CommonTermsofLiteraryCriticism.docx
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CommonTermsofLiteraryCriticism.docx
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CommonTermsofLiteraryCriticism
CommonGlossaryofLiteraryTerms
A
allegory(AL-eh-GOR-ee):
anarrativethatservesasanextendedmetaphor.Allegoriesarewrittenintheformoffables,parables,poems,stories,andalmostanyotherstyleorgenre.Themainpurposeofanallegoryistotellastorythathascharacters,asetting,aswellasothertypesofsymbols,thathavebothliteralandfigurativemeanings.Thedifferencebetweenanallegoryandasymbolisthatanallegoryisacompletenarrativethatconveysabstractideastogetapointacross,whileasymbolisarepresentationofanideaorconceptthatcanhaveadifferentmeaningthroughoutaliterarywork(AHandbooktoLiterature).Onewell-knownexampleofanallegoryisDante’sTheDivineComedy.InInferno,Danteisonapilgrimagetotrytounderstandhisownlife,buthischaracteralsorepresentseverymanwhoisinsearchofhispurposeintheworld(MerriamWebsterEncyclopediaofLiterature).AlthoughVirgilliterallyguidesDanteonhisjourneythroughthemysticalinferno,hecanalsobeseenasthereasonandhumanwisdomthatDantehasbeenlookingforinhislife.SeeAHandbooktoLiterature,MerriamWebster’sEncyclopediaofLiterature.
alliteration(a-LIT-uh-RAY-shuhn):
apatternofsoundthatincludestherepetitionofconsonantsounds. Therepetitioncanbelocatedatthebeginningofsuccessivewordsorinsidethewords.Poetsoftenusealliterationtoaudiblyrepresenttheactionthatistakingplace. Forinstance,intheInferno,Dantestates:
"Isawitthere,butIsawnothinginit,excepttherisingoftheboilingbubbles"(261).Therepetitionofthe"b"soundsrepresentsthesoundsofbubbling,ortheburstingactionoftheboilingpitch.Inaddition,inSirPhillipSidney'sAstrophelandStella,thepoetstates:
"Bitingmytruantpen,beatingmyselfforspite"(Line13).Thisrepetitionof the"t"soundrepresentstheactionofthepoet;onecanhearandvisualizehisanguishashebitesthepen.AlsoinAstrophelandStella,thepoetstates,"Oftturningothers'leaves,toseeifthencewouldflow,/Somefreshandfruitfulshowersuponmysunburn'dbrain"(7-8).Again,thepoetrepeatsthe"fr"soundstoemphasizethespeaker'sdesireforinspirationinexpressinghisfeelings.Poetsmayalsousealliterationtocallattentiontoaphraseandfixitintothereader'smind;thus,itisusefulforemphasis.Therefore,notonlydoesalliterationprovidepoetryorprosewithauniquesound,itcanplaceemphasisonspecificphrasesandrepresenttheactionthatistakingplace.SeeAHandbooktoLiterature,Literature:
AnIntroductiontoFiction,Poetry,andDrama.
allusion(a-LOO-zhuhn):
areferenceinaliteraryworktoaperson,place,orthinginhistoryoranotherworkofliterature.Allusionsareoftenindirectorbriefreferencestowell-knowncharactersorevents.SpecificexamplesofallusionscanbefoundthroughoutDante’sInferno.Inapassage,DantealludestotheGreekmythologicalfigures,PhaethonandIcarus,toexpresshisfearashedescendsfromtheairintotheeighthcircleofhell.Hestates:
IdoubtifPhaethonfearedmore-thattime
hedroppedthesun-reinsofhisfather'schariot
andburnedthestreakofskyweseetoday-
orifpoorIcarusdid-feelinghissides
unfeatheringasthewaxbegantomelt,
hisfathershouting:
"Wrong,yourcourseiswrong"(CantoXVII:
106-111).
Allusionsareoftenusedtosummarizebroad,complexideasoremotionsinonequick,powerfulimage.Forexample,tocommunicatetheideaofself-sacrificeonemayrefertoJesus,aspartofJesus'storyportrayshimdyingonthecrossinordertosavemankind(Matthew27:
45-56).Inaddition,toexpressrighteousness,onemightalludetoNoahwho"hadnofaultsandwastheonlygoodmanofhistime"(Genesis6:
9-22).Furthermore,theideaoffatherhoodorpatriarchiallovecanbewellunderstoodbyalludingtoAbraham,whowastheancestorofmanynations(Genesis17:
3-6).Finally,Cainisanexcellentexampletoconveybanishment,rejection,orevil,forhewascastoutofhishomelandbyGod(Genesis4:
12).Thus,allusionsserveanimportantfunctioninwritinginthattheyallowthereadertounderstandadifficultconceptbyrelatingtoanalreadyfamiliarstory.SeeAHandbooktoLiterature,Literature:
AnIntroductiontoFiction,Poetry,andDrama.
