literary terminology

the culmination or result of an action, plan or plot

texts tend to be aware of their own artifice, be full of intertextual allusions and ironic rather than sincere

the repeating of 's' sounds for aesthetic effect

a comparison using 'like' or 'as'

a postmodern concept designed to eradicate distinction between literary genres

the use of props, sound, stage direction, and costume to present poetic truths through symbolism

a destructive reduction of an idea, image, concept or text which can employ exaggeration, mimicry, irony and tone

the repeating of a single line in a poem, often the last line of the stanza

satire that uses caricature

the narrator who conveys the story

used sometimes to refer to poetry in general

a poem lamenting a dead person or persons

any of the devices (metaphor, simile etc) whereby art language differentiates itself from functional language

drama observing the rules of Greek and Roman drama following the idea of unity of time, place and plot

the attribution of human emotions to inanimate things

where two words with opposite meanings are placed side by side

an attempt to represent life on stage with minimum interference from convention

Elizabethan/Jacobean drama ignoring rules of classical drama to use large time-spans, sub-plots and many scenes

the telling over several inter-woven stories in one text

the trapper is caught by his own trap (ironic but apt justice)

a poem celebrating a wedding

originally someone who was in touch with their feelings, also a literary genre of the late 18th century

a solo speech by a character addressing no other characters, usually taking place when they are alone on the stage

informal language

the use of exaggeration for effect

the removal of conventional sentence structures and grammar in an attempt to imitate the free flow of thoughts

using something to convey a larger concept or idea

a comparison that creates a direct correspondence

a poem using the devices of an epic to create a parody of an epic's grandeur

generally a 14 line poem with a strict rhyme scheme

movement from the late 18th century onwards, valuing feelings above thought and originality above derivation

a recurring word or phrase, not necessarily as formally arranged as a refrain

to emphasise or make prominent

a foundation of which an opinion is based

moments when a text goes beyond its own fictionality or makes readers aware of the conventions of its fiction

a list of events, tending to focus on action rather than inner life

a song that tells a story or a simple AB AB rhyme structure with simple rhythms

a word meaning a spontaneous expression

(at its simplest) the use of supernatural and/or medieval elements to create a horror story

a lyric address, originally sung to music

ridiculing a text through imitation

latin term for the list of characters in a play

repetition of a few lines at the end of each stanza or (Greek drama) a group of people on stage acting as a communal ch

a drama designed to confront its audience through devices like the alienation effect, to put forward a political POV

a protagonist of a tragedys fatal flaw

a term describing the many ways texts can be interrelated (from quotes and echoing to parody)

a rhetorical device that creates a close, one-to-one comparison

poetry containing predominantly song-like characteristics

a spontaneous or semi-spontaneous event in a public space that combined theatre and art

movements that believe all writing should imitate precedents/genres created by the writers of classical civilisations

the crossing of a boundary of culture or taste

to invest with value

the divisions of a poem

a remark to the audience which other characters on stage do not hear

a genre of plays in which impossible/ridiculous events make a statement about the strangeness/irrationality of existence

a long poem concerned with large events of conflict

an idealised depiction of rural life, sometimes set in 'Arcadia' (an Eden-like land)

something that represents something but is more elusive than specific

used to indicate one person leaving the stage

16th/17th century form of court entertainment emphasising spectacle, costume and theatrical effects rather than plot

the type of literary expression chosen by the author

a novel written in a realistic style which incorporates impossible or unlikely events

the area of language from which a text draws most of its tropes

the name given to experiments carried out in prose, poetry and art from around 1920-1939

the flowing on of a line of poetry so there is no pause at the end of the line

the repeating of the inital letter for aesthetic effect

an extended speech by one person

the use of devices that disrupt the illusion of realistic theatre (e.g breaking the fourth wall)

a comedy featuring exaggerated situations and physical humour usually based around the attempt to preseve respectability

usually used to designate overweening pride in a protagonist of a tragedy

a text that plays games with the readers expectations and/or the expectations aroused by the text itself

an impassioned rant or angry speech of denunciation

a novel where the protagonist's travels and encounters are more important than their character

knowledge based on direct, sensory perceptions of the world (facts established by experience not theory)

the study of how words create meaning

inanimate things mirroring human emotion

an emotional release engendered by an intense experience

a term which describes the appropriation of a text or genre and a rewriting in response

used to indicate several people leaving the stage

the repeating of vowel sounds for aesthetic effect

inclusion of documentary material or material which purports to be documentary

a medieval text that tells a story where barely possible and supernatural events are an essential feature of the action

used to indicate an attempt to decieve the public by over-rating the value of a commodity or experience

a novel written in the form of letters

(according to de Saussure) meaning is created by the partnership of the indicator and indicated, together making a sign

more precise categorisation within literary forms