Terms : Hide Images
| 7552513083 | Deconstruction | A method of literary criticism which suggests that literary works do not yield fixed single meanings because language can never say exactly what we intend it to say Ex: Heart of Darkness | 0 | |
| 7552521136 | Denotation | The literal definition of a word Ex: Book- A handwritten or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers | 1 | |
| 7552546972 | Denouement | The final unraveling of a plot- the solution to a mystery- an explanation or outcome Ex: End of a mystery novel | 2 | |
| 7552556422 | Deus Ex Machina | Any forced or artificial device introduced by an author to solve some difficult problem with the resolution of a plot Ex: Cinderella's fairy godmother comes and solves all of her problems by magically creating a dress, coach, and servants so that Cinderella can go to the ball. | 3 | |
| 7552571417 | Dialect | A variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographic region Ex: Southern | 4 | |
| 7552580650 | Diction | Word Choice | 5 | |
| 7552582768 | Didactic | Designed or intended to teach Ex: Instruction manual | 6 | |
| 7552585723 | Direct Characterization | The writer tells what the character is like Ex: The patient boy and quiet girl were both well mannered and did not disobey their mother. | 7 | |
| 7552595375 | Indirect Characterization | The writer shows the reader what a character is like through his/her dialogue and/or actions Ex: Personality of a character | 8 | |
| 7552616674 | Dirge | A wailing song sung at a funeral or a short lyric of lamentation Ex: Sad Poem | 9 | |
| 7552627285 | Dramatic Irony | The audience knows more about a character's situation than the character does Ex: Two people are engaged to be married but the audience knows that the man is planning to run away with another woman | 10 | |
| 7552639533 | Electra Complex | The psychological conflict of a daughter's unconscious rivalry with her mother for her father's attention. The name comes from the Greek legend of Electra, who avenged the death of her father Agamemnon by plotting the death of her mother Clytemnestra. Ex: Snow White | 11 | |
| 7552668810 | Elegy | Poem setting forth meditations on death Ex: Thomas Gray's elegy | 12 | |
| 7552678218 | Elliptical | Marked by extreme economy of speech or writing Ex: You are just as good at golfing as she. | 13 | |
| 7552687273 | Epigram | A short poem with a witty turn of thought Ex: An unbending tree is easily broken. | 14 | |
| 7552700851 | Epigraph | A quotation or motto placed at the beginning of a book, chapter, or poem Ex: Quote in beginning of Great Gatsby | 15 | |
| 7552717947 | Epistolary | Written in the style of a letter or letters Ex: Frankenstein | 16 | |
| 7552727519 | Epithet | Word or term that characterizes a person or thing. Also, an adjective or descriptive word that forms part of a name. Ex: Madison the Great | 17 | |
| 7552742852 | Espirit de I'escalier | The witch on the staircase The witty comment or snappy reply you wish you had said to someone earlier if you had only thought of it. | 18 | |
| 7552751563 | Euphony | The stylistic effect achieved when a passage is rhythmically graceful and avoids unpleasant sound combinations (alliteration, assonance) Ex: Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are | 19 | |
| 7552768195 | Foil | A character who, through contrast, underscores the characteristics of another Ex: Voldemort and Harry Potter | 20 | |
| 7552778255 | Free Verse | Free from rhyme or a particular rhythm Sounds like everyday language Ex: Barely tolerated, living on the margin In our technological society, we were always having to be rescued | 21 | |
| 7552788819 | Freudian Slip | A slip of the tongue that inadvertently reveals what's on the mind of the speaker Ex: Our national interest ought to be to encourage the breast and the brightest | 22 | |
| 7580747518 | Hubris | Excessive pride or self confidence that leads a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or violate an important moral law, this leading to his downfall ex: Achilles | 23 |
