Mrs. Malaprop is a character of ‘The Rivals (1775) Sheridan.

 Malapropism - the act or habit of misusing words to comic effect. This usually results from ignorance or from confusion of words similar in sound but different in meaning, mainly polysyllabic words.

The term is taken directly from the French mal a propos, meaning “inappropriate.”

Mrs. Malaprop is a character in Sheridan’s play The Rivals (1775) who chronically makes such mistakes. Dogberry the Watch in Shakespeare’sMuch Ado About Nothing (c. 1598) says “Comparisons are odorous,” and later, “It shall be siffigance”—both malapropisms.

Despicable Characters of Canterbury Tales- VIMP for SET NET

Prioress, Monk and Friar are the despicable (wicked, contemned, dreadful) characters of C.T. by Chaucer. (Friar means -A member of a usually mendicant Roman Catholic order).  Prioress means (Christianity / Roman Catholic Church) a nun holding an office in her convent corresponding to that of a prior in a male religious order, nun in charge of a priory or ranking next below the abbess of an abbey.

Note:- In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer constructs the characteristics of his characters in various ways. He demonstrates the character acting or speaking, gives a physical description of the character, reveals the character's thoughts, reveals what other characters think about this character, or comments directly on the character. The corrupt ecclesiast group, consisting mainly of the Prioress, the Monk, and the Friar, exemplifies several forms of characterization, mainly physical description and commenting directly on the character. This combination of description types works effectively because the prioress, monk, and friar are the most well described characters throughout the work.

The Prioress is one of the most interesting characters in The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer describes her as trying to convince people that she is charitable to the poor, but is later described pampering her dogs: "And she had little dogs she would be feeding/With roasted flesh, or milk, or fine white bread" (Chaucer 144-45). Chaucer also describes the Prioress as being narcissistic when he states: "Her veil was gathered in a seemly way/ Her nose was elegant, her eyes glass grey;/ Her mouth was very small, but soft and red" (Chaucer 149-51). She also tries to seem courtly and noble with her impeccable manners and use of French, when her time would be better spent serving god. Chaucer's description of the Prioress is effective because, without Chaucer saying that there is anything wrong with the prioress's behavior and actions, he instead allows the reader to make their own decision on what a nun should be like and what the Prioress is like.

Another well described ecclesiast is the Monk. He is described as a strong man, one that loves to hunt and play sports. He is also described, however, as one who disregards the age old rules of the monastery: "The Rule of good St. Benet or St. Maur/ As old and strict he tended to ignore;/ He let go by the things of yesterday/ And took the modern world's more spacious way" (Chaucer 171-74). The story's monk does not want to spend his time in his cell copying texts and other duties of his, but would rather spend his time hunting and eating. He also, instead of living in poverty as all of the other monks do, lives in luxury, described by Chaucer when he explains: "A manly man, to be an Abbot able;/ Many a dainty horse he had in stable/. . . Greyhounds he had, swift as birds of course.. . . I saw his sleeves were garnished at the hand With fine grey fur, the finest in the land" (Chaucer 165-66, 188, 191-92). The Monk is described in a similar way to the Prioress, with Chaucer commenting directly on the Monk's character and activities without much of his own opinion.

Finally, Chaucer describes the Friar, who is even more despicable than the Prioress and the Monk.(this clearly means Prioress and the Monk are also despicable characters) The Friar is described as being a con artist who convinces people to give him money, no matter how much they have themselves, as mentioned when Chaucer says: "For though a widow mightn't have a shoe,/ So pleasant was his holy how-d'ye-do/ He got his farthing from her just the same" (Chaucer 253-55). It was also said that he knew the taverns well in the town and got many girls pregnant, which displays his questionable character. His religious character is terrible, as evidenced by the fact that he pretends that he has a special license from the pope to hear confessions as a priest, even though this is not true. Unlike the descriptions of the Prioress and Monk, Chaucer describes this character in what people think of him, as well as what Chaucer himself thinks. He also displays why some people are fooled into believing that he is of good character, while others see him for the criminal that he is, which gives you a better idea of his character.

