Terminology: Literary and Rhetorical Quiz

Answer: antanaclasis

This quote comes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost." Antanaclasis is a term used to refer to the rhetorical device of repeating a word within a line, but using it in a different sense the second time. "Threefold" means three times when first used, but "three folds" refers to the bars in the gates.

Answer: malapropism

These words are spoken by Mrs. Malaprop in Sheridan's play "The Rivals." People using malapropisms replace one word by another that sounds similar but means something different, as Mrs. Malaprop does here with "supercilious", "geometry", and "contagious." The term takes its name from the character.

Answer: paradox

This is quoted from Donne's "Holy Sonnets." A paradox is a seeming contradiction that is, in fact, actually true.

Answer: polyptoton

This quote comes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost." Polyptoton is repeating words from the same root, in this case, "tempt."

Answer: zeugma

This is quoted from "The Rape of the Lock." In zeugma, two parallel clause share the same verb but take a different object, creating a noticeable contrast. Pope is famous for pairing the serious with the trivial to create a comic effect, as here, when he refers to the heroine staining something as valuable as her honour, or something as frivolous as a new brocade.

Answer: Northanger Abbey

In parody, an author imitates the style of another author or genre for the sake of comic effect, or in order to ridicule. "Northanger Abbey" is a parody of the gothic romance genre. The other three novels are satires.

Answer: Beggar's Opera

Ballad operas were written in England in reaction to the popularity of Italian operas. They use old tunes but change the lyrics, creating a satirical effect. "Beggar's Opera" was written by John Gay.

Answer: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte

An allegory is a fictional narrative that contains a second meaning below the surface narrative. Characters and occurrences have a precise correlation with the people or events being allegorized. Characters sometimes bear descriptive names, such as "Christian" or "Faith" in Bunyan's allegory. Both Lewis's and Hawthorne's allegories are modernizations of Bunyan's.

Answer: Character

Renaissance critics argued (based on a reading, some say a misconception, of passages in Aristotle's "Poetics") that dramas should have unity of action, time, and place; that is, they should take place in one day, occur in one setting, and have just one plot. Shakespeare, of course, ignored this restriction many times.

Answer: William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing"

A mock heroic makes a subject ludicrous by insincerely inflating it. "Much Ado" is a comedy.