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Lit Vocab D-H
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Dactylic meter | one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones ("desperate") |
| Deconstructionism | an approach to literature which suggests that literary works do not yield fixed, single meanings, because language can never say exactly what we intend it to mean |
| Denotation | the dictionary meaning of a word |
| Denouement | a French term meaning "unraveling" or "unknotting," used to describe the resolution of the plot following the climax |
| Dialect | informational diction; used to contrast and express differences in characters' educational, class, social, and regional backgrounds |
| Dialogue | the verbal exchanges between characters |
| Diction | a writer's choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning |
| Didactic poetry | poetry designed to teach an ethical, moral, or religious lesson |
| Doggerel | a derogatory term used to describe poetry whose subject is trite and whose rhythm and sounds are monotonously heavy-handed |
| Drama | a single play, a group of plays (Jacobean drama), or all plays; meant to be performed on stage |
| Dramatic irony | when a discrepancy occurs between what a character believes or says and what the reader or audience member knows to be true |
| Dramatic monologue | a lyric poem in which a character (the speaker) addresses a distinct but silent audience imagined to be present in the poem in such a way as to reveal a dramatic situation and, often unintentionally, some aspect of his or her temperament or personality |
| Dynamic character | character undergoing some kind of change because of the action in the plot |
| Editorial omniscience | an intrusion by the narrator in order to evaluate a character for a reader |
| Electra complex | the psychological conflict of a daughter's unconscious rivalry with her mother for her father's attention |
| Elegy | a mournful, contemplative lyric poem written to commemorate someone who is dead, often ending in a consolation; a serious meditative poem produced to express the speaker's melancholy thoughts |
| End rhyme | most common form of rhyme in poetry; comes at the end of the lines (aabb) |
| End-stopped line | a poetic line that has a pause at the end; reflect normal speech patterns and are often marked by punctuation |
| English sonnet | organized into three quatrains and a couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg |
| Enjambment | in poetry, when one line ends without a pause and continues into the next line for its meaning |
| Envoy | a short stanza concluding a ballade |
| Epic | a long, narrative poem, told in a formal, elevated style, that focuses on a serious subject and chronicles heroic deeds and events important to a culture or nation |
| Epigram | a brief, pointed, and witty poem that usually makes a satiric or humorous point |
| Epiphany | in fiction, when a character suddenly experiences a deep realization about themselves; a truth which is grasped in an ordinary rather than a melodramatic moment |
| Escape literature | (formula literature) follows a pattern of conventional reader expectations; happy endings |
| Euphony | language that is smooth and musically pleasant to the ear |
| Exposition | narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work, that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances |
| Extended metaphor | a sustained comparison in which part or all of a poem consists of a series of related metaphors |
| Eye rhyme | words that look the same, but don't rhyme |
| Falling action | diminishing tensions and the resolution of the plot's conflicts and complications |
| Falling meter | metrical feet which move from stressed to unstressed sounds |
| Farce | humor based on exaggerated, improbable incongruities; rapid shifts in action and emotion, slapstick comedy and extravagant dialogue |
| Feminine rhyme | a rhyme stressed syllable followed by one or more identical unstressed syllables |
| Feminist criticism | approach to literature seeking to correct or supplement what may be regarded as a predominantly male critical perspective with a feminist consciousness |
| Figures of speech | ways of using language that deviate from the literal, denotative meanings of words in order to suggest additional meanings or effects |
| First-person narrator | I in the story presents the point of view of only one character; readers restricted to single character's perceptions |
| Fixed form | poem that may be categorized by the pattern of its lines, meter, rhythm, or stanzas |
| Flashback | narrated scene that marks a break in the narrative in order to inform the reader or audience member about events that took place before the opening scene of a work |
| Flat character | embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or traits that can be readily described in a brief summary; not psychologically complex characters and therefore are readily accessible to readers |
| Found poem | unintentional poem discovered in a nonpoetic context, such as a conversation, news story, or advertisement |
| Foil | character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of the character |
| Foot | metrical unit by which a line of poetry is measured; consists of one stressed syllable and one or two unstressed syllables |
| Foreshadowing | introduction early in a story of verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to come later |
| Form | overall structure or shape of a work, which frequently follows an established design |
| Formal diction | dignified, impersonal, elevated use of language; uses complex words and lofty tone |
| Formalist criticism | approach to literature where form of work is studied and anything outside of that is not taken into account |
| Free verse | poems characterized by nonconformity to established patterns of meter, rhyme, and stanza |
| Gay and lesbian criticism | approach to literature focusing on queer representation in literature and how sexuality and gender plays a role |
| Gender criticism | approach to literature exploring ideas of men and women, masculinity and femininity, socially constructed by different cultures |
| Genre | French word meaning "kind" or "type" |
| Gothic | type of novel first emerging in the eighteenth century that uses mystery, suspense, and densational and supernatural occurrences to evoke terror |
| Haiku | style of lyric poetry borrowed from the Japanese that typically presents an intense emotion or vivid image of nature, which, traditionally, is designed to lead to a spiritual insight; unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables |
| Hamartia | coined by Aristotle to describe "some error or frailty" that brings misfortune for a tragic hero |
| Hero, heroine | central character who engages the reader's interest and empathy |
| Heroic couplet | couplet written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| High comedy | verbal wit, such as puns |
| Historical criticism | approach to literature using history as a means of understanding a literary work; examining in social and intellectual currents in which the author composed the work |
| Hubris or hybris | excessive pride or self-confidence leading a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or to violate an important moral law |
| Hyperbole | boldly exaggerated statement adding emphasis without intending to be literally true |
Created by:
cramdel37
Popular English Vocabulary sets