Glossary of creative writing
- 1. K to 12 BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – ACADEMIC TRACK K to 12 Senior High School Humanities and Social Sciences Strand – Creative Writing/Malikhaing Pagsulat GLOSSARY Blog Aweb log: A website containing short articles called posts that are changed regularly. Some are written by one person expressing his/her own opinions, interest, and experiences, while others are written by many different people. Craft essay An essay that discusses matters of creative construction that may includereflections on writing strategies, genre elements, and contextual influences. Coming-of-agestory Atype of storyin which the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often bya process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping ofpreconceptions,a destructionof a false sense of security, or in some waythe loss of innocence.Someof the shifts that takeplaceare the following:ignorance to knowledge, innocence to experience, false view of world to correct view, idealism to realism, and immature responses to mature responses. (Literary Terms list EETT.pdf, from www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/.../literacyterms/Literary%20Terms%20list%20...); novel in which an adolescent protagonist comes to adulthood by a process of experience and disillusionment. This character loses his or her innocence, discovers that previous preconceptions are false, or has the security of childhood torn away, but usually matures and strengthens by this process. Examples include Wieland's Agathon, Herman Raucher's Summer of '42, Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine, Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. The most famous examples are in German, in which a tale in the genre is called a Bildungsroman or a Erziehungsroman. Examples include Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werthers and ThomasMann's KöniglicheHoheit. (http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_C.html) Diction The selection of words in a literary work. Awork's diction forms one of its centrally important literary elements, as writers use words to convey action, reveal character, imply attitudes, identify themes, and suggest values. We can speak of the diction particular to a character, as in Iago's and Desdemona's very different ways of speaking in Othello. We can also refer to a poet's diction as represented over the body of his or her work, as in Donne's or Hughes's diction. (http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/poetic_glossary.html) Figureof speech Also known as figurative language, it creates figures (pictures) in the mind of the reader or listener. These pictures help convey the meaning and more vividly than words alone. We use figures of speech in “figurative language” to add colour and interest, and awaken the imagination. Figurative language is everywhere, from classical works like Shakespeare’s and the Bible, to everyday speech, pop music,and television commercials.Figurative language means something different from (and usually more than) what it says on the surface. Foreshadowing The presentation of details, characters, or incidents in a narrative in such a way that later events are prepared for (or "shadowed forth"). (http://grammar.about.com/od/fh/g/foreshadowingterm.htm) Hyperpoetry Aform of digital poetry that uses links using hypertext mark-up. It is a very visual form, and is related to hypertext fiction and visual arts. The links mean that a hypertext poem has no set order, the poem moving or being generated in response to the links that the reader/user chooses. It can either involve set words, phrases, lines, etc. that are presented in variable order, but sit on the page in the same way traditional poetrydoes, or it can contain parts of the poem that move and/or mutate. It is usually found online, though CD-ROM and diskette versions exist. Theearliest date to no later than mid-1980s. Image Aconcrete representation of a sense impression, a feeling,oran idea. Imageryrefers to the pattern of relateddetails ina work. In someworks one imagepredominates either byrecurring throughout the work or by appearing at a criticalpoint in the plot. Often, writers use multiple images throughout a work to suggest states of feeling and to conveyimplications of thought and action. Some modern poets, such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams, write poems that lack discursive explanation enti Imaginativewriting A mode of writing characterized by inventiveness of situation, perspective, or story, and distinguished from other modes such as expository and persuasive writing (http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/popcult/wrtmodes.htm). Theterm is often used synonymously with "creative writing". Intertextuality Thecomplex interrelationship between a text and other texts taken as basic to the creation or interpretation of the text Irony There are several types of irony in literature. Three main types are verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Verbal irony is the contrast between what is said and what is meant: In other words, sarcasm. Dramatic ironyis the contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true. Sometimes as we read we are placed in
- 2. the position of knowing more than what one character knows. Because we know something the character does not, we read to discover how the character will react when he or she the truth of the situation. Situational irony is the most common in literature. It is the contrast between what happens and what was expected (or what would seem appropriate). (http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/litdevic.html) Literary device A literary or linguistic technique that produces a specific effect, esp. a figure of speech, narrative style, or plot mechanism. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/literary+device) Literary elements Refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text. They are not “used”, per se, by authors; they represent th e elements of storytelling that are common to all literary and narrative forms. For example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point of view, etc. in order to be discussed legitimately as part of a textual analysis, literary elements must be specifically identified for that particular text. Literary genre A category of literary composition; genres may be determined by literary techniques, tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, often with subgroups. The most general genres in literature are (in loose chronological order) epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative Theycan all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, genres such as satire, allegory, or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as a sub-genre, but as a mixture of genres. Finally, they are defined by the general cultural movement of the historical period in which they were composed. Genre should not be confused with age categories, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children’s. Theyalso must not be confused with format, such as graphic novel or picture book. Literary techniques Refers to any specific, deliberate constructions, or choices of language that an author uses to convey meaning in particular way. An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present in every text; represent deliberate choices by individual authors. Motif Arecurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. Amotif mayalso be two contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil. In the Book of Genesis, we see the motif separation again and again throughout the story. In the very first chapter, God separates the light from the darkness. Abraham and his descendants are separated from the rest of the nation as God's chosen people. Joseph is separated from his brothers in order that life might be preserved. Another motif is water, seen in Genesis as a means of destroying the and in Matthew as a means of remitting sins by the employment of baptism. Other motifs in Genesis and Matthew includeblood sacrifices, fire, lambs, and goats. Amotif is important because it allows one to see mainpoints and themes that the author is trying to express, so that one might be able to interpret the work more accurately. (http://www2.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm#m) Sensory experience The apprehension of an object, thought, or emotion through the senses; active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/experience) Symbolism A character, an action, a setting, or an object representing something else can be a symbol. Most often, the symbol in a stor y is an object that represents its owner’s character or or both. For example, a secluded, near-empty apartment might represent the alienation and emotional emptiness of the tenant. Symbols are usually recognizable by the amount of emphasis they receive. Objects intended to be viewed as symbolic may be described in detail, be included in the title, be referred to frequently, or emphasized at the beginning or of the story. When we recognize a symbol and understand its meaning or meanings, we see more clearly what the writer chose to emphasize. (http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/litdevic.html) Theme Assertion or argument that the literary work makes. Typography Thegeneral character or appearance of printed matter. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/typography) Vignette Literally "little vine" in French; a short composition showing considerable skill, especially such a composition designed with little or no plot or larger narrative structure. Vignettes are descriptive or evocative in their nature. An example would be the brief narratives appearing in Sandra Cisneros's short stories. More loosely, vignettes might be descriptive passages within a larger work, such as Virginia Woolf's "Kew Gardens", or Faulkner's descriptions of horses and landscapes in TheHamlet. Theterm “vignette” originally comes from a decorative device appearing on a title page or at the opening chapters. Conventionally, nineteenth-century printers depicted small looping vines here, loosely of the vine work in medieval manuscripts. (http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_V.html)