Literary Terms and Genres PDF

LITERARY TERMS AND GENRES ETI 102 *Introduction to Literary Terms Persona: a character/mask assumed by an author or a poet in a written work. For example, the speaking voice or persona created by Dylan Thomas in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” Theme: A main idea or an underlyi...

LITERARY TERMS AND GENRES ETI 102 *Introduction to Literary Terms Persona: a character/mask assumed by an author or a poet in a written work. For example, the speaking voice or persona created by Dylan Thomas in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” Theme: A main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly. (e.g. death and defiance) Imagery: consists of words or phrases an author or a poet uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the 5 senses. (e.g. blazing meteors, raisins drying in the sun, meat rotting, etc.) *Introduction to Literary Terms Simile: A comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words “like” or “as.”  It is an explicit comparison (as opposed to the metaphor where, the comparison is implicit) recognizable by the use of the words 'like’ or 'as’.  Examples: She is as beautiful as a rose. / He was as red as a lobster. / She acts like a lady.  Metaphor: Hidden comparison of two unlike things NOT using “like” or “as.”  Example: Ali is a lion! (Ali is fierce and brave like a lion. Unless Ali is an animal which lives in the zoo and goes by the name Ali, this is not a literal but a metaphorical statement.) *Introduction to Literary Terms Analogy: An analogy is a literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas. Examples: Writing is as essential for her as breathing. 'As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.’ (from Blake’s Aphorism) Metaphor vs Analogy  Metaphors compare object to object. (“The stars were diamonds in the night sky.”)  Analogies compare relationship to relationship. (“Her writing was as essential to her as water was to fish.”) *Introduction to Literary Terms Hyperbole: A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration; may be used for either serious or comic effect.  Example: “I’ve told you a million times!”  Allusion: An allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, event, or artistic work. Allusions assume a level of familiarity on the part of the reader with the work, person, or event referenced.  “Then I was back in it. The War was on. Outside, in Worcester, Massachusetts, were night and slush and cold, and it was still the fifth of February, 1918.” (allusion to WWI—FROM «In the *Introduction to Literary Terms Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which two seemingly opposing and contradictory elements are juxtaposed or appear in conjunction.  Examples: “open secret,” “deafening silence,” “Act naturally!” “I am busy doing nothing!” etc.  Shakespeare has his Romeo utter several in one speech: «Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate, O anything of nothing first create; O heavy lightness, serious vanity, Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms, Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!» *Introduction to Literary Terms  Alliteration: The practice of beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound.  Examples: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. / She sells seashells by the seashore. Irony: A contrast between appearance and reality; usually one in which reality is the opposite from what it seems; when something is expected to happen or be, and the exact opposite occurs.  Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words.  It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generallyanticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the *Introduction to Literary Terms  Examples: --The butter is as soft as a marble piece. --“Oh great! Now you have broken my new camera!”  Rhetorical Question: A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked to make a point, or create a mood/an emotion, or give an idea rather than to elicit or require an answer. Rhetorical questions do not expect or require an answer in reply.  Example: “Are you really gonna eat that dish?! Really?! It is greasy and unhealthy for you!” *Literary Genres: 1) Poetry Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to ordinary intended meaning. Poetry has traditionally been distinguished from prose by its being set in verse; prose is cast in sentences, poetry in lines. Types of Poetry a) Lyric Poetry  A lyric poem is a comparatively short, non- narrative poem in which a single speaker presents a state of mind or an emotional state.  Lyric poetry retains some of the elements of song which is said to be its origin: For Greek writers the lyric was a song accompanied by the lyre. 14 Example: «O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing, Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou, Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed» from Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley b) Narrative Poetry Narrative poetry gives a verbal representation, in verse, of a sequence of connected events, it propels characters through a plot. It is always told by a narrator. Narrative poems might tell of a love story, the story of a father and son or the deeds of a hero or heroine. 16 Example: Milton's Paradise Lost opens with the lines: "Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe." 17  Milton calls upon a Muse for instruction and illumination: «…I thence Invoke thy aid to my adventrous Song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th' Aonian Mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime. And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer Before all Temples th' upright heart and pure, 18 Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss And mad'st it pregnant: What in me is dark Illumin, what is low raise and support; That to the highth of this great Argument I may assert Eternal Providence, And justifie the wayes of God to men.» 19 2) Prose Prose is a form of language that possesses ordinary syntax and natural speech rather than rhythmic structure; in which regard, along with its measurement in sentences rather than lines, it differs from poetry. Example: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice  «As man can produce and certainly has produced a great result by his methodical and unconscious means of selection, what may not nature effect? Man can act only on external and visible characters: nature cares nothing for appearances, except in so far as they may be useful to any being. She can act on every internal organ, on every shade of constitutional difference, on the whole machinery of life.» (from Origin of Species, by Darwin) Types of Prose Fiction Prose fiction can be organized into three categories based on length: short stories, novellas and novels. The varying lengths often have some effect on the scope of the stories, with larger, sweeping novels often having larger, sweeping casts and plots. Shorter fiction has less room for a lot of characters and plots. 1) Short Story  Short story ranges in length from a handful of pages to over thirty pages. Edgar Allan Poe wrote that a short story should not be longer than what a person could read in a single sitting, which he defined as 'requiring from a half-hour to one or two hours in its perusal.'  Short Story  Short stories are usually defined as being between 2000-6000 words long.  Most short stories have at least one “round” character and any number of “flat” characters.  Short stories tend to focus on one major source of conflict and often take place within one basic time period. Types of Prose Fiction 2) Novellas  Novellas generally run between 50-150 pages, halfway between a story and a novel.  Novellas are restricted to a single event, situation or conflict, which produces an element of suspense and leads to an unexpected turning point so that the conclusion surprises even while it is a logical outcome. Types of Prose Fiction 3) Novel  Derived from ltalian novella,'tale, piece of news', and now applied to a wide variety of writings whose only common attribute is that they are extended pieces of prose fiction.  The length of novels varies greatly and there has been much debate on how long a novel is or should be.  There seem to be fewer and fewer rules, but it would probably be generally agreed that, in contemporary practice, a novel will be between 6o- 70, 000 words and, say, 2OO, OOO.  Because they are a longer form of fiction, an author has more freedom to work with plot and characters, as well as develop sub-plots and move freely through time. Characters can change and develop over the course of time and the theme(s) can be broader and more intricate than in shorter forms of fiction. Types of Novel a) The Picaresque Novel  The picaresque novel is a type of novel that originated in 16th century Spain. It is a precursor to the modern novel.  In the picaresque novel, a picaro - a kind of rogue wanderer/ bandit - tells about his various exploits and adventures.  A picaresque novel is generally written in the first person as an autobiographical account. The Unfortunate Traveller is thought to be the first picaresque novel written in English. THE PICARESQUE NOVEL: The Unfortunate Traveller The Unfortunate Traveller is a picaresque novel, which means that the hero of the story is a rogue living by his wits, usually from the lower classes of society. The book tells the story of Jack Wilton as he wanders through Europe. The narrative makes sudden jumps from country to country, political situation to political situation, and of the tales of daring and adventure that focus on Wilton and his ability to get out of every difficult situation that he encounters using his guile and streetwise experiences. Whatever happens, Wilton seems to come out on top. Types of Novel b) Bildungsroman  Bildungsroman - a novel of education/development  A type of novel that treats the personal development of a single individual, usually in youth. It focuses on the psychological and moral growth of a character from youth to adulthood. It tells the story of a sensitive youth looking for answers and experience. *Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield (1849-50) David Copperfield is a classic example of the Bildungsroman, or “novel of education.” It not only traces the events of its protagonist’s childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, but also (and more importantly) aims to demonstrate the role that those events played in David's growth and development. The ideal Victorian man was active and independent— that is, able to control the course of his own life through force of character rather than allowing his character to be shaped by his life. David learns, over the course of the novel, to rise above life’s challenges to become the master of his own destiny rather than a victim of his circumstances. Types of Novel c) Gothic Novel  The atmosphere of a Gothic novel was expected to be dark, ghostly, full of madness, outrage, superstition, and the spirit of revenge.  Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which maintains its original popularity, has in overplus the traditional Gothic ingredients, with its weird God-defying experiments, and, above all, its monster. Types of Novel d) Epistolary Novel  a novel told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters.  Originating with Samuel Richardson’s Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740), the story of a servant girl’s victorious struggle against her master’s attempts to seduce her, it was one of the earliest forms of novel to be developed and remained one of the most popular up to the 19th century.  The epistolary novel’s reliance on subjective points of view makes it the forerunner of the modern psychological novel. Types of Novel  The advantages of the novel in letter form are that it presents an intimate view of the character’s thoughts and feelings without interference from the author and that it conveys the shape of events to come with dramatic immediacy. Also, the presentation of events from several points of view lends the story dimension and verisimilitude. e) Detective Novel:  The terms detective story, mystery, and thriller tend to be employed interchangeably. The detective story thrills the reader with mysterious crimes, usually of a violent nature, and puzzles his reason until their motivation and their perpetrator are, through some triumph of logic, uncovered. Types of Novel  The detective novel began as a respectable branch of literature with works like Dickens’ unfinished Edwin Drood (1870), and Wilkie Collins’ Moonstone (1868) and Woman in White (1860). 3) Drama In general any work meant to be performed on a stage by actors. The form of composition designed for performance in the theater, in which actors take the roles of the characters, perform the indicated actions, and utter the written dialogue. (The common alternative name for a dramatic composition is a play.) TYPES OF DRAMA The Greek Tragedy and Comedy Tragedy A tragedy is a drama which, according to Aristotle, depicts the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or misjudgment, producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience. Three major Greek tragedians –Aeschylus (525-456 BCE) –Euripides (480-406 BCE) –Sophocles (495-406 BCE) *An Excerpt of the Classic Monologue from Oedipus the King When Oedipus discovers the truth of his actions, he is wrought with horror and self-loathing. In this monologue, he has blinded himself after witnessing his wife’s suicide. He now devotes himself to his own punishment and plans to walk the earth as an outcast until the end of his days: “I care not for thy counsel or thy praise; For with what eyes could I have e’er beheld My honoured father in the shades below, Or my unhappy mother, both destroyed By me? This punishment is worse than death, *Greek Comedy Comedy (from Greek komos, meaning “revel”) was presented competitively in Athens from 486 BCE onwards at the Lenaea winter festival. The Greek comedy fused much earlier traditions of popular entertainment, mime, phallic rites, and revelry in honour of Dionysus. *MELODRAMA Melodrama was the popular-culture manifestation of Romanticism and as such was the most poular dramatic form of the 19th c. (e.g. Dion Boucicault’s The Octoroon ). Melodrama is a play that utilizes music extensively. But the utilization of music is not the only factor in melodrama, what really makes it melodrama is its portrayal of the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist suffers a lot but triumphs in the end while the antagonist suffers. Therefore, it has a strict poetic justice: the evil people were punished, and the good were rewarded. *REALIST DRAMA Realism was a 19th-century theatrical movement, seeking to portray real life on the stage. Stanislavski was a committed follower of realism throughout his working life. *Epic Theatre Characteristics of Epic Theatre Main Practitioner was Bertolt Brecht (1920s) — Form of didactic drama presenting a series of loosely connected scenes — Avoids illusion and often interrupts the story line to address the audience directly with analysis, argument, or documentation *The Theatre of the Absurd: Main Features Absence of a real story or plot. No action since all actions are insignificant. Vagueness about time, place and the characters. The value of language is reduced; in fact, what happens on the stage transcends, and often contradicts, the words spoken by the characters. Extensive use of pauses, silences, miming and farcical situations which reflect a sense of anguish. Incoherent babbling makes up the dialogue. *The Theatre of the Absurd: main themes The sense of man’s alienation. The cruelty of human life. The absence or the futility of objectives. The meaninglessness of man’s struggle. From «Waiting for Godot» by Samuel Beckett Estragon Let’s go. Vladimir We can’t. Estragon Why not? Vladimir We’re waiting for Godot. Estragon [Despairingly] Ah! REFERENCES Cuddon, J. A. (1999). The penguin dictionary of literary terms and literary theory. London: Penguin Books. Abrams, M. H., & Harpham, G. G. (2009). A glossary of literary terms. Boston: Cengage Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/introliterature/ https://literarydevices.net/genre/