American Lit terms

A speaker or author’s word choice

The general feeling created for the reader by a work at a given point

A passage printed on the first page of a literary work, taken from earlier texts, to establish the tone or theme of what follows.

The combination of place, historical time, and social milieu that provides the general background for the characters and plot of a literary work.

Something concrete that stands for something larger and/or more complex--often an idea or a range of interrelated ideas,attitudes, and practices

The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas

A recurrent, unifying element in an artistic work, such as an image, symbol, character type, action, idea, object, or phrase.

Introducing into narrative material that prepares the reader for future events, actions, or revelations. Foreshadowing often helps to create mood and atmosphere

Used in Greek tragedies, refers to excessive pride that usually leads to a hero’s downfall

A character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another

The attitude of an author toward the reader, audience, or subject matter of a literary work

An indirect reference, often to a person, event, statement, theme, or work. Allusions enrich meaning through the connotations they carry

A literary technique for rendering stream of consciousness by reproducing a character’s mental flow

The concrete presentation of an abstract idea with at least two levels of meaning--the surface storyline and the political, philosophical, or religious meaning

The evocation in a narrative of scenes or events that took place at an earlier point in the story (flashback). It can disrupt the chronological flow, involve memory or dream suddenly recounted by a narrator, or add information

The condition of interconnectedness among texts

A statement that seems self-contradictory, but expresses an underlying truth

An exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences