English Terms
Modernism:
during and after world war one
Modernist authors sought to break away from traditions and conventions through
experimentation with new literary forms, devices and styles
Their work “reflected the pervasive sense of loss, disillusionment and even despair in the
wake of the Great War, hence their emphasis on historical discontinuity and the
alienation of humanity”
Free Indirect Discourse: when a texts dominant narrative style (3 person past tense)
incorporates for brief snatches or longer passages, words emanating from a particular character,
without such tags such as “he said” “she said” to make their attributes explicit. The narrator is
vocalizing through characters. The thoughts and feelings of characters are portrayed without the
use of quotations.
Epistolary fiction: a novel whose plot is entirely developed through letters, whether through an
exchange of letters between multiple characters or through the correspondence of only one
character.
Novella: “a term commonly applied to lengthy, descriptive, psychologically nuanced stories.”
Longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.
Metafiction: fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its
status as an artifact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality.
Colonialism: the subjection of one population to another. It can involve physical, political,
economic and cultural domination.
Post-colonial literature: A body of literature written by authors with roots in countries that were
once colonies established by European nations. Often “anti-imperialist” containing “political and
moral attitudes opposed to colonization.” Many criticisms of the term however.
Associational literature: Describes a native community, focuses on the “daily activities and
intricacies of Native life”. A rather flat narrative line. Leans towards the group. Allows non-
native readers to associate with that world without being encouraged to feel a part of it.
Readership of associational literature:
Non-
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