CommonTermsofLiteraryCriticism.docx

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