Term explanation.docx

Term explanation.docx

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Termexplanation

Explainthefollowingterms

1.antithesis:

thebalancingoftwocontrastingideas,words,phrases,orsentences.Anantithesisisoftenexpressedinabalancedsentences,tatis,asentencesinwhichidenticalorsimilargrammaticalstructureisusedtoexpresscontrastingideas.AfamousexampleofantithesisisthislinefromAlexanderPeople’sEssayonCriticism:

“Toerrishuman,toforgiveisdivine”

2.apostrophe:

（Rhetoric）anexclamatorypassageinaspeechorpoemaddressedtoanabsenteeoraninanimateobjectasiftheywerelisteningtothespeaker.

3.characterization:

Thepersonalityacharacterdisplays;also,themeansbywhichawriterrevealsthatpersonality.Generally,awriterdevelopsacharacterinoneormoreofthefollowingways:

1）.throughthecharacters’actions;2）.throughthecharacter’sthoughtsandspeeches;3）.throughaphysicaldescriptionofthecharacter;4）.throughtheopinionsothershaveaboutthecharacter;5）.Throughadirectstatementaboutthecharactertellingwhatthewriterthinksofhimorher.

4.conceit:

In literature,a conceit isan extendedmetaphor withacomplex logic thatgovernsapoeticpassageorentirepoem.Byjuxtaposing, usurping and manipulating imagesandideasinsurprisingways,aconceitinvitesthereaderintoamoresophisticatedunderstandingofanobjectofcomparison.ExtendedconceitsinEnglisharepartofthepoeticidiomofMannerism,duringthelatersixteenthandearlyseventeenthcentury.

5.conflict:

Astrugglebetweentowopposingforcesorcharactersinashortstory,novel,play,ornarrativepoem.Conflictcanbeexternalorinternalanditcantakeoneoftheseforms:

1）.apersonagainstanotherperson;2）.apersonagainstsociety;3）.apersonagainstnature;4）.twoelementswithinapersonstrugglingformastery.Manyworkscontainmorethanoneformofconflict.InWilliamShakespeare’sMacbeth,forexample,thereisaconflictwithinMacbeth（hiswishtomurderDuncanandbecomekingversushisloyaltytoDuncan）,andconflictbetweenMacbethandotherindividualsintheplay（LadyMacbeth,Banquo,Macduff）.Conflictisoftenanimportantelementinplotdevelopmentandprovides,amongotherthings,thebasisforsuspense.

6.parody:

Thehumorousimitationofaworkofliterature,art,ormusic.Aparodyoftenachievesitshumorouseffectthroughtheuseofexaggerationormockery.Inliterature,parodycanbemadeofaplot,acharacter,awritingstyle,orasentimentortheme.ThepoetAlgernonCharlesSwinburneparodieshisownverseinahumorouspoemcalledNephelidia.Intheselines,Swinburneismockingakindoflushversethatmakesexcessiveuseofalliteration:

Pallidandpinkasthepalmoftheflagflowerthat

Flickerswithfearofthefliesastheyfloat,

Arethelooksofourloversthatlustrouslyleanfromamarvelofmystic,miraculousmoonshine.

7.romance:

Anyimaginativeliteraturethatissetinanidealizedworldandthatdealswithheroicadventuresandbattlesbetweengoodcharactersandvillainsormonsters.Originally,thetermreferredtoamedievaltaledealingwithlovesandadventuresofkings,queens,knights,andladies,andincludingunlikelyorsupernaturalhappenings.SirGawainandtheGreenKnightisthebestofthemedievalromances.JohnKeats’sTheEveofSt.Agnesisoneofthegreatestmetricalromanceseverwritten.

8.soliloquy

InDrama,asextendedspeechdeliveredbyacharacteraloneonstage.Thecharacterrevealshisorherinnermostthoughtsandfeelingsdirectlytotheaudience,asifthinkingaloud.OneofthemostfamoussoliloquiesinliteratureoccursinShakespeare’sHamlet,whenHamletexpresseshisideaofsuicide:

Tobeornottobe:

thatisthequestion:

Whether‘tisnoblerinthemindtosuffer

Theslingsandarrowsofoutrageousfortune,

Ortotakeuparmsagainstaseaoftroubles,

Andbyopposingthem.Todie,tosleep’

Nomore;andbyasleeptosayweend

Theheart-acheandthethousandnaturalshocks

Thatfleshisheirto….

9.satire

Akindofwritingthatholdsuptoridiculeorcontempttheweaknessesandwrongdoingsofindividuals,groups,institutions,orhumanityingeneral.Theaimofsatiristsistosetamoralstandardforsociety,andtheyattempttopersuadethereadertoseetheirpointofviewthroughtheforceoflaughter.ThemostfamoussatiricalworkinEnglishliteratureisJonathanSwift’sGulliver’sTravels.InthedistantlandofBrobdingnag,wherethepeoplearetwelvetimesastallasanormalhumanbeing,GulliverisbroughtbeforetheKingtodescribetheEnglishpeople.SwiftsatirizestheEnglishpeoplethroughtheKing’sresponse:

HewasperfectlyastonishedwiththehistoricalaccountIgavehimofouraffairsduringthelastcentury,protestingitwasonlyanheapofconspiracies,rebellions,murders,massacres,revolutions,banishments;theveryworsteffectsthatavarice,faction,hypocrisy,perfidiousness,cruelty,rage,madness,hatred,envy,lust,malice,andambitioncouldproduce.