antagonist(an-TAG-uh-nist):
acharacterinastoryorpoemwhodeceives,frustrates,orworksagainthemaincharacter,orprotagonist,insomeway.Theantagonistdoesn’tnecessarilyhavetobeanperson.Itcouldbedeath,thedevil,anillness,oranychallengethatpreventsthemaincharacterfromliving“happilyeverafter."Infact,theantagonistcouldbeacharacterofvirtueinaliteraryworkwheretheprotagonistrepresentsevil.AnantagonistinthestoryofGenesisistheserpent.HeconvincesEvetodisobeyGod,settingoffachainofevents.thatleadstoAdamandEvebeingbanishedfromparadise.IntheplayOthellobyWilliamShakespeare,theantagonistisIago.Throughouttheplay,heinstigatesconflictsandsowsdistrustamongthemaincharacters,OthelloandDesdemona,twoloverswhohaveriskedtheirlivelihoodinordertoelope.IagoisdeterminedtobreakuptheirmarriageduetohissuspicionsthatOthellohastakencertainlibertieswithhiswife.SeeBenet’sReader’sEncyclopedia.
aside(uh-SIDE):
anactor’sspeech,directedtotheaudience,thatisnotsupposedtobeheardbyotheractorsonstage.Anasideisusuallyusedtolettheaudienceknowwhatacharacterisabouttodoorwhatheorsheisthinking.Forexample,inOthello,Iagogivesseveralasides,informingtheaudienceofhisplansandhowhewilltrytoachievehisgoals.Asidesareimportantbecausetheyincreaseanaudience'sinvolvementinaplaybygivingthemvitalinformationpertainingwhatishappening,bothinsideofacharacter'smindandintheplotoftheplay.SeeAHandbooktoLiterature,TheConciseOxfordDictionaryofLiteraryTerms,MerriamWebster’sEncyclopediaofLiterature.
B
ballad(BAL-uhd):
anarrativefolksong.TheballadistracedbacktotheMiddleAges.Balladswereusuallycreatedbycommonpeopleandpassedorallyduetotheilliteracyofthetime.Subjectsforballadsincludekillings,feuds,importanthistoricalevents,andrebellion.Forexample,intheinternationalballad“LordRandall,”theyoungmanispoisonedbyhissweetheart,andin“Edward,”thesoncommitspatricide.Acommonstylisticelementoftheballadisrepetition.“LordRandall”illustratesthiswellwiththephraseattheendofeachverse:
“…mother,makmybedsoon,forI’msickattheheartandIfainwadliedown.”AHandbooktoLiteraturenotestheballadoccursinveryearlyliteratureinnearlyeverynation.Therefore,inadditiontobeingentertaining,balladscanhelpustounderstandagivenculturebyshowinguswhatvaluesornormsthatculturedeemedimportant.SeeAHandbooktoLiterature,Benet’sReader’sEncyclopedia,Merriam-Webster’sEncyclopediaofLiterature,TheBookofBallads.
C
character(KARE-ec-ter):
apersonwhoisresponsibleforthethoughtsandactionswithinastory,poem,orotherliterature.Charactersareextremelyimportantbecausetheyarethemediumthroughwhichareaderinteractswithapieceofliterature.Everycharacterhashisorherownpersonality,whichacreativeauthorusestoassistinformingtheplotofastoryorcreatingamood.Thedifferentattitudes,mannerisms,andevenappearancesofcharacterscangreatlyinfluencetheothermajorelementsinaliterarywork,suchastheme,setting,andtone.Withthisunderstandingofthecharacter,areadercanbecomemoreawareofotheraspectsofliterature,suchassymbolism,givingthereaderamorecompleteunderstandingofthework.Thecharacterisoneofthemostimportanttoolsavailabletotheauthor.Intheballad"Edward,"forinstance,thecharacterhimselfsetsthetoneoftheballadwithinthefirststanza.Afterreadingthefirstfewstanzas,onelearnsthatEdwardhasmurderedhisfatherandisverydistraught.Hisattitudechangestodisgustandfinallytodespairwhenherealizestheconsequenceshemustfaceforhisactions.AnexampleoftheattitudesandpersonalitiesofcharactersdeterminingthethemeisalsoseeninthebookofGenesis.TheproudpersonalityofCainandthehumblepersonalityofAbelhelpcreatetheconflictforthisstory.CainandAbelwerebrothers,possiblytwins,whodisplayedintensesiblingrivalry.GodwasnotpleasedwithCain'sofferings,butfoundpleasureinAbel'sofferings.ProvokedbyGod'sdispleasurewithhim,Cainmurderedhisownbrotheroutofjealousy.
connotation(KAH-nuh-TAE-shun):
anassociationthatcomesalongwithaparticularword.Connotationsrelatenottoaword'sactualmeaning,ordenotation,butrathertotheideasorqualitiesthatareimpliedbythatword.Agoodexampleistheword"gold." Thedenotationofgoldisamalleable,ductile,yellowelement.Theconnotations,however,aretheideasassociatedwithgold,suchasgreed,luxury,oravarice.AnotherexampleoccursintheBookofGenesis.Jacobsays:
“Danwillbeaserpentbytheroadside,aviperalongthepath,thatbitesthehorse’sheelssothatitsridertumblesbackward"(Gen49:
17).Inthispassage,Danisnotliterallygoingtobecomeasnake.However,describingDanasa"snake"and"viper"forcesthereadertoassociatehimwiththenegativequalitiesthatarecommonlyassociatedwithreptiles,suchasslyness,danger,andevil.Danbecomeslikeasnake,slyanddangeroustotheriders.Writersuseconnotationtomaketheirwritingmorevividandinterestingtoread.SeeADictionaryofLiteraryTermsandLiteraryTheory.
couplet(KUP-let):
astyleofpoetrydefinedasacompletethoughtwritten
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