Glossary of Literary Terms 文学术语词汇表

McMurtry is a prequel to Lonesome Dove; Justice

by Larry Watson is the prequel to Montana 1948 . propaganda novel

alternate term: program novel

\issue or problem and possibly advocating a doctrinaire solution. If the propagandistic purpose dominates the work so as to dwarf or eclipse all other elements, such as plot and character, then the novel belongs to the realm of the didactic and probably cannot be understood or appreciated for its own sake as a work of art. It may be good propaganda and bad literature at the same time\

: Harmon & Holman, 412). Examples: The Chamber and The Street Lawyer

by John Grisham. protagonist

\in early Greek drama, the term was applied to the first actor and leader of the chorus. The antagonist was the second most important character and the other contender in the agon, the dispute or debate that formed part of a Greek tragedy. Protagonist is now used generally to denote the main character of a play or story and is sometimes used interchangeably with hero\( Source : Benet's, 834). See also: antihero , hero . \

\emotional passage will give free play to most of the stylistic tricks in their bag. They will write prose intensely colorful and more than usually rhythmic. When there is an unusual piling up of these devices in such a way as to suggest a self-conscious literary effort, the section is spoken of as a purple patch-a colorful passage standing out from the writing around it?Although sometimes used in a nonevaluative, descriptive sense, the term is more often employed derogatorily\ : Harmon & Holman, 421). Top

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reader-response criticism

“This kind of criticism suggests that a piece of writing scarcely exists except as a text designed to be read; indeed, scarcely exists until somebody reads it. The reader-response approach does not so much analyze a reader’s responding apparatus as scrutinize those features of the text that shape and guide a reader’s reading.” This form of criticism postulates the “concept of a hypothetical reader different from any real reader-a hypothetical construct of norms and expectations that can be derived or projected or extrapolated from the work and that may even be said to inhere in the work. This hypothetical reader becomes, in effect, a part of the fiction itself.” ( Source

: Harmon & Holman, 427). See Notes on The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of the Literary Work by Louise M. Rosenblatt . realism

\?literature that attempts to depict life in an entirely objective manner. In English, realism may be said to have?become a definite literary trend in the 19th century. In America, realism became an important movement in the 1880s?\http://www.notesinthemargin.org/glossary.html> : Benet's, 858).

red herring

“An action, theme, or piece of information meant to lead a character or the reader astray. Mysteries often employ red herrings to complicate the plot and draw the reader’s attention away from the real solution, thus prolonging the pleasure of reading. The term derives from hunters’ use of the smoked fish to distract their dogs” (Source : NYPL, 671). roman à clef

“Literally, a novel with a key, or secret meaning. Such a work of fiction contains one or more characters and situations based upon actual persons and their lives” (Source : Benet’s, 882).

romance

“The term romance has had special meanings as a kind of fiction since the early years of the novel ? In common usage, it refers to works with extravagant characters, remote and exotic places, highly exciting and heroic events, passionate love, or mysterious or supernatural experiences. In another and more sophisticated sense, romance refers to works relatively free of the more restrictive aspects of realistic

verisimilitude ? In America particularly, the romance has proved to be a serious, flexible, and successful medium for the exploration of philosophical ideas and attitudes, ranging through such differeing works as Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Melville’s Moby-Dick , Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! , and Warren’s World Enough and Time ” ( Source : Harmon & Holman, 450).

Top -S- satire

A work of literature that aims to \and in which a corrective is either implied or directly proposed\( Source : Benet's, 914).

\for improving human institutions or humanity. Satirists attempt through laughter not so much to tear down as to inspire a remodeling\ : Harmon & Holman, 461). Example: Moo by Jane Smiley is a satire on academic life. sentimentality

\situation, and thus to substitute heightened and generally unthinking feeling for normal ethical and intellectual judgment\ : Harmon & Holman, 475). setting

\background against which action takes place. The elements making up a setting are: (1) the geographical location, its topography, scenery, and such physical arrangements as the location of the windows and doors

in a room; (2) the occupations and daily manner of living of the characters; (3) the time or period in which the action takes place, for example, epoch in history or season of the year; (4) the general environment of the characters, for example, religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional conditions\http://www.notesinthemargin.org/glossary.html> :Harmon & Holman, 477). Southern gothic

“A lurid or macabre writing style native to the American South. Since the middle of the 20th century, Southern writers have interpreted and illuminated the history and culture of the region through the conventions of the Gothic narrative (or Gothic novel), which at its best provides insight into the horrors institutionalized in societies and social conventions. Foremost among these authors are William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Tennessee Williams, and Carson McCullers” (Source : NYPL, 678). See also: gothic

Examples: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice. speculative fiction

A general term for types of fiction that deal with alternate realities (for example, science fiction, fantasy, and occult or horror fiction). stream of consciousness

\employed to evoke the psychic life of a character and depict subjective as well as objective reality?As a literary term, \consciousness\thoughts, feelings, reactions, etc., on an approximated preverbal level and with little or no direct comment or explanation by the author?In general, the term \of mental life at the borderline of conscious thought and is characterized by the devices of association, reiteration of word- or symbol-motifs, apparent incoherence, and the reduction or elimination of normal syntax and punctuation to simulate the free flow of the character's mental processes?aspects of stream-of-consciousness techniques are evident in