0311-Week3
- Virgil
Virgil was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues (or Bucolics), the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid. - Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The first six of the poem's twelve books tell the story of Aeneas's wanderings from Troy to Italy, and the poem's second half tells of the Trojans' ultimately victorious war upon the Latins, under whose name Aeneas and his Trojan followers are destined to be subsumed.
- Plot
The arrangement of the action. The five main parts or phases of plot are exposition, rising action, climax or turning point, falling action, and conclusion or resolution.
- Subplot
A secondary plot in a work of fiction or drama. - Three unities
Three unities are rules for drama derived from a passage in Aristotle's Poetics.
(1) unity of action: a play should have one action that it follows, with minimal subplots.
(2) unity of time: the action in a play should occur over a period of no more than 24 hours.
(3) unity of place: a play should exist in a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place. - Theme
(1) broadly and commonly, a topic explored in a literary work
(2) more narrowly, the insight about a topic communicated in a work
Most literary works have multiple themes, though some people reserve the term theme for the central or main insight and refer to others as subthemes. Usually, a theme is implicitly communicated by the work as a whole rather than explicitly stated in it, though fables are an exception. For example, the theme of Agamemnon is "man must learn from suffering", "fate" and "man must learn from suffering" are the themes in Oedipus the King. - point of view
The perspective from which people, events, and other details in a work of fiction are viewed; also called focus, though the term point of view is sometimes used to include both focus and voice. The point of view is said to be limited when we see things only from one character’s perspective; it is said to be omniscient or unlimited when we get the perspective of multiple characters. - character
An imaginary personage who acts, appears, or is referred to in a literary work. Flat characters are relatively simple, have a few dominant traits, and tend to be predictable. Conversely, round characters are complex and multifaceted and act in a way that readers might not expect but accept as possible.
Irony
A situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant.
- Verbal irony occurs when a word or expression in context means something different from, and usually the opposite of, what it appears to mean; when the intended meaning is harshly critical or satiric, verbal irony becomes sarcasm. For example, in Julius Caesar, the power of verbal irony is manifested as Antony contemptuously praises Brutus and the conspirators again and again as “honorable men,” turning the Roman citizenry into a mindless mob set on vengeance.
- Situational irony occurs when a character holds a position or has an expectation that is reversed or fulfilled in an unexpected way. For example, in Roman Fever, Barbara's true paternity goes against all expectations, especially of Mrs. Ansley.
- When there is instead a gap between what an audience knows and what a character believes or expects, we have dramatic irony; when this occurs in a tragedy, dramatic irony is sometimes called tragic irony. For example, in Oedipus the King, Oedipus killed his father and marry his mother.
- The terms cosmic irony and irony of fate are sometimes used to refer to situations in which situational irony is the result of fate, chance, the gods, or some other superhuman force or entity.
Syllabus
- vir-/ver-→truth, almost truth
(1) verification (n.)
Meaning: the process of establishing the truth, accuracy, or validity of something.
(2) verisimilitude (n.)
Meaning: the appearance of being true or real.
(3) virtual
Example sentence: I am virtually impaired. (我快死了.)
(4) veritas
Meaning: In Roman mythology, Veritas, meaning truth.
- motto (n.)
Meaning: a short sentence or phrase chosen as encapsulating the beliefs or ideals guiding an individual, family, or institution. - -tude→state, quality, condition of
(1) altitude (n.)
Meaning: the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.
(2) attitude (n.)
(3) aptitude (n.)
Meaning1: a natural ability to do something.
Meaning2: suitability or fitness. - pamper (v.)
Meaning: indulge with every attention, comfort, and kindness; spoil. - -eum/-ium→membrane, connective tissue, region of the body
- trivial (adj.)
Meaning: of little value or importance.