All definitions are from the lit terms pdf (which I actually still have on my computer from the summer before English 3).
| 01) | circumlocution | def: | a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served |
| ex: | saying "due to the fact that" instead of "because" | ||
| 02) | classicism | def: | art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance |
| ex: | Allegory of the Cave | ||
| 03) | cliché | def: | a phrase or situation overused within society |
| ex: | lol | ||
| 04) | climax | def: | the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved |
| ex: | when Beowulf fights the dragon | ||
| 05) | colloquialism | def: | folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation |
| ex: | This vocab is like, totes cray cray | ||
| 06) | comedy | def: | originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter |
| ex: | Aristophanes was a Greek comedy writer whose plays include The Acharnians (425 BC), The Knights (424 BC), The Clouds (423 BC), The Wasps (422 BC), Peace (421 BC), The Birds (414 BC) , Lysistrata (411 BC) , Thesmophoriazusae (c. 411 BC), The Frogs (405 BC), Ecclesiazusae (c. 392 BC), and Plutus (388 BC) [from my report on comedy in 6th grade] | ||
| 07) | conflict | def: | struggle or problem in a story causing tension |
| ex: | Charles Darnay is a good guy who cares about helping others, but is unable to and gets in trouble with the overzealous revolutionaries just because he's an aristocrat (main conflict: Darnay vs. French citizens) | ||
| 08) | connotation | def: | implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition (opposite of denotation) |
| ex: | "fragrance" has a positive connotation, but "stench" has a negative connotation | ||
| 09) | contrast | def: | a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity |
| ex: | infomercials use black-and-white clips of unhappy people struggling with some HORRIBLE PROBLEM, like "omg look how crappy my pancakes are in this stupid pan," as a contrast so the product looks better | ||
| 10) | denotation | def: | plain dictionary definition (opposite of connotation) |
| ex: | "fragrance" and "stench" have the same denotation ("smell") | ||
| 11) | denouement | def: | loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion |
| ex: | Beowulf's funeral is the denoument | ||
| 12) | dialect | def: | the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others. |
| ex: | in Huck Finn, Mark Twain made sure that his characters' dialogue would be in authentic American dialects | ||
| 13) | dialectics | def: | formal debates usually over the nature of truth |
| ex: | Allegory of the Cave | ||
| 14) | dichotomy | def: | split or break between two opposing things |
| ex: | Hamlet's monologues reveal a dichotomy between the person Hamlet really is and how Hamlet presents himself to others | ||
| 15) | diction | def: | the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words |
| ex: | the diction we use in conversation with friends is very informal, while the diction we use when writing an essay is much more formal | ||
| 16) | didactic | def: | having to do with the transmission of information; education |
| ex: | Aesop's fables were didactic because they all taught morals; Romeo and Juliet is also somewhat didactic because it was written to show that feuds are pointless | ||
| 17) | dogmatic | def: | rigid in beliefs and principles |
| ex: | the Reverend in The Poisonwood Bible is reeeeeally dogmatic | ||
| 18) | elegy | def: | a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting |
| ex: | "Dirge Without Music" | ||
| 19) | epic | def: | a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, morals, and aspirations of his nation or race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time |
| ex: | The Odyssey, Beowulf | ||
| 20) | epigram | def: | witty aphorism |
| ex: | "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." –Sir Winston Churchill | ||
| 21) | epitaph | def: | any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone |
| ex: | "R.I.P. Here lie the souls of those who swore fealty to the Royal Family of Hyrule The Sheikah, guardians of the Royal Family and founders of Kakariko, watch over these spirits in their eternal slumber." (first thing I thought of — yeah, I'm that otaku) | ||
| 22) | epithet | def: | a short, descriptive name or phrase that has entered common usage so it can be used in place of a name |
| ex: | Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, "Alexander the Great"; in Beowulf, "giver of rings" = "lord", etc. | ||
| 23) | euphemism | def: | the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt |
| ex: | I'm not short, I'm vertically challenged | ||
| 24) | evocative | def: | a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality |
| ex: | The Varsouviana in A Streetcar Named Desire is evocative of madness. |
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