Literary Periods
Elements of Literature
Language in Nonfiction
Poetry
Figurative Language
100
Political struggle dominated this period before and after the American Revolution. Nationalism and patriotism were explored, as well as what it meant to be "American." Key figures: Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson
What is Rationalism (or Revolutionary Period)?
100
a story is told in regular time order as events occur
What is chronological order?
100
a comparison showing the similarity of apparently different situations to make a point
What is analogy?
100
words at the ends of lines rhyme
What is end rhyme?
100
dramatic exaggeration
What is hyperbole?
200
Individualism, nature, imagination, and expression of emotion are features of this period. Key figures: Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman
What is Romanticism?
200
a story is told within a story
What is frame narrative?
200
an extended or additional story that illustrates a specific point
What is anecdote?
200
rhyming words are found within a line of poetry
What is internal rhyme?
200
the author's attitude toward a subject
What is tone?
300
Religious writing dominated this period, along with accounts of early Colonial life. Key figures: Jonathan Edwards, Anne Bradstreet
What is Puritanism (or Colonial Period)?
300
the story is told through a series of letters
What is epistolary narrative?
300
an expression that can't be understood by the literal meaning of its words (ex. that's a piece of cake)
What is idiom?
300
no specific rules of rhyme, meter, or length
What is free verse (or free form)?
300
language that appeals to the senses
What is imagery (or sensory language)?
400
World Wars, a Great Depression, and increased commercialism caused writers to explore themes of alienation and change Fear and disillusionment also characterized the writing of this period. Key figures: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S Eliot
What is Modernism?
400
an author interrupts a scene to go back and tell about events that occurred earlier
What is flashback?
400
a play on words
What is a pun?
400
unrhymed iambic pentameter
What is blank verse?
400
an implied or indirect reference to a person, place, or thing that is fictional, historical, or real
What is allusion?
500
Rural life gave way to industrialization and larger cities. Authors focused on the often cruel realities of this new world. Key figures: Stephen Crane, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain
What is Realism?
500
the story starts in the middle of the action and then the author backs up to tell how the story got to this point
What is in medias res?
500
a question intended to provoke a given answer, usually obvious, such as "Why should we care about water pollution?"
What is rhetorical question?
500
poetry that tells a story
What is narrative poem?
500
a statement that at first seems self-contradictory
What is paradox?
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