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103
Intro to Fiction
51
English
Undergraduate 1
10/06/2009

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Term
Plot
Definition
Sequence of events in a story and their relation to one another as they develop and usually resolve conflict
Term
Exposition
Definition
first part of the plot that introduces characters, scene, time, and situation
Term
Rising Action
Definition
the dramatization of events that complicate the situation and gradually intensify the conflict
Term
Climax
Definition
Point in the story where the reader knows who wins
Term
Falling Action
Definition
Where the problem or conflict presented in the earlier sections proceeds toward a resolution
Term
Sentimentality
Definition
emotional overindulgence
Term
Stereotyping
Definition
Generalized, oversimplified judment
Term
Setting
Definition
the time and place of the story
Term
Allegory
Definition
when all the characters, places, things, and events represent symbolic qualities and their interaction are meant to reveal a moral truth
Term
Verisimilitude
Definition
the appearance of reality
Term
Gothic
Definition
generally "medieval", magic, mystery, ghosts. Atmosphere of horror and unknown terror
Term
Literary Romanticism
Definition
attempt to free writer from rules. stresses individualism, love of nature. Enthusiasm for the wild or irregular, and for unrestrained imagination.
Term
Literary Realism
Definition
focuses on the here-and-now; common life, manners, and average experience. A protest against falseness of romanticism and the transcendent experience. Central task is to present those issues accurately as they affect us in real situations
Term
Golem
Definition
Clayman to protect, ends up running a muck throughout the town
Term
Prometheus
Definition
man who tried to steal fire from the Gods. Got caught and was chained to a rock to have his liver pecked out by a bird everyday
Term
Pygmalion/Galatea
Definition
myth of how a man feel in love with the statue he created.
Term
mirroring/twinning/doubling
Definition
when characters are paired up to play off eachother
Term
frame story
Definition
different levels in a novel
Term
epistolary
Definition
letter writing in a novel
Term
intertextuality
Definition
the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts. It can refer to an author’s borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another
Term
Haunted Summer of 1816
Definition
Indonesian Volcano caused poor weather in the summer when 2 of the most persistent monster myths were written (Frankenstein and Vampire)
Term
Pathetic Fallacy
Definition
the treatment of inanimate objects as if they had human feelings, thought, or sensations
Term
Dramatic Irony
Definition
the device of giving the spectator an item of information that at least one of the characters in the narrative is unaware of (at least consciously)
Term
Verbal Irony
Definition
is distinguished from situational irony and dramatic irony in that it is produced intentionally by speakers. For instance, if a speaker exclaims, “I’m not upset!” but reveals an upset emotional state through her voice while truly trying to claim she's not upset
Term
King Leopold II
Definition
King of Belgium when Heart of Darkness is set
Term
Literary Theory
Definition
the term used in academic criticism to characterize particular methods of inquiry into the nature and value of literature
Term
Formalist Criticism
Definition
the interpretation and analysis of the works of literature themselves
Term
Biographical Criticism
Definition
starts with the premise that stories are written by humans, and that important facts about the life of an author can shed light on literary texts.
Term
Historical Criticism
Definition
approaches a literary work through its historical context, the events that were occurring in the world during the time the author wrote a particlular story.
Term
Reader Response Criticsm
Definition
postulates that reading is as much a creative act as the writing of a text, both involve the play of the imagination.
Term
Poststructuralist and Deconstructionist Criticsm
Definition
two modern approaches to critical theory that focus' on the multiple, sometimes self-contradictory meanings
Term
Gender Criticism
Definition
concerned with the gender and sexual orientation of both writers and readers of literature
Term
Cultural Criticism
Definition
do not advocate any one particular approach to literary study.
Term
Young Goodman Brown
Definition
An Allegory about the discovery of evil, the true nature of humanity
Term
Tell Tale Heart
Definition
story about the evil eye. The eye makes the narrator go crazy and kill the old man
Term
Cask of Amontillado
Definition
Montresor and the revenge on his friend, Fortunato, who insulted him. He kills him deep in a cellar
Term
Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
Definition
An Allegory, it represents the desire for the town to change and modernize.
Term
Boule de Suif
Definition
story during WWII about a group of people fleeing to safety
Term
Monsieur and Madame Loiseau
Definition
wine merchants in the Rue Grand-Pont. Made a fortune through his business. Known as a cunning scoundrel
Term
Monsieur Carre-Lamadon
Definition
owner of three spinning-mills, Legion of Honour, member of the general council.
Term
Madame Carre-Lamadon
Definition
much younger than her husband, she had been a constant comfort to those officers of good family who were quartered in Rouen.
Term
Comte and Comtesse Hubert de Breville
Definition
oldest and noblest name in Normandy. On the general council. Land Property produced income of a half a million dollars a year
Term
Boule de Suif
Definition
the main character of the story. refuses to sleep with german officer in order for her group to advance through the city
Term
Heart of Darkness
Definition
A novella, that can be read in a few different ways; Symbolic, Mythical, Psychological, Political, and Realist
Term
Symbolic (Heart of Darkness)
Definition
A symbolic reading of the text may pinpoint the constant contrasts between light and darkness as having been part of life since the origins of humanity, as the established train of thought of light equaling good, dark equaling evil playing an important part in the novel, as well as vice versa
Term
Mythical (Heart of Darkness)
Definition
A mythical reading brings in the ideas of the primitive, the nature of primitive existence, and the role of a vague but powerful idea has upon humanity, as well as embodying a return to the origins of existence and a confrontation with darkness.
Term
Psychological (Heart of Darkness)
Definition
This way of reading Conrad's tale has been the most common form of interpretation, and the most obvious and introspective reading of the novella is as a journey into Marlow's inner self
Term
Political (Heart of Darkness)
Definition
Since the late 1960s, political readings of Heart of Darkness have increased, exploring and commenting on the ideology of imperialism. Marlow's reference at the start of the novella to the actions of the Romans is a comparison to the actions of those exploring the Africa in the novella's context, particularly the Congo river itself.
Term
An Image of Africa
Definition
Achebe asserts that while Conrad was not himself responsible for the xenophobic “image of Africa” that appears in Heart of Darkness, his novel continues to perpetuate the damaging stereotypes of black peoples by its inclusion in the literary canon of the modern Western world. His searing critique is sometimes taught side-by-side with Conrad’s work, and is regularly included in critical editions of the text.
Term
The Real Thing
Definition
story about the monarchs who lost everything and make every attempt to make some money as models
Term
The Real Thing
Definition
story about the monarchs who lost everything and make every attempt to make some money as models
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