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, clarity, reason, balance and order)

Cliché- a phrase or situation overused within society

Climax- the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point 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 place of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed to 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  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, 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, offense or blunt

Evocative- a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality