Intertextuality

Intertextuality occurs when one text refers to another either openly or by suggestion. John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman is the richer if the reader thinks of Jane Austen's Persuasion as a forerunner.

OCCUPATIO

Occupatio is a rhetorical device in classical and medieval literature whereby the narrator states that he/she will not tell the reader/listener something. This has the effect of shortening the story but there is a false yet skilful usage when the teller says the detail will not be related and then proceeds to give it as in: "I will not describe what they ate at the feast, the plump fowl, the succulent venison, the steaming puddings ...." Whilst the listener is reassured he will not be bored, he is absorbing the full account and the device is important in oral narrative.

METER and METRE

Both these words are concerned with measuring.
A meter is the object that counts how much gas or electricity etc you have used.
Metre is the method of making sure that each line of a formal poem is the right length and rhythm. To help you to remember the spelling, think of the term metrical poetry.

ANALYSING A POEM

You may be asked to analyse ("appreciate" or "criticise" mean the same) an unseen poem out of context.
Here are some aspects you could comment on:
1) Topic and theme: the topic is the obvious subject (a vase of flowers) and the theme is the more abstract idea conveyed by it (the transience of life).
2) Speaker and audience: is there an evident personality or persona writing the poem and/or a specific audience?
3) Imagery: use of metaphor, simile and symbol
4) Verse form: sonnet and blank verse are the main types you should recognise. If not, note the rhyme scheme and rhythm.
5) Diction/lexis/vocabulary: notice any contrasts such as colour, the prevalence of a part of speech such as verbs, repetition, conversation, clusters of words with similar references, use of several monosyllables and overall register, whether formal or colloquial.
6) Sound effects: alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia
7) Tone (irony etc) and mood (emotional atmosphere).
Always relate your findings to the local or total effect
A useful book defining technical terms is: The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by Chris Baldick
Many are explained elsewhere on this blog.

FLOUT AND FLAUNT

These two words are often confused, possibly because both have a sense of impudence about them.
Flout is used when rules or the law are broken in an obvious fashion: She flouted the dress code of her office by wearing jeans.
Flaunt means to show off as in: "If you've got it, flaunt it."

LEXIS

This is a variant for "vocabulary" but with a more literary reference. It has come to replace the older term "diction" to indicate the range of words used in a particular text or passage.

POINT OF VIEW NARRATION

First person narration occurs when the author of a novel apparently becomes one of the characters and uses the pronoun "I". All the events and other people are seen from this perspective and are limited to that viewpoint: the narrator cannot look into the future or to scenes where he or she is not present (unless by report.) There is also a problem with giving personal appearance unless the narrator looks in a mirror or someone else provides a portrait. The main strength of the method is when an unreliable narrator is used, such as a child, to show the confusion, hypocrisy or corruption in adult society by describing it in all innocence, leaving the reader to fill in the full picture.
Third person narration is similar except that the pronouns "he", "she" and "they" are used for the point of view and this can sometimes be combined with omniscient narration (see below.)