Literary Terminology LIT2020 MIDTERM EXAM STUDY GUIDE Metaphor a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common w o using like or as Denotation the literal or primary meaning of a word in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests Connotation the associated cultural meaning of a word in addition to its explicit Simile a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared using like Oxymoron a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in meaning or as conjunction Synesthesia a technique adopted by writers to present ideas characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing seeing smell etc at a given time Vernacular the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region Types of Point of View Omniscient All knowing narrator plays no part in the story They can know and tell what any character is thinking and feeling and they know what is happening in all of the story s setting First person The narrator knows and can tell only what he or she thinks and feels may be reliable and trustworthy or an unreliable narrator emotional resident realistic use of I Third person Plays no part in the story knows and can tell what a single character is thinking and feeling use of he or she Privilege Gender male social economic and political advantages or rights that are made available to men solely on the basis of their sex female Class the advantages and immunities enjoyed by a group because of their economic status to the disadvantage of others Race white is a term for societal privileges that benefit white people in western countries beyond what is commonly experienced by the non white people under the same social political or economic circumstances Types of Characters Flat Has 1 or 2 character traits no depth Round have many different character traits that sometimes contradict each other more like real people Dynamic change or grow as a result of the story s action they learn something about themselves other people or the world as they struggle to resolve their conflicts changes contribute to the meaning of the story Static they don t change or grow subordinate characters are often static Plot Plot diagram Chronic vs acute tension Chronic is recurring ever present and incurable too much of this can make the story seem slow and depressing Acute tension is small finite and controllable Timing Pacing the plot of the story is framed by a time span that suits the writer s purpose Slow down time to emphasize a moment of danger and speed up time to skip over events that don t move the story along Flashback a transition in a story to an earlier time that interrupts the normal chronological order of events Flash forward a scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature often used to represent events expected projected or imagined to occur in the future Foreshadowing the use of indicative word or phrases and hints that set the stage for a story to unfold and give the reader a hint of something that is going to happen without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense Definition of a Short Story Edgar Allen Poe s definition A Short Story can be read in one sitting and offers the fairest field for the exercise of the loftiest talent readers aren t distracted by external or extrinsic influences produced by weariness or interruption Authors title of book we read in class George Eliot Brother Jacob real name was Mary Ann Evans and used George Elliot as her pen name From the Victorian era one of the few female writers to experiment with the topic of realism and psychological wisdom Controversy for her denial of Christian faith Edgar Allen Poe Murders in the Rue Morgue best known for his tales of mystery macabre Inventor of detective fiction genre pioneer for the short story His personal life was very unfortunate Nikolai Gogol The Nose prominent figure of Russian literary realism Fyodor Dostoevsky A Christmas Tree A Wedding literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political social and spiritual atmosphere of 19th century Russia Rated as one of the greatest psychologist in world literature Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Wallpaper American Writer feminist and sociologist she served as a role model for future generations of feminists because of her unorthodox concepts and lifestyle Kate Chopin The Maid of Saint Phillipe American feminist writer She had to face severe criticism by male critics for her usage of controversial topics like marriage feminism and suicide John Cheever The Death of Justina American writer themes include the duality of human nature Ralph Ellison Battle Royal his work seen as a seminal work on marginalization from an African American protagonist s perspective Zora Neale Hurston Sweat fixture of Harlem Renaissance born in Eatonville Florida predominately black city James Baldwin Sonny s Blues insightful American writer from Harlem broke new literary ground with the exploration of racial and social issues in his many works Jean Toomer Box Seat important figure of the Harlem Renaissance Mixed European race and he struggle to identify as an American and resisted efforts to classify as a black writer