11. Allusion is a reference without explicit identification, to a literary or historical person, place, or event, or to another literary work or passage. Most literary allusions are intended to be recognized by the generally educated readers of the authors time, but some are aimed at a special group. 12. Ambiguity: Since William Empson published Seven Types of Ambiguity, the term has been widely used in criticism to identify a deliberate poetic device: the use of a single word or expression to signify two or more distinct references, or to express two or more diverse attitudes or feeling. 13. Antihero:the chief character in a modern novel or play whose character is totally different from the traditional heroes. Instead of manifesting largeness, dignity, power, or heroism, the antihero is petty, passive, ineffectual or dishonest. For example, the heroine of Defoes Moll Flanders is a thief and a prostitute. 14. Antithesis:An antithesis is often expressed in a balanced sentence, that is, a sentence in which identical or similar syntactic structure is used to express contrasting ideas. For example, Marriage has many pains, but celibacyhas no pleasures. by Samuel Johnson obviously employs antithesis. 15. Archaism:the literary use of words and expressions that have become obsolete in the common speech of an era. For example, the translators of the King James Version of Bible gave weight and dignity to their prose by employing archaism. |