LITERARY TERMS PART II

Realism a 19 th century movement which contains ordinary language, focusing on ordinary people, events, and settings, all of which are described in great detail. It usually focused on the problems of the middle- and lower-class people.

Naturalism a late 19 th century movement that reflects the new age of science and industry, which emphasizes historical background and characters from lower classes who cannot escape.

Psychological Realism focuses on a character’s thoughts and feelings by depicting his/her thought process; the story is set in the character’s observing and experiencing mind.

Stream of Consciousness the random flow of thoughts, emotions, memories, and associations rushing through a character’s mind.

Surrealism writing emphasizing the primitive and unconscious, in the forms or dreams and fantasies; reality is more than what is visible and rational.

Magic Realism something unexpected or improbable (but not necessarily impossible) is placed in a predominately realistic work to delight or puzzle the reader.

Reversal a sudden change in the protagonist’s situation, which causes a reversal of fortune.

Paradox a statement or situation that appears to be false or self- contradictory, but that proves to be true upon reflection.

Imagery descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses – sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Parallelism the repetition of words, phrases, or sentences that have the same grammatical structure or restate a similar idea.

Personification an object or idea is treated as if it possesses human qualities.

Modernism A 20 th century movement that reflects a sharp break with all tradition; often describes as irrational or inexplicable given the time period.