Comparative Literature Flashcards
Grade 8 · English · Flashcards
Key terms for analyzing and comparing literary works across themes, techniques, and cultural contexts.
Flashcards
- Comparative literature
- Reading two or more texts together to analyze how they are similar, different, or in conversation with each other.
- Theme vs. topic
- Topic = subject (e.g., 'war'). Theme = a message about that subject (e.g., 'War forces ordinary people to make impossible choices').
- Universal theme
- A theme found across cultures and eras because it addresses shared human experience: identity, love, justice, sacrifice, power.
- Comparative thesis
- Names both texts and argues a specific relationship. Must be more than 'both books are similar' — state HOW or WHY.
- Motif
- A recurring element (image, phrase, symbol) across one or more texts that reinforces the central theme.
- Symbolism
- Using a concrete object or image to represent an abstract idea. Comparing symbols across texts reveals thematic connections.
- Point of view (POV)
- 1st person (narrator is a character), 3rd limited (follows one character's mind), 3rd omniscient (all-knowing). POV shapes reader knowledge and sympathy.
- Cultural context
- The historical, social, geographic, and political environment in which a text was created; shapes its themes and character construction.
- Tone
- The author's attitude toward subject and audience, conveyed through word choice. Comparing tone across texts shows different authorial perspectives.
- Narrative structure
- How a story is organized: linear (chronological), nonlinear (flashbacks), frame narrative (story within a story).
- Antagonist
- The force or character opposing the protagonist. Comparing antagonists across texts reveals different ideas about what threatens the protagonist's world.
- Foil
- A character whose traits contrast sharply with another character's, highlighting qualities in both by comparison.
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