, colonization, and imperialism; rejects underrepresented people as "others"

Philosophy valuing individualism, experimentation, idealism, nature, and spirituality

A wise saying, usually short and witty

A feeling the text evokes in the reader

A subtle or implicit comparison is made between two unlike things

6 stanzas of 6 lines and a final triplet; same 6 words at the line ends in 6 different sequences that follow a pattern

A sonnet that includes three quatrains and a couplet

Animals, ideas, and things are represented as having human traits in a figurative sense

American Lit: 1625-1660

Aesthetic (feelings, thoughts) and efferent (elicit facts of the text) responses to text

Ancient epics; religious scriptures and texts; codified laws; early philosophy

Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing; Marlowe and Spenser

Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth; Donne's songs, sonnets, and elegies; Bacon's Reports

Hobbe's Leviathan; Milton's The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates

Sonnet that opens with an octave that states a proposition and ends with a sestet that states the solution

A narrative technique in which the main story is composed primarily for organizing a set of shorter stories

Text is viewed as an expression of the feelings, thoughts, and desires of the author

A short story or folktale, frequently w/ animals, that contains a moral lesson usually expressed in the end

Fireside Poets; Realism; Transcendentalism

A turn from the general audience to address a specific group of persons or personified abstractions