Terms : Hide Images
| 2268916678 | alter ego | literary character or narrator who is a thinly disguised representation of the author, poet, or playwright (Ex. Prufrock alter ego for T. S. Eliot in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.") | 0 | |
| 2268919216 | ambiguity | any wording, action, or symbol in literature that can be read in divergent ways to open up multiple possible meanings (Ex. Calpurnia's dream in Julius Caesar that has two interpretations) | 1 | |
| 2268931211 | Christological figure | an object, person, or figure that represents Christ allegorically or symbolically or any similar entity with qualities generally reminiscent of Christ (Ex. Santiago in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea bleeding and lying on floor) | 2 | |
| 2268938385 | deconstruction | literary theory that rejects absolute interpretations, stressing ambiguities and contradictions in literature; asserts that all literature is ultimately incapable of offering meaning because language has opposing ideas within itself (Ex. Huck Finn) | 3 | |
| 2268955668 | private symbol | in contrast with an archetype (universal symbol), a private symbol is one that an individual artist arbitrarily assigns a personal meaning to (Ex. Burning hand of slave boy in Julius Caesar) | 4 | |
| 2268967027 | folklore | sayings, verbal compositions, stories, and social rituals passed along by word of mouth rather than written down in a text (Ex. superstitions, "urban legends," proverbs, riddles, nursery rhymes, songs, jokes, anecdotes, birth/death/marriage rituals, and yearly celebrations) | 5 | |
| 2268975156 | Shakespearean fool | usually a clever peasant or commoner who uses his wits to outdo people of higher social standing; similar to a Medieval court jester; as long as he spoke in rhyme or riddle, he had the freedom to criticize individuals and mock political policy (Ex. Citizen in Act I of Julius Caesar) | 6 | |
| 2268988922 | high comedy | elegant comedy characterized by witty banter, sophisticated dialogue, satire, biting humor, and criticism of life; appeals to the intellect (Ex. As You Like It, Rape of the Lock) | 7 | |
| 2268989123 | low comedy | consists of silly, slapstick physicality, crude pratfalls, violence, scatology, bodily humor, drunkenness, fighting, buffoonery and other riotous activity (Ex. Canterbury Tales) | 8 | |
| 2269019498 | metaphysical poet | uses abstract and highly complex style characterized by wildly original, shocking, and strange images/puns/metaphors; dramatic events; inconsistent verses (as opposed to symmetrical meter); and arguments with wild logic and unusual comparisons (Ex. John Donne, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert) | 9 |
