Glossary and Summary of English Vocab and Literary Terms

Glossary and Summary of English Vocab and Literary Terms

1. Bildungsroman

   • A novel that deals with one person's growing up, formative years and moral or spiritual development

2. Free Indirect Thought

   • A narrative's technique where a character's thought processes form part of the narrative.

3. Counter-cultural

   • One who beliefs and behaviour differ from the mainstream views held at the time

4. Magic Realism

   • A genre of writing where magic or unreal events create a representation of an otherwise realistic world (e.g. Harry Potter)

5. Imagery Patterns

6. Antagonist

   • Protagonist
   • Anti-hero
   • Demotic
     • This refers to ordinary people

7. Dystopian

   • The opposite of Utopian - a society in which people are disjointed and unhappy

8. Confessional

   • Confessional writing is deeply personal and intimate in its details

9. Free Indirect Speech

   • Speech that is embedded in a narrative, so it is unattributed and a report of the speech rather than the actualy words

10. Modernist/Modernism

11. Motif (Theme)

12. Panthestic/Pantheism

    • The belief in many Gods (e.g. Leo's belief in the zodiacs)

13. Patriarchy/Patriarchal

    • A system of society or government controlled by men

14. Pre-lapsarian

    • Before the loss of innocence

15. Dysphemism

    • The opposite of euphemism - where the grim reality is foregrounded, or exaggerated, rather than politelty avoided. (May war novels use this)