Unit 1 Perspectives in World Literature
encounters conflict and is changed by it and exhibits multiple traits; complex and more like real people than flat characters
sedition
action or speech inciting people to rebel against a government system, such as a state or monarchy
setting
the time and place of the action in a story
simile
an indirect comparison made between two words, using words like “like” or “as”; a type of figurative language
sonnet
a fourteen-line poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter
static character
a character who remains constant in his or her beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and personality
suffix
a syllable added to the end of a word to form a new word
symbol
an object, person, place, or action that has a meaning in itself and that also stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, an attitude, a belief, or a value
symbolism
the use of an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning, representing things by means of symbols or attributing symbolic meanings or significance of objects, events, or relationships
theme
a central idea of a literary work
tone
an attitude the author takes toward his or her subject, characters, and readers
Unit 3 Things Fall Apart
allusion
reference to people, places, literature, or events in a literary text
analyze
to examine in detail the structure of something
anecdote
a short story about an event that supports a main idea
antagonist
a character who struggles with the protagonist; an adversary; often considered the villain
associated
connected in the mind, closely related to
character
a person in a work of literature
character arc
how a character changes and grows over the course of a story; the character's journey
characterization
the methods an author uses to develop a character
citation
a quotation from an authoritative source
close reading
the act of slowly and carefully investigating a literary passage, trying to fully understand its imagery, context, and meaning
colonialism
control by one foreign political power over a dependent area or people
compare
to look for similarities; to show how things or people are the same
comparison
to note similarities and/or differences between views, ideas, groups, or people
conclude
to make a decision about
condescension
the act of showing feelings of superiority; patronizing
conflict
a clash between forces in a story, usually a protagonist and an antagonist
connotation
the suggestion of a different meaning of a word, either positive or negative, other than its dictionary definition
connotative meaning
the figurative meaning of a word; what a word makes you feel or think of outside of its literal meaning
considered
thought of, regarded as
content
what the story is about; what the important themes and messages are
context
all of the external information that must be considered when judging a person, place, or idea; the social or historical forces that shape a person, place, or idea
context clues
synonyms, antonyms, or other clues in a sentence or passage that can help a reader understand the meaning of a word
contradiction
a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another
contrast
to look for differences; to show how things or people are different
describe
to give an account of in writing
develop
to unfold gradually; to expand
dialogue
the lines spoken by characters in a play; the conversation between characters
dichotomy
a sharp division into two parts of contrasting groups or opinions
diction
a writer’s choice of words, taking into account the audience, the situation, and mood he or she is trying to create
double meaning
a figure of speech in which a phrase can be understood in two completely different ways
dramatic irony
a literary device with which the author shows a contrast between the way things seem and the way they really are
ethos
an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader
figurative language
the use of words outside their usual or literal meanings
flashback
a literary device with which the author depicts events that occurred before the events are currently unfolding in the story.
foil
a character who provides a strong contrast to another character. By using a foil, an author calls attention to the strengths or weaknesses of a character.
folklore
traditional cultural beliefs and customs, stories, songs, and dances of a culture which are often passed down through oral traditions
folktale
a story passed down orally from generation to generation; folktales bear the characteristics of the culture and customs of the people from which they originated.
foreshadowing
a literary device of warning or indication of a future event
historical context
the social, political, or cultural setting that shapes a group of people and are relevant to understand an event or literary text
imagery
descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell
interact
act reciprocally, as to have an effect on one another
juxtapose
to place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
keyword
a significant word of a title or document; it is used as an index to content on the Internet.
literary theory
when a person writes about the meaning of literature and how the elements of literature work
logical fallacy
making an error in terms of reasoning
logos
an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason
main idea
the most important point of an essay; the thesis
metaphor
a direct comparison between two things without the use of "like" or "as"
motivation
what makes a character act, feel, or think as he or she does
narrative progression
how one event in a story leads to another, moving the plot along
nuance
a subtle meaning or difference in meaning
origin
the point at which something comes into existence
paraphrase
to rephrase something that someone else has said or written
pathos
an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response
personification
a figure of speech in which living characteristics are attributed to nonliving or human things
perspective
a mental view or outlook
pivot point
a point in a story or novel in which a character's fortunes change, for better or for worse; the turning point of the novel, from which point the story drives toward a conclusion
plot
the sequence of events in a story
plotlines
the different stories that are told in a novel
point of view
the narrator's position in relation to the story being told
portray
to describe in words
prefix
group of letters at the beginning of a word that has a specific meaning
primary source
first-hand, original information such as the author's work, an interview, a letter, or autobiography
propaganda
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view
protagonist
the central character in a narrative literary work, around whom the main conflict revolves. Generally, the author intends for the reader or audience to sympathize with the protagonist.
purpose
an author's reason for creating a piece of literature; what the author hopes to achieve with his or her writing
reaction
a response to some treatment, situation, or stimulus
relationship
the attitude that two or more people have toward one another
revision
rereading a piece of writing to improve the ideas, arguments, logic, grammar, and spelling
rhetorical fallacy
distracts the reader with various appeals instead of using sound reasoning
rhythm
the patterns of the syllables, words, and phrases in a work
search engine
a computer program that looks for information on the Internet
setting
the time and the place in which the action occurs in a work of literature, including customs, values, and beliefs of a place or time
simile
a figure of speech that makes a comparison using the word “like” or “as”
situational irony
when there is a contrast between what we expect to happen and what actually happens.
style
how a story is written; how language is used to convey tone and meaning
suffix
group of letters at the end of a word that has a specific meaning
suspense
a quality in fiction that arouses excited expectation or uncertainty about what may happen
symbol
any object or place that represents or stands for something or someone else; symbols are kinds of figurative language.
theme
the message or the general truth about life that a literary work conveys
thesis
a statement that someone wants to discuss or prove; a thesis statement is the controlling idea of your report.
tragedy
a term from Aristotle's Poetics describing a story in which a good character in an impressive position has a fall from grace due to a tragic flaw
tragic hero
a good, impressive character who has a fall from grace due to a tragic flaw
Unit 4 Tradition vs. Change
allegory
a symbolic representation in literature that parallels a meaning deeper than itself
characterization
the methods an author uses to develop a character
chivalry
the qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, and honesty
figurative language
the use of words outside their usual or literal meanings
foreshadowing
a literary device of warning or indication of a future event
infer
to conclude from evidence
metaphor
a direct comparison between two things without the use of "like" or "as"
personification
a figure of speech in which living characteristics are attributed to nonliving or human things
point of view
the narrator's position in relation to the story being told
primary source
first-hand, original information such as the author's work, an interview, a letter, or autobiography
protagonist
the central character in a narrative literary work, around whom the main conflict revolves. Generally, the author intends for the reader or audience to sympathize with the protagonist.
recitation
the oral delivery of literary materials in a performance
satire
a literary work in which irony or wit is used to expose folly or wickedness
secondary source
information gathered and complied from articles encyclopedias, documentaries, biographies, and history books
simile
a figure of speech that makes a comparison using the word “like” or “as”
suspense
a quality in fiction that arouses excited expectation or uncertainty about what may happen
symbol
any object or place that represents or stands for something or someone else; symbols are kinds of figurative language.
theme
the message or the general truth about life that a literary work conveys
tone
an author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter
working thesis
a sentence that states both the topic and what you will say about it in your research paper; may be revised as research progresses
works cited
a list at the end of the report that contains all the sources you have cited