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Literary theory

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proverb
A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbial expression is a type of a conventional saying similar to proverbs and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. Collectively, they form a genre of folklore.
text
object that can be "read" by reader; result of writing
literary genre
category of literary composition
personification
thumb|upright=1.35|Set of porcelain figures of personifications of the [[four continents, Germany, , from left: Asia, Europe, Africa, and America. Of these, Africa has retained her classical attributes. Formerly James Hazen Hyde collection.]] Personification is the representation of any thing, being, or abstraction as a person or with person-like qualities. In the arts and as a literary device, personification is common for: places, especially cities, countries, and continents; elements of the natural world, such as trees, the seasons, the traditional "four elements", the four cardinal winds,
literary theory
systematic study of the nature of literature
epilogue
An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος epílogo, "conclusion" from ἐπί epi, "in addition" and λόγος logos, "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the work. It is presented from the perspective of within the story. When the author steps in and speaks directly to the reader, that is more properly considered an afterword. The opposite is a prologue—a piece of writing at the beginning of a work of literature or drama, usually used to open the story and capture interest. Some genres, for example television programs and video games, call
infinite monkey theorem
humorously stated theorem that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare.
epistle
thumb|Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, by [[Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier (c. 16th century, Blaffer Foundation Collection, Houston, TX).]]
chivalric romance
type of prose and verse narrative
prologue
A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος prólogos, from πρό pró, "before" and λόγος lógos, "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Ancient Greek word πρόλογος includes the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance, more like the meaning of preface. The importance, therefore, of the prologue in Greek drama was very great; it sometimes almost took the place of a romance, to which, or to an episode in which, the play itself s
Natya Shastra
Sanskrit text on the performing arts
foreword
thumb|The foreword to Men I Have Painted, by John McLure Hamilton; 1921 thumb|Foreword, to a 1900 book in German A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells. Later editions of a book sometimes have a new foreword prepended (appearing before an older foreword, if there was one), which might explain how that edition diff
anonymous work
creation of an unknown or deliberately unnamed person
epigraph
short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book, chapter or article (use Q3589144 for inscription on an object)
genre fiction
fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre
English studies
discipline that studies the English language and literature
soliloquy
thumb|Juliet delivers a soliloquy on the balcony, unaware that [[Romeo is listening in act 2, scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet.|alt=painting of a girl in a long dress on a balcony, she is looking to the right]] A soliloquy (, from Latin 'alone' and 'to speak', ) is a monologue in drama in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, typically while alone on stage or onscreen. It is used to reveal the character's inner feelings, motivations, or plans directly to the audience, providing information that would not otherwise be accessible through dialogue with other characters. They are used as a nar
dedication
expression of friendly connection or thanks by the author towards another person
serialized fiction
fiction printed in installments, often in the feuilleton section of a newspaper or magazine
lead paragraph
introductory summary part of a text such as a news article
repetition
rhetorical device
metamodernism
Metamodernism (from meta-, in reference to metaxy, and modernism) is the term for a cultural discourse and paradigm that has emerged after postmodernism. It refers to new forms of contemporary art and theory that respond to modernism and postmodernism and integrate aspects of both together. Metamodernism reflects an oscillation between, or synthesis of, different "cultural logics" such as modern idealism and postmodern skepticism, modern sincerity and postmodern irony, and other seemingly opposed concepts.
imagery
Imagery is the literary device of using vivid sensory language. Less commonly known as enargia, it is figurative language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions in the reader or listener. Imagery in narrative literature can also be instrumental in conveying tone, mood, and other literary elements.
moral
A moral (from Latin morālis) is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A moral is a lesson in a story or real life.
paratext
In literary interpretation, paratext is material that surrounds a published main text (e.g., the story, non-fiction description, poems, etc.) supplied by the authors, editors, printers, and publishers. These added elements form a frame for the main text, and can change the reception of a text or its interpretation by the public. In Gérard Genette's terminology, paratext is a subtype of transtextuality (See the overview on the French Wikipedia page paratexte).
rasa
aesthetic concept in Indian arts related to emotions and feelings
reader-response criticism
school of literary theory that focuses on the reader and their experience of a literary work
reception aesthetics
theory
Iceberg Theory
writing style of American writer Ernest Hemingway
introduction
beginning section of a written work which states the purpose and goals of the following writing
aside
An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience. By convention, the audience is to realize that the character's speech is unheard by the other characters on stage. It may be addressed to the audience expressly (in character or out) or represent an unspoken thought. An aside is usually a brief comment rather than a speech, such as a monologue or soliloquy.
