LITERARY TERMS Definitions 1 Allusion DEFINITION A reference

LITERARY TERMS Definitions

1. Allusion DEFINITION: � A reference to a famous or well known event, person or thing Love Story EXAMPLES: � Cinderella story… � Jekyll and Hyde personality… � He’s a Scrooge with his money.

2. Diction DEFINITION: � A person’s choice of words or style of speaking EXAMPLES: � Most ideas have a number of alternate words that the writer can select to suit his purposes. “For the word Children: "kids, " "youngsters, " "youths, " and "brats, " could be used depending on the audience.

Diction ARCHAIC A phrase used that is very old � Perhaps he loves you now, And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch The virtue of his will. . . I find thee apt; And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, 770 Wouldst thou not stir in this… (Shakespeare, Hamlet) � COLLOQUIALISM � � Informal use of words; can be slang “Sure I will, George. I won’t say a word. ” “Don’t let him pull you in—but —if the son-of-a-bitch socks you—let ‘im have it. ” “. . . Lennie raised up on his elbow. His face contorted with thought. Then his eyes moved sadly to George’s face. “If I get in any trouble, you ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits. ” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men).

Diction � Jargon � � a use of specific phrases and words by writers in a particular situation, profession or trade. Why, may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now, his quillities, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks? Why does he suffer this mad knave now to knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel, and will not tell him of his action of battery? Hum! This fellow might be in’s time a great buyer of land, with his statutes, his recognizances, his fines, his double vouchers, his recoveries: is the fine of his fines, and the recovery of his recoveries, to have his fine pate full of fine dirt? Will his vouchers vouch him no more of his purchases and double ones too, than the length and breadth of a pair of indentures? The very conveyances of his lands will scarcely lie in this box; and must the inheritor himself have no more, ha? (Shakespeare, Hamlet )

3. Mood DEFINITION: � � How the reader/audience feels Closely related to Tone EXAMPLES: � “…images of crowded, steaming sidewalks flanking streets choked with lines of shining smoking cars…”

4. Tone DEFINITION: � � Tells us what the author is thinking/feeling through word choice (diction) attitude toward the audience and our subject matter. EXAMPLES: � frivolous or serious, casual or formal, sweet or stuffy? The choice of a single word can change the tone of a paragraph

Video clips: � � Write down 3 words that best describe the video creators’ attitudes toward the movie. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=n. Of. H 7 u. Eoj. K k Then, use 3 Mood words to describe your feelings toward the movie. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=7 OSh. SOQn Kk 4

Diction DENOTATION CONNOTATION � The dictionary definition of the word � � “And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each. ” Robert Frost Wall here denotes a barrier— both physical and mental The emotional meaning of a word or feeling associated with a word � Rose Dove Politician � � �

Connotation Practice � � � � � Red Pink Orange Yellow Green Blue Purple Gray White Black � � � Lady or Woman Mess or Unorganized Fired or Laid Off Lazy or Laid-back Scrawny or Slim

7. Irony � � � Irony is when 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 generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality.

7 a. Verbal Irony DEFINITION: � � speaker says one thing but means something else “Break a leg!” EXAMPLES: � Sarcasm � � "My, you've certainly made a mess of things!" could be said in congratulations to someone who's just graduated summa cum laude Overstatement: � “ I literally died!”

7 b. Situational Irony DEFINITION: � � A contradiction between what might be expected and what actually occurs -often pessimistic The fire station burned down. EXAMPLES: � Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink ; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink � -Rime of the Ancient Mariner

7 c. Dramatic Irony DEFINITION: � When a character does not understand his own situation but the audience does EXAMPLES: � In the movie Home Alone, burglars are trying to break into the house. What they don’t know (but the audience does) is that Kevin has set traps everywhere.

8. Personification DEFINITION: � Giving human qualities to an animal or object EXAMPLES: � Turn and talk: � With a person near you, think of two examples of personification.

