Lit Terms 31-56

Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles Elegy: a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, morals, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time Epigram: witty aphorism Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone's character, characteristics Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild, or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt Evocative: a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality Exposition: beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation Expressionism: movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feeling(s). Fable: a short simple story, usuall with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth Fallacy: from Latin word "to deceive", a false or misleading notion, belief or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound Falling Action: part of the narrative or drama after the climax Farce: a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue Figurative Language: apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile) Flashback: a narrative device that flashes back to prior events Foil: a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more promient Folk Tale: a story passed on by word of mouth Foreshadowing: in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; "planing" to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away Free Verse: verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme