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A few concepts you need to know for English literature
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What is an assessment?
The evaluation and estimation of the nature,
quality, or ability of someone or something.
Analyzing
literature:
Foreshadow:
literary device in which a writer gives an advance
hint of what is to come later in the story.
Allusions:
when a person or author makes an indirect reference in
speech, text, or song to an event or figure.
Paradox:
statement that is self-contradictory because it often
contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true
at the same time.
Analogy:
comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to
another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea
or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar.
Repetition:
repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make
an idea clearer.
Exposition:
introduction of background information about events,
settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers.
Setting:
includes the geographical location, which can range
from an entire country to one single room. When it all goes down (i.e., the
time or period in which the action takes place).
Point of view:
angle of considering things, which shows us the
opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. It lets the
readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story.
Third person limited:
narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one
character. All characters are described using pronouns, such as 'they', 'he',
and 'she'.
Objective point of view:
the writer tells what happens without stating more
than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue.
Subjective point of view:
A personal point of view or opinion.
Tone:
shows the attitudes toward the subject and toward the
audience implied in a literary work. Tone may be formal, informal, intimate,
solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic, condescending, or many other.
Mood:
it can also be referred to as atmosphere because it
creates an emotional setting in the reader. Affects the reader emotionally and
psychologically to provide a feeling.
Inciting incident:
the event or decision that begins a story's problem.
Round character:
complex and undergo development, sometimes
sufficiently to surprise the reader. Static and dynamic.
Flat character:
two-dimensional in that they are relatively
uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. One sided,
static.
Rising action:
series of relevant incidents that create suspense,
interest and tension in a narrative. Leads to climax.
Climax:
highest or most intense point in the development or
resolution of something.
Falling action:
part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax
has been reached and the conflict has been resolved.
Denouement:
resolution of the issue of a complicated plot in
fiction. Majority of the examples of denouement show the resolution in the
final part or chapter that is often an epilogue.
Theme:
central topic a text treats.
Archetypes:
typical character, an action or a situation that seems
to represent such universal patterns of human nature. Also known as universal
symbol; may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting.
Motif:
can be seen as an image, sound, action or other
figures that have a symbolic significance and contribute toward the development
of theme.
Symbolism:
are images, ideas, sounds or words that represent
something else and help to understand an idea or a thing.
Irony:
it is a difference between the appearance and the
reality.
Verbal irony:
when a character uses statement with underlying
meanings contrasting with its literal meanings. Sarcasm.
Situational irony:
occurs when incongruity appears between expectations
of something to happen, and what actually happens instead.
Dramatic irony:
important stylistic device that is commonly found in
plays, movies, theaters and sometimes in poetry. Useful plot device for
creating situations where audience knows more about the situations, the causes
of conflicts and their resolutions before leading characters or actors.
Socratic irony:
Questioning or reverse phycology. Feigning of
ignorance in order to gain advantage from it (example, playing the fool).
Cosmic irony:
idea that fate, destiny, or a god controls and toys
with human hopes and expectations; also, the belief that the universe is so
large and man is so small that the universe is indifferent to the plight of
man; also called irony of fate.
Foil character:
shows qualities that are in contrast with the
qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of
the other character. It complements.
Metaphor:
Indirect comparison between two elements that are not
necessarily relatable or comparable.
Simile:
Direct comparison between two elements that are
not necessarily relatable or comparable.
Vehicle:
the metaphor.
Tenor:
What’s getting reimagined by the other part of the
metaphor.
Imagery:
represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way
that it appeals to our physical senses.
Hyperbole:
Exaggeration. An over statement.
Personification:
Giving human like qualities to something that is not.
Paradox:
statement that is self-contradictory because it often
contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true
at the same time.
Antithesis:
literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in
which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting
effect.
Oxymoron:
two contradictory words are together in one phrase.
[Sweet-and-sour]
Metonymy:
replaces the name of a thing with the name of
something else with which it is closely associated.
Synecdoche:
part of something represents the whole or it may use a
whole to represent a part.
Allegory:
piece of art or literature, like a poem or story, in
which people, things or happenings have a literal meaning and a deeper meaning.
*
does not include grammar *
*this information was collected in class*
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