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C2 Level Wordlist - Literature

Here you will learn all the essential words for talking about Literature, collected specifically for level C2 learners.

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CEFR C2 Vocabulary
synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part of something represents the whole or vice versa

[noun]
antagonist

villainous character who strongly opposes another person or thing

[noun]
protagonist

the main character in a movie, novel, TV show, etc.

[noun]
frame story

a literary technique in which an introductory narrative serves as a frame for another story or a series of shorter stories

[noun]
conceit

an elaborate image or a far-fetched metaphor, used in poetry

[noun]
hyperbole

a technique used in speech and writing to exaggerate the extent of something

[noun]
epigraph

a short quotation or phrase that is written at the beginning of a book or any chapter of it, suggesting the theme

[noun]
miscellanea

a collection of various items, such as literary pieces, poems, letters, etc., gathered from different sources

[noun]
whodunit

a story, play, movie, etc. about a mystery or murder that the audience cannot solve until the end

[noun]
codex

an ancient book, written by hand, especially of scriptures, classics, etc.

[noun]
parable

a brief symbolic story that is told to send a moral or religious message

[noun]
zeugma

the use of a word with two senses each of which apply to a different word in a sentence, as a figure of speech

[noun]
allegory

a story, poem, painting, etc. in which the characters and events are used as symbols to convey moral or political lessons

[noun]
allusion

a statement that implies or indirectly mentions something or someone else, especially as a literary device

[noun]
abridgment

a concise version of a lengthy play, novel, etc.

[noun]
foil

a character in a story who contrasts with another character, typically the protagonist, in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character

[noun]
oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines two contradictory or contrasting terms to create a unique expression

[noun]
foreshadowing

the act of giving a clue of the future events to the audience in advance while narrating a story

[noun]
juxtaposition

the act of placing two things side by side to produce a contrasting effect

[noun]
metafiction

a literary genre that uses self-reflexive techniques to draw attention to its status as a work of fiction, blurring the lines between reality and fiction

[noun]
bildungsroman

a novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from youth to adulthood

[noun]
elegy

a song or poem expressing sadness, especially in the memory of a dead person or a bitter event in the past

[noun]
cacophony

a literary device that uses a mixture of unpleasant, inharmonious, and harsh sounds to show disorder or chaos

[noun]
motif

a subject, idea, or phrase that is repeatedly used in a literary work or musical composition

[noun]
simile

a word or phrase that compares two things or people, highlighting the similarities, often introduced by 'like' or 'as'

[noun]
eclogue

a form of poetry that originated in ancient Greek and Roman literature, typically consisting of a short, pastoral poem or dialogue between two shepherds

[noun]
royalty

a payment made to the author or creator of a work for each copy of the work that is sold

[noun]
non sequitur

a literary device in which the answer to a question is not logical, creating an absurd or comic effect

[noun]
canonical

(of an author or literary work) accepted as highly acclaimed authors or pieces of literature, which are collectively referred to as the literary canon

[Adjective]
epistolary

(literature) relating to a form of work that uses letters or written documents as the primary mode of communication among fictional characters

[Adjective]
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