Absence / Presence

What essentially remains or is taken out of a text and its effect on what is being told.

The absence of multitudinous women's rights in "The Handmaid's Tale" emphasizes the dystopia women face in the universe of that world.

Aestheticism

A movement to appreciate beauty.

Many people care about assembling their social media feeds to follow a certain aesthetic, making the overall product more beautiful.

Amoebean Verses

Amoebean Verses

Poetic form in which two characters chant alternate lines in competition or debate with one another. Matching groups of verses assigned to two characters usually in singing contests. Each theme introduced by one character is ‘capped’ by the other; sometimes third party decides result.

An example of amoebean verses could be rap battling, also seen as an example of flyting below.

Antimetabole

Figure of speech using reversing order of phrasing to reflect an idea.

"Think and wonder. Wonder and think." This Dr. Seuss quote reverses the order of the words, creating profound effect on the reader, with each statement having separate meaning.

Apollonian

Based off of Apollo and Dionysus in Greek Mythology; Apollonian attributes- reason, culture, harmony, and restraint

Sculpting is the very Apollonian, since it involves form for its effect. Rational thought would also count, since it leads to distinctive decision-making.

Background

Opposite of foreground. In the text, but does not jump out at you, is not obvious. Thinking about historical/social background or background reading. Consider conditions in which the work was written.

In the original Star Wars trilogy, the politics that led to the war between the Empire and Rebellion is placed in the background, with more foreground focus on the current fight unravelling as a result.

Barcarole

Expression used to describe "boat songs" about traveling on water, originating from an Italian word "barca".

The nursery rhyme "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" would be a fine example of a barcarole for obvious reasons.

Camp

Similar to kitsch in the fact that it’s eccentric, excessive, and glorious. Taking things without value and placing massive value on them.

The outfits seen at the 2019's Met Gala placed emphasis on regular objects, following the campy theme of the event.

Canon

Confirmed collection of works that agree with the consistency of a work's universe.

Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Marvel movies all take place in their own separate fictional universes, so the writers of these universes control what is and is not canonical to the world(s).

Carnival / Absurd

Absurd references mid-twentieth century scripts that used silence as much as speech to emphasize surrealism. Carnival is a form of absurdity centering more on social/political concepts instead of philosophical.

"The Purge" has a carnivalesque plot, since all law becomes null for 24 hours, creating an absurd idea where rules are put on hold for a day.

Character

The identity of someone; Can be like the letter “a”, a character.

Part of Spider-Man and Batman's characters, respectively, revolve around their refusal to end one's life. This character trait motivates many of their decisions when fighting crime.

Characterization

The traits that define one’s being. Sort of like the idea of someone’s character, how they’re perceived. Tools and strategies we use to create or describe a character.

Characterization of Spider-Man and Batman would be their physical traits, so in this case the red and blue suit of Spider-Man and dark colors and mask of Batman's suit.

Chronicle Novel

Related series of novels following canonical sets of characters, settings, and plots to depict a larger, connected narrative.

The books in the "Game of Thrones" series follow the chronicles of the same plot, characters, settings, etc to tell a consistent overall story with a uniform end in mind.

Classicism

The use of ancient Greek or Roman principles/style in art/literature. Generally associated with harmony/strength used to emphasize form/craftsmanship.

Neoclassicism in 1660-1780 consisted of British literature trying to recreate Greek society, culture, art.

Comedy

A spectacle, what makes us laugh. Related to tragedy → seen as inferior/lower brow. What is ridiculous but laughable. Normally include happy endings.

"South Park" is a comedic cartoon, normally aimed at making a spectacle of society through applying a topical subject a group of fourth graders and their wacky town.

Conceit

Kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising way. Things you would not normally find connected. Very elaborate metaphor, sometimes using oxymorons/paradoxes.

"The Flea" by John Donne compares a flea to a woman's private parts using two unconventional forms of symbolism to make a comparison.

Context

Provides situational reference for why or how something is being discussed/taking place. Useful because outsiders require it to understand why something is being discussed/taking place.

The phrase "she's not very good" could have multiple meanings based on context. "She" could be anything or anyone, and they could not "not good" at a variety of things, begging for more elaboration to understand intended meaning.

Decentering

Intentionally shifts main point of attention to something else in the story, inside or outside.

"The Penelopiad" by Margaret Atwood tells the story of "The Odyssey" from the perspective of Odysseus' wife, Penelope, as he left her for decades.

Deus Ex Machina

Originally "god from machine", now predominantly referencing a swift, usually unlikely solution to a plot's problem that seems unsolvable or impending.

In The Star Wars episode "Return of the Jedi," Han Solo is able to save Lando Calrissian just before an untimely death in the sarlacc pit, showcasing a convenient act of heroism just when needed, in a somewhat unrelaistic way, to further the plot.