10.symbol

asymbolisanindexthatpointstoorrepresentssomethingelse.Asymbolisusuallyamaterialobjectusedtorepresentsomethingabstract.Therelationshipbetweenthesymbolandthesymbolizedisoftenestablishedthroughconvention,resemblance,orassociation.Theredcrossisnotonlyageometricalfigure,butalsoasymbolofloveofmankindandsocialcare.Thesunrisenotonlyconstitutesanastronomicalphenomenon,butalsosuggestsanewbeginning.TheroadsinFrost’spoemstandforthelife-choices.Actionsandgesturescanbesymbols,too.Noddingmeansconsent,shakinghandmeanswelcomeorreconciliation.

11.theframetale

Aframestory（alsoframetale,framenarrative,etc.）isaliterarytechniquethatsometimesservesasacompanionpiecetoastorywithinastory,wherebyanintroductoryormainnarrativeispresented,atleastinpart,forthepurposeofsettingthestageeitherforamoreemphasizedsecondnarrativeorforasetofshorterstories.Theframestoryleadsreadersfromafirststoryintoanother,smallerone（orseveralones）withinit.Therearemanyfamousliterarywiththisformat.Forexample,Chaucer’sTheCanterburyTales,TheSevenSagesfromIndia,TheThousandandOneNights,SamuelTaylorColeridge’sTheRimeoftheAncientMariner,JosephConrad’sHeartofDarknessandsoon.

12.theme

thegeneralideaorinsightaboutlifethatawriterwishestoexpressinaliterarywork.Alltheelementsofaliterarywork——plot,setting,characterization,andfigurativelanguage——combinetothedevelopmentofthistheme.Asimplethemecanoftenbestatedinasinglesentence.Butsometimesaliteraryworkisrichandcomplex,andaparagraphorevenanessayisneededtostatethetheme.Notallliteraryworkshaveacontrollingtheme.Forexample,thepurposeofsomesimpleghoststoriesistofrightenthereader,andsomedetectivestoriesseekonlytothrill.

13.character

atermusedtorefertoimaginarypeoplethatnovelistsorshortstorywriterscreateintheirnarratives.AccordingtoE.M.Forster,characterscanbeclassifiedintoflatcharactersandroundcharacters.

14.setting

thetimeandplaceinwhichtheeventsinashortstory,novel,playornarrativepoemoccur.Asettingmayservesimplyasthephysicalbackgroundofastory,oraskillfulwritermayusesettingtoestablishaparticularatmosphere,whichinturncontributestotheplotandthemeofthestory.

15.gothicnovel

Gothicfiction,sometimesreferredtoasGothichorror,isagenreormodeofliteraturethatcombineselementsofbothhorrorandromance.ItoriginatedinEnglandinthesecondhalfofthe18thcenturyandhadmuchsuccessduringtheEnglishromanticperiodwithMaryShelley’sFrankensteinandtheworksofEdgarAllanPoe.Gothicism'soriginisattributedtoEnglishauthorHoraceWalpole,withhis1764novelTheCastleofOtranto,subtitled"AGothicStory".TheeffectofGothicfictionfeedsonapleasingsortofterror,anextensionofRomanticliterarypleasuresthatwererelativelynewatthetimeofWalpole'snovel.ThenameGothicreferstothe（pseudo）-medievalbuildingsinwhichmanyofthesestoriestakeplace.ThisextremeformofromanticismwasverypopularinEnglandandGermany.TheEnglishgothicnovelalsoledtonewnoveltypessuchastheGermanSchauerromanandtheFrenchromannoir.

16.sonnet

Afourteen-linelyricpoem,usuallywritteninrhymediambicpentameter.Asonnetgenerallyexpressesasinglethemeoridea.Sonnetsvaryinstructureandrhymescheme,butaregenerallyofthreetypes:

theItalianorPetrachansonnet,SpenseriansonnetandtheEnglishorShakespeariansonnet.

17.protagonist

thecentralcharacterofadrama,novel,shortstory,ornarrativepoem.Theprotagonististhecharacteronwhomtheactioncentersandwithwhomthereadersympathizesmost.Usuallytheprotagoniststrivesagainstanopposingforce,orantagonist,toaccomplishsomething.Theprotagonistcanbeeitherheroicorordinary,goodorbad.Forexample,Beowulfisbraveandgood.Macbethisnobleandhonorableatfirst,butbecomesincreasinglyhateful.

18.antagonist

acharacter,groupofcharacters,or institution thatrepresentstheoppositionagainstwhichthe protagonist orprotagonistsmustcontend.Inotherwords,anantagonistisapersonoragroupofpeoplewhoopposethemaincharacter（s）

19.myth

astory,oftenaboutimmortalsandsometimesconnectedwithreligiousrituals,thatisintendedtogivemeaningtothemysteriesoftheworld.Inmythos,godsandgoddessesareusuallyidentifiedwiththeimmensepowersoftheuniverse:

intheGreekmyths,Zeusisassociatedwiththesky,Hadeswiththeunderworld,Poseidonwiththesea,ApollowiththesunAthenawithwisdom,Areswithwar.B