literary terminology

the crossing of a boundary of culture or taste

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

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

to emphasise or make prominent

a word meaning a spontaneous expression

the divisions of a poem

a long poem concerned with large events of conflict

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

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

the repeating of 's' sounds for aesthetic effect

the culmination or result of an action, plan or plot

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

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

inanimate things mirroring human emotion

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

a comparison that creates a direct correspondence

used sometimes to refer to poetry in general

the narrator who conveys the story

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

the repeating of vowel sounds for aesthetic effect

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

a poem lamenting a dead person or persons

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

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

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

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

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

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

using something to convey a larger concept or idea

used to indicate several people leaving the stage

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

poetry containing predominantly song-like characteristics

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

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

an extended speech by one person

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

used to indicate one person leaving the stage

a postmodern concept designed to eradicate distinction between literary genres

informal language

the use of exaggeration for effect

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

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

inclusion of documentary material or material which purports to be documentary

the type of literary expression chosen by the author

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

an emotional release engendered by an intense experience

where two words with opposite meanings are placed side by side

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

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

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

more precise categorisation within literary forms

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

the telling over several inter-woven stories in one text

a protagonist of a tragedys fatal flaw

an impassioned rant or angry speech of denunciation

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

generally a 14 line poem with a strict rhyme scheme

ridiculing a text through imitation

a comparison using 'like' or 'as'

something that represents something but is more elusive than specific

a lyric address, originally sung to music

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

satire that uses caricature

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

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

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

the repeating of the inital letter for aesthetic effect

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

latin term for the list of characters in a play

the attribution of human emotions to inanimate things

the study of how words create meaning

a poem celebrating a wedding

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

to invest with value

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

a foundation of which an opinion is based

a novel written in the form of letters

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

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