9. Alliteration DEFINITION: � The repetition of the first consonant sounds in a series of words EXAMPLES: � Those tidal thoroughbreds that tango through the turquoise tide. - “Dancing Dolphins” by Paul Mc. Cann

10. Assonance DEFINITION: � “vowel rhyme”; the repetition of vowels sounds within a series of words EXAMPLES: � "It beats. . . as it sweeps. . . as it cleans!“ (advertising slogan for Hoover vacuum cleaners, 1950 s) �

11. Simile DEFINITION: � A comparison using “like” or “as” EXAMPLES: � � She is as busy as a bee. That guy is as nutty as a fruitcake. I slept like a log. It fits like a glove

12. Free Verse DEFINITION: � Poetry that doesn’t follow any set pattern or rhyme scheme EXAMPLES:

13. Repetition DEFINITION: � the repeating of a word, in a sentence or a poem, for emphasis EXAMPLES: � "She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. “ � � (Jack Sparrow, The Pirates of the Caribbean)

14. Voice DEFINITION: � The style of a writer � When it’s a speaker, it can include body language, facial expressions, etc. EXAMPLES: � Just like Diction, you may choose to use a different “voice” for different audiences.

15. Meter DEFINITION: � � Pattern or “beat” of a verse Stressed and unstressed syllables EXAMPLES: � "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere“ � Renaissance Man

16. Slant Rhyme DEFINITION: � � � The words are similar but don’t actually rhyme. Often the end sound is the same. Also known as approximate rhyme EXAMPLES: � � found and kind grime and game

Other Rhymes EXAMPLE RHYME � � Internal Rhyme: a type of rhyme in which a word at the end of a verse rhymes with another word in the same line End Rhyme: a type of rhyme in which a word at the end of a verse rhymes with last word in another line of poetry � � � “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary” (“The Raven”). “In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly. Scarce heard amid the guns below. ” “In Flanders Fields” by Colonel John Mc. Crae

Antithesis DEFINITION � The use of contrasts in close proximity to one another EXAMPLES � � “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities) That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” (Neil Armstrong).

Understatement DEFINITION � A statement used to show a situation as less important than it is EXAMPLE � � “I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny tumor on the brain” (Catcher in the Rye). “Ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, 'tis enough. / Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon” (Mercutio—The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet).

Allegory vs. Symbolism ALLEGORY � abstract ideas are described in terms of characters, figures, and events � Example: Animal Farm stands for the communist revolution in the Soviet Union SYMBOLISM An object that stands for another object � A symbol does not tell a story Turn and Talk: what are some common symbols from The Scarlet Letter? �

Anecdote DEFINITION � A short and amusing event used to demonstrate something EXAMPLE � The Crucible: In Act I, Reverend Parris practically accuses Abigail of being the cause of all the drama. Abigail makes things up: “Good Proctor is a liar”, “she hates me”, “the Proctors want a slave”, Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar. ”

Caricature vs. Characterization CARICATURE � Aspects of a subject are exaggerated to create a silly or comic effect CHARACTERIZATION � The way an author develops a character in a story, novel, or play � Direct � Indirect

Didactic Literature DEFINITION � Literature that teaches a lesson � children’s literature, religious literature EXAMPLES

Farce DEFINITION � � A literary genre that makes use of highly exaggerated and funny situations. A farce may some times mock weaknesses in humans and human society EXAMPLE Hungry for Power Games

Poetic Justice DEFINITION � A form of justice where the good characters are rewarded and bad characters are punished by some ironic twist of fate EXAMPLE � � � Cinderella: she becomes queen after being a servant The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet: the feud ends with the deaths of the children “Tell-Tale Heart”: a man murders an old man and buries him under the floor —he is haunted, hears the heartbeat, and confesses

Oxymoron DEFINITION � a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. EXAMPLE � � � � Open secret Tragic comedy Seriously funny Awfully pretty Foolish wisdom Original copies Liquid gas