Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Glossary of Terms...

Forms of Prose Fiction:

Novel - A long narrative in literary prose.The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella.

Novella (also called a short  novel) - Is a written fictional prose narrative longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel.

Short Story - A work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format.

Elements of Prose Fiction:

Narrative Techniques - the methods involved in telling a story.

Point of View - Refers to the way in which a narrator approaches his or her material (characters, action, setting etc.) and the audience.

Characterization - The way in which a writer creates characters in a narrative so as to attract or repel our sympathy.

Setting - The time or place in which a play takes place.

Theme - The abstract subject of a work; its central idea/ideas which may or may not be explicit or obvious.

Plot - The plan of literary work, especially of dramas and novels.

Style - The characteristic manner in which a writer expresses him/herself or the particular manner of an individual literary work.

Literary Devices:

Imagery - Is used in literature to refer to descriptive language that evokes sensary experience, or pictures from words.

Symbol - Is something which represents something else (often an idea or quality) by analogy or association.

Irony - A contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality or between what is expected and what actually happens.

Satire - Literature which exhibits or examines vice and folly and makes them appear ridiculous or contemptable.

Allusion - Is a figure of speech that makes reference to or a representation of a place,event, literary work, myth or work of art either directly or by implication.

Stream of Consciousness - The attempt to convey all the contents of a character's mind - memory, sense, perception, feelings, intuition, thoughts - in relation to the stream of experience as it passes by, often at random.

Interior Monologue - An attempt to convey in words, the process of consciousness or thoughts (as a means of narrating a story).

Flashback - A sudden jump backward in time to earlier episode or scene in a story of a novel, play or film.

Foreshadowing - The technique of suggesting or prefiguring a development in a literary work before it occurs.

Time Frame - A given interval of time, especially in relation to a particular event or process.

Motif - A recurrent thematic element - word, image, symbok, object or action.

Juxtaposition - To put side by side or close together.

Literary context:

Social - Of or having to do with human beings living together as a group in a siyuation in which their dealings with one another affect their common welfare.

Political - of or concerned with government, the state or politics.

Historical - of or concerned with history as a science.

Religious - Characterized by adherence to religion or a religion devout, pious gladly.

Ethnic - Designating or of a population subgroup having a common cultural heritage as distinguished by a customs, power, characteristics language, common history etc.

 Moral - A practical lesson about right and wrong conduct.

Intellectual - The ability to reason or understand.

Cultural - The training and refinement of the intellect, interest, taste, skills and arts.