classical literature
book accepted as being exemplary or noteworthy, studied by classics (classical studies)
Subaltern
colonial populations who are socially, politically, and geographically excluded from the hierarchy of power of an imperial colony and from the metropolitan homeland of an empire
sensibility
thumb|Title page of the first edition of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke, 1689. thumb|Emma Hamilton as Sensibility. Stipple engraving, 1789, after a painting by George Romney. Sensibility refers to an acute perception of or responsiveness toward something, such as the emotions of another. This concept emerged in eighteenth-century Britain, and was closely associated with studies of sense perception as the means through which knowledge is gathered. It also became associated with sentimental moral philosophy.
defamiliarization
Defamiliarization or ostranenie () is the artistic technique of presenting to audiences common or ordinary things in an unfamiliar or strange way so they can gain new perspectives. According to the Russian formalists who coined the term, it is the central concept of art and poetry. The concept has influenced 20th-century art and theory, ranging over movements including Dadaism, postmodernism, epic theatre, science fiction, and philosophy. Additionally, it is used as a tactic by certain recent protest movements such as culture jamming.
chronotope
In literary theory and philosophy of language, the chronotope is how configurations of time and space are represented in language and discourse. The term was taken up by Russian literary scholar Mikhail Bakhtin who used it as a central element in his theory of meaning in language and literature. The term itself comes from the Russian , which in turn is derived from the Greek '''' ('time') and '''' ('space'); it thus can be literally translated as "time-space." Bakhtin developed the term in his 1937 essay "Forms of Time and of the Chronotope in the Novel" («»). Here Bakhtin showed how different
paraliterature
Paraliterature comprises written works dismissed as not literary. It includes commercial fiction, popular fiction, pulp fiction, comic books and, most notably, genre fiction with works of science fiction, fantasy, mystery and others.:361
decorum
right|thumb|300px|Poetry reading by Horace, an early advocate of decorum. Painting by Fyodor Bronnikov Decorum (from the Latin: "right, proper") was a principle of classical rhetoric, poetry, and theatrical theory concerning the fitness or otherwise of a style to a theatrical subject. The concept of decorum is also applied to prescribed limits of appropriate social behavior within set situations.
afterword
REDIRECT Postscript#Afterword
high literature
set of works that are claimed to hold literary merit, contrasted with popular, commercial, or genre fiction
persona
A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public, the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. It is also considered "an intermediary between the individual and the institution."
On the Sublime
work by Pseudo-Longinus
perverse incentive
incentive that has an unintended and undesirable result that is contrary to the intentions of its designers
women's writing
academic discipline studying literature written by women
Moscow linguistic circle
group of social scientists in semiotics
literary fragment
genre or piece of a larger work
narrative structure
literary element
protologism
In linguistics, a protologism is a newly used or coined word, a nonce word, that has been repeated but has not gained acceptance beyond its original users or been published independently of the coiners. The word may be proposed, may be extremely new, or may be established only within a very limited group of people.
imitation
doctrine of artistic creativity according to which the creative process should be based on the close imitation of the masterpieces of the preceding authors
Sherlockiana
Sherlockiana encompasses various categories of materials and content related to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle. The word "Sherlockiana" has been used for literary studies and scholarship concerning Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes pastiches in print and other media such as films, and memorabilia associated with Sherlock Holmes. Sherlockiana may be "anything about, inspired by, or tangentially concerning" Sherlock Holmes.
Glossary of literary terms
Wikimedia list article
vignette
short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or character
Ut pictura poesis
Latin phrase
Objective correlative
Group of things that represent emotions
miscellany
thumb|alt=Title page to Musapaedia, a miscellany from 1719|Evoking both the [[muses and the encyclopedia in its title, Musapaedia aptly brings together a variety of poems and authors into a single volume.]]
comics studies
academic study of comics and graphic novels
Fantasy tropes and conventions
tropes in fantasy fiction literature
Manasollasa
The '''''''' (मानसोल्लास ) also known as Abhilashitartha Chintamani (अभिलाषितार्थ चिन्तामणि )'', is an early 12th-century Sanskrit text composed by the Kalyani Chalukya king Someshvara III, who ruled in present-day Karnataka. It is an encyclopedic work covering topics such as polity, governance, ethics, economics, astronomy, astrology, rhetoric, veterinary medicine, horticulture, perfumes, food, architecture, games, painting, poetry, dance and music. The text is a valuable source of socio-cultural information on 11th- and 12th-century India.
Sardinian Literary Spring
millennial period of literature of Sardinia, Italy
The Open Work
essay by Umberto Eco