eng 214 definitions
Terms
undefined, object
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- Parable
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Brief narrative that teaches a moral but is largly realistic and with human characters. Chuang Tzu's Independance is a parable.
- In Medias Res
- Gives away the exciting part at the beginning, then explains after. William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily is an example.
- Fable
- humorous narrative that illustrates a moral. characters are often animals. The apointment in Samarra is a fable.
- Protagonist
- main character or hero in a work. Sam from A & P is a protagonist.
- Antagonist
- the character the opposes the protagonist. The manager in A & P is an antagonist.
- Exposition
- the beginning of a story where the protagonist is introducted and any additional background information is given.
- Climax
- moment of greatest tension, usually at the end.
- Epiphany
- moment of clarity
- omniscent narrator
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The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of the characters involved.
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interior monologue
- character's thoughts put out as a narrative. The end of Ulysses.
- stream of conciousness
- uses interior monologe and other literary devices to portray the characters' level of conciousness. The Jilting of Granny Weatherall and her rambling is stream of conciousness writing.
- flat character
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no development throughout the story, often not involved in the climax.
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round character
- a character who develops throughout the story, given information in depth and detail
- stock character
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common or stereotypical character that fits certain archetypes.
- atmosphere
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the overriding mood or feeling in a literary work.
- setting
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the time and place of a literary work. A rose for emily's setting is the south in the 1800's
- diction
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word choice in a literary work.
- irony
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writer says one thing but means something entirely different.
- style
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all the distinct ways an author or a genre uses language to create a work.
- tone
- the attitude towards a subject conveyed in a literary work.
- sarcasm
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Saying one thing but actually meaning another.
- summary
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brief condensation of the main idea of a story
- theme
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a reoccuring subject or idea evident in a literary work. In The Rocking-horse winner, greed is a reoccuring theme.