文学术语解释.docVIP

1. Gothic novel Gothic novel as one branch of the English literature and the father of horror movies origins from The Castle of Otranto(1764). More importantly, it leads habitually with darkness and horror. Gothic elements include horror, mystery, supernatural phenomenon, misfortune, death, haunted houses, and family curses. the Gothic novel could be seen as a description of a fallen world. We experience this fallen world through all aspects of the novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme. The Gothic novel is a liberating phenomenon, which expands the range of possibilities for novelistic expression. 2. Iceberg Theory Ernest Hemingway’s “iceberg theory” suggests that the writer include in the text only a small portion of what he knows, leaving about ninety percent of the content a mystery that grows beneath the surface of the writing. If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action. 3. the Lost Generation A term first used by Gertrude Stein to describe the post-World War I generation brought about by the destructiveness of the war, who were disillusioned and frustrated with the war and were spiritually bitter and aimless in life. There were many literary artists involved in the groups known as the Lost Generation. The best known are F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway. 4. Stream of Consciousness Stream of consciousness: “Stream-of-Consciousness” or “interior monologue”, is one of the modern literary techniques. It is the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character’s thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images as the character experiences them. It was first used in 1922 by the Irish novelist James Joyce. Those novels b