自考英美文学选读名词解释十二

　　166. Climax（高潮）

　　The point of greatest intensity， interest， or suspense in a gadgetry‘s turning point. The action leading to the climax and the simultaneous increase of tension in the plot are known as the rising action. All action after the climax is referred to as the falling action， or resolution. The term crisis is sometimes used interchangeably with climax.

　　167. Conflict（冲突）

　　A struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a short story， novel， play， or narrative poem. Usually the events of the story are all related to the conflict， and the conflict is resolved in some way by the story‘s end.

　　168. Connotation（隐含意义）

　　All the emotions and associations that a word or phrase may arouse. Connotation is distinct from denotation， which is the literal or “ dictionary” meaning of a word or phrase.

　　169. Couplet（对偶）

　　Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme. A heroic couplet is an iambic pentameter couplet.

　　170. Dactyl（扬抑抑格）

　　It‘s made up of one stressed and two unstressed syllables， with the stressed in front.

　　171. Denotation（意义）

　　The literal or “dictionary” meaning of a word.

　　172. Denouement（结局）

　　The outcome of a plot. The denouement is that part of a play， short story， novel， or narrative poem in which conflicts are resolved or unraveled， and mysteries and secrets connected with the plot are explained.

　　173. Description（叙述）

　　It is a great part of conversation and of almost all writing. It is a part of autobiography， storytelling. With description， the writer tries terror， feel， and hear by showing rather than by merely telling. It‘s through the use of specific details and concrete language that abstract ideas and half-formed thoughts are make vividly real. We have objective and subjective description.

　　174. Diction（措词）

　　A writer‘s choice of words， particularly for clarity， effectiveness， and precision.

　　175. Dissonance（不协和音）

　　A harsh or disagreeable combination of sounds； discord.

　　176. Emblematic image（象征比喻）

　　A verbal picture or figure with a long tradition of moral or religious meaning attached to it.

　　177. Epigraph（题词）

　　A quotation or motto at the beginning of a chapter， book， short story， or poem that makes some point about the work.

　　178. Epilogue（收场白）

　　A short addition or conclusion at the end of a literary work.

　　179. Epitaph（碑文）

　　An inscription on a gravestone or a short poem written in memory of someone who has died.

　　180. Epithet（称号）

　　A descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something.