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Intro to Fiction
Midterm
55
English
Undergraduate 2
11/01/2009

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Cards

Term
always already 1
Definition
paradoxical relationship between cause and effect (what appears to be a symptom may in fact be a mark of a predisposition)
Term
always already 2
Definition
a character’s nature is a result of the character’s position or function within a structure
Term
always already 3
Definition
thus it is impossible to find a first cause/instance of a particular behavior or effect
Term
ambivalence 1
Definition
state of possessing multiple meanings (not vague or ambiguous)
Term
ambivalence 2
Definition
state of uncertainty or undecidability
Term
ambivalence 3
Definition
wavering between two distinct possibilities (ideas or feelings etc.)
Term
binary opposition 1
Definition
2 terms, concepts or things that contradict each other - must be opposite and mutually exclusive
Term
binary opposition 2
Definition
never neutral, always imply hierarchy (ex: male & female, original & copy)
Term
binary opposition 3
Definition
if the opposition is too rigid it leads to the break down of structure (hierarchy/meaning of the words)
Term
diachronic 1
Definition
diachronic relations are relations of sequence or temporality
Term
diachronic 2
Definition
histoire and recit are both types of diachronic relations - both the events and their narration take place in time
Term
diachronic 3
Definition
diachronic relations need to be distinguished from synchronic relations
Term
histoire 1
Definition
sequence of events as they take place in the story referred to (world constructed in story)
Term
histoire 2
Definition
a type of diachronic relation, different from recit (only one histoire in the novel, can be multiple recits)
Term
histoire 3
Definition
open-ended - hard to know what was really the beginning of the story (world story refers to doesn’t really have a beginning)
Term
spectrum of male homosocial relation 1
Definition
entire spectrum of intense feelings men have for each other - homoeroticism to male bonding to homophobia (excludes women completely)
Term
spectrum of male homosocial relation 2
Definition
boundary between male bonding and homoerotic desire is anxiously guarded
Term
spectrum of male homosocial relation 3
Definition
relationships can be all over the spectrum (go to both ends) and women are the necessary conduits
Term
logocentrism 1
Definition
basically privileging speech over writing
Term
logocentrism 2
Definition
more generally, privileging originals over copies
Term
logocentrism 3
Definition
the idea that mediation is distortion
Term
logocentrism (bonus)
Definition
paradox: every copy can become, in turn, an original
Term
mediated desire 1
Definition
imitative desire, desire caused by someone else’s desire, not attracted to something intrinsically, only because someone else finds it desirable
Term
mediated desire 2
Definition
in general, gender neutral phenomenon; in culture/media generally presented as 2 guys and 1 female (object of desire) - desire always involves a triangle
Term
mediated desire 3
Definition
real motivating desire is the desire to be like someone else (someone you respect/admire) - identify with their feelings
Term
metaphor 1
Definition
figure of speech in which you convey meaning of one thing by describing it as something else (something literally not true)
Term
metaphor 2
Definition
purpose is to describe or emphasize something else
Term
metaphor 3
Definition
metaphors can anticipate the shape of the narrative (ex: circular, linear, seamless, broken up, etc.)
Term
synchronic 1
Definition
simultaneity: synchronic relations exist at the same time (things that are simultaneously present)
Term
synchronic 2
Definition
meaning doesn’t depend on sequence - independent of sequence
Term
synchronic (examples)
Definition
ex: symbols and metaphors, overlapping plots, retrospective viewpoints, themes, ideas
Term
synchronic 3
Definition
needs to be distinguished from diachronic relations
Term
mediation 1
Definition
means both communication and representation
Term
mediation 2
Definition
by definition, takes place in concrete medium (speech, writing, images, etc.)
Term
mediation 3
Definition
opposed to immediacy
Term
metonymy 1
Definition
figure of speech in which you convey the meaning of one thing by describing it as something near to it (physically in space or habitually connected)
Term
metonymy 2
Definition
precise sequence of things
Term
metonymy 3
Definition
metonymic thinking is more powerful/logical than metaphoric thinking
Term
narrative desire 1
Definition
desire to get to the end, to see how the narrative will turn out
Term
narrative desire 2
Definition
built into the structure of the narrative
Term
narrative desire 3
Definition
desire of the reader, but characters can also have this desire (desire to know how things will turn out)
Term
narrative desire (bonus)
Definition
paradox: also the desire to prolong the narrative and postpone the ending
Term
paternal interdiction 1
Definition
literally, what the father prohibits a character from doing; more generally, prohibition from any authority figure
Term
paternal interdiction 2
Definition
functions to repress desire
Term
paternal interdiction 3
Definition
paradoxically, interdiction functions to insight desire
Term
primal scene 1
Definition
witnessing the moment of your own conception or birth (discovering your origins)
Term
primal scene 2
Definition
inevitably retrospectively constructed (impossible to actually see)
Term
primal scene 3
Definition
traumatic event
Term
primal scene (example)
Definition
ex: monster finding Dr. Frankenstein’s letters
Term
recit 1
Definition
sequence of the work itself (literal turning of the page)
Term
recit 2
Definition
a type of diachronic relation, different from histoire
Term
recit 3
Definition
definite beginning (page 1), has a medium (pages, screen, etc.), has formal organizing devices (chapter breaks, flashbacks, etc.)
Term
zeno's paradox 1
Definition
specifically, the idea that if you keep reducing a distance by half you will never get there - no practical solution
Term
zeno's paradox 2
Definition
more generally, the idea that you can get close to something but never quite get there - philosophical problem
Term
zeno's paradox 3
Definition
you can never completely bridge the gap between experience and representation (original event and mediation), thus narratives are inevitably retrospective
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