Lit Terms #2

circumlocution: a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served

classicism: art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome: tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance

cliche: a phrase or situation overused within society

climax: the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the pint of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved

colloquialism: folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation.

comedy: originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter

conflict: struggle or problem in a story causing tension

connotation: implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition

contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity

denotation: plain dictionary definition

denouement: loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion

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, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time (definition bordering on circumlocution).

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.