Glossary


 * Allusion "**An indirect reference, often to a person, event, statement, theme or work. Allusion enrich meaning through the connotations they carry. An author's use of this device tends to presuppose that readers in general will possess the knowledge neccessary to make the connection, but sometimes allusions are used that only a choice few can understand" (Allusion).


 * Archetypal Criticism** "A type of literary criticism that emerged in the 1930s focusing on those patterns in a particuluar literary work that commonly occuer in other literary works. Archetypal criticism owed its origin chiefly to the work of the Swiss analytical psychologist Carl Jung, who argues that humanity has a collective unconscious that manifests itself in dreams, myths, and literature through archetypes: persistent images, figures, and story patterns shared by people across diverse cultures. Archetypal criticism was also influenced by the studies of a group of Cambridge University Anthropologists who found that certain myths and rituals recurred in a wide variety of cultures" (Archetypal Criticism).


 * Archetype** "Generally, the original model from which something isdeveloped or made; inliterary critism, those images, figures, character types, settings, and story patterns that, according to the Swiss analytical psychologist Carl jung, are universally shared by people across cultures. Archetypes are embedded deep in humanity's collective unconscious and involve "racial memories" of situations, events, and relations that have been part of human experience from the beginning. They not only manifest themselves in the subconscious material of dreams but are also persistently expressed in the more consciously constructed material of myths and literature. Jung postulated that when an author recounts a narrative based on such unconscious memories, the reader's mind is subconscioulsy stirred, producing a singularly powerful psychological effect becauase the memories evoke primordial feelings, concerns, and responses that cannot logically be explained" (Archetype).


 * Formalism** "A general term covering several similar types of literary criticism that arose in the 1920s and 1930s, flourished during the 1940s and 1950s, and are still in evidence today. Formalists see the literary work as an object in its own right. Thus, they tend to devote their attention to its intrinsic nature, conentrating their analyses o the interplay and relationships between the text's essential verbal elements. They study the form of the work (as opposed to its content), although //form// to a formalist connote anything from genre (for example, one may speak of "the sonnet form") to grammatical or rhetorical structure to the "emotional imperative" that engenders the works (more mechanical) structure. No matter which connotation //form// pertains, however, formalists seek to be objective in their analysis, focusing on the work itself and eschewing external considerations. they pay particular attention to literary devices used in the work and to the patterns these devices establish" (Formalism).


 * Imagery** "Imagery is a central component of almost all imaginative literature and is often said to be the chief element in poetry. Literal imagery is purely descriptive, representing an object or event with words that draw on or appeal to the kinds of experiences gained through the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell). Figurative imagery may call sensory experience to mind but does so as a way of descrining something else - often some abstract idea that cannot be depictedd literally or directly (for example, Emily Dickinson's " 'Hope' is the thing with feathers" [1861]). Whether literal or figurative, however, imagery is generally intended to make whatever the author is describing in the reader's mond, to give it some tangible and real existence rather than a purely intellectual one. Imagery also provides the reader with a sense of vivdness and immediacy" (Imagery).


 * Irony** "A contradiction or incongruity between appearence or expectation and reality. This disparity may be manifested in a variety fo ways. A discrepency may exist between what someone says and what he or she actually means, between what someone expects to happen and what really happens, or between what appears to be true and what actully is true. The term may be applies to events, situations, and structural elements of a work ,not just to statements. Irony mat even be used as a general mode of expression, I which case one might describe an author;s very tone as ironic" (Irony).


 * Poem (Poetry)** "Literary expression characterized by particular attention to rythm, sound, and the concentrated, concrete use of langauge" (Poem).


 * Preface** "A preliminary statement in a book by the book's author, setting forth its purpose and scope, expressing acknowledgement of assistance from others, etc." (Preface).


 * Setting** "That combination of place, historical time, and social milieu that provides the general background for the characters and plot of a literary work. The general setting may differ from the specific setting of an individual scene or event ; nonetheless, specific settings may be said to contribute to the overall setting. In drama, //setting// may refer to the physical backdrop of the play, that is, the scenery and sometimes even the props. Setting frequently plays a crucial rolein determining the atmosphere of a work" (Setting).


 * Short Story** "A brief fictional prose narrative, typically 1,000-10,000 words in length, that often centers on a particular episode or event. Short stories may range from about 500-2,000 words (the //short short story//, such as O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" [1906]) to 12,000-20,000 words (the //long short story//, such as James Joyce's "The Dead" [1907]) or even to novella length works such as Henry Jame's //The Turn of the Screw// (1898).The short story may be distinguished from the even briefer prose narrative form known as the anecdote by it's meticulous and deliberate craftsmanship. It may also be distinguished from the longer novel from by its relatively simple purposem which is generally to reveal simple aspects of a character or characters, not to show character development over time. Unlike novels, short stories usually have a single focus and produce a specific dramatic revelation or effect (often the result of opposing motivation or forces) toward which the story builds and to which everything else in the story is subordinate. Short stories are like novels, however, insofar as they have the chameleon capability of reflecting characteristics and elements of any number of other major genres" (Short Story).


 * Sonnet** "From the Italian word for "little song," a lyric poem that typically consists of fourteen lines(usually printed as a single stanza) and that typically follows one of several conventional rhyme schemes. Sonnets may address a range of issues or themes, but love, the original subject of the sonnet, is perhaps still the most common" (Sonnet).


 * Theme** "The statement(s), express or implied, that a text seems to be making about it's subject. The theme of a work on suffering, for instance, might be that suffering is in God's plan and should therefore be accepted. The term //Theme// is generally applied to the main idea or message in a text but is sometimes applied more broadly to include secondary ideas or messages, hence, the characterization of themes as "major" or "minor". a theme can be moral, or even //a// moral or lesson, as was common in older works, or it may emanate from an unmoralized, or less obvious moral, perspective, such as an archetypal or philasophical one" (Theme).

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