Throughout his prologue to The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer does an excellent job molding different ways of describing characters, as is evidenced by the descriptions of the Prioress, Monk, and Friar. These three characters are the best described in the prologue because their descriptions are all are filled with ideas about the character that can not be easily deciphered and different viewpoints on the morals and characteristics of each.

Exmplaination of Literary Terms

Literary Terms

 By Paragkumar Dave

                  (M.A. English)

Literary Terms

Question	Answer
Allegory	a story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people, events or abstract ideas or qualities- It’s Symbolic echoes some abstract comprehension.
Allusion	a reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics
Analogy	a comparison made between two things to show how they are alike
Anti-Hero	the unconventional central charater who lacks the virtues fo the traditional hero, but for whom we are to feel sympathy nonetheless
Atmosphere, milieu	the mood or feeling created in a piece of writing, Social background of the particular age-
Catalogue	a list of things, people, events
Character	an individual in a story or play
Climax	that point in the plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, interest
Crisis	the turning point in the story, may be a recognition, a decision, a resolution; the character understands what he/she has not understood before
Comedy	in general, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character(s)
Conflict	the struggle between opposing forces
Denouement	conclusion or resolution for a story
Description	a form of discourse that uses words that appeal to the senses in order to create mood or emotion
Dialect	a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group of inhabitants of a certain geographical area- Eastern Midland Dialects which Chaucer transformed in our Eng. Lang.
Dialogue	what characters say
Diction	a speaker or writer's choice of words
Epiphany	a sudden realization or insight, can be on the part of a character or on the part of the reader
episode	an incident within a larger narrative; has its own beginning, middle, end; but still advances the main plot
Exposition	the technique used to give the information the reader needs to understand the story
Fable	a very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life- Panchtantra
Farce	a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in rather silly, far-fetched situations
Flashback	a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened in an earlier time
Foil	a character who acts in contrast to another character
Genre	categories of literature, like poetry, short stories, novels; also specific categories like science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, etc.
Hero	the traditional term for the main character, not as commonly used in contemporary literary conversation
Hyperbole	a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement
Imagery	the use fo language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation or a person, a thing, a place, or an experience
Immediacy	when readers feel that they are present, that the narrative is happening right in front of them; comes from sharp description, crisp dialogue, vivid action- immediate effects-
Incongruity	the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other
Interior monologue	lets the reader know what the character is thinking, getting into the character's mind to allow the reader to know him from the inside
Irony	in general, a discrepancy or contrast between appearances and reality (verbal, situational, dramatic)

Lit Terms-02

Question	Answer
Melodrama	an exaggerated depiction of dramatic events designed to arouse a strong emotional response- sensual
Metaphor	a comparison between two unlike things without the use of "like" or "as"
Motif	recurring element (i.e. an image) in a work; the more often something is mentioned the more important it becomes
Motivation	the reasons for a character's behavior
Narrative	the form of discourse that tells about a series of events, the story line
Oxymoron	a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase (deafening silence)- true lies ,
Parable	a relatively short story that teaches a moral or lesson about how to lead a good life-
Paradox	a statement that appears self-contradictory but that reveals a kind of truth
Parody	a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspects of the writer's style-
Parallel Structure	the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures
Personification	attributing human characteristics to an inanimate thing or abstract idea
Plot	the series of related events in a story, novel, or play; sometimes called the storyline; triangle of exposition, complications, (rising action), turning point, falling action, climax, denouement
Poetic justice	characters in the story get what they deserve
Point of View	the vantage point form which a writer tells a story: 1)first person, 2) third person limited, 3)omniscient, 4)objective
Protagonist	the central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action; may or may not be the hero
Pyramid	the traditional structure outline of a story or novel: exposition, rising action, turning point, falling action, climax, denouement or resolution
Realism	the believable, plots grow naturally out of the possibilities and dangers of the real world
Regionalism	literature that emphasizes a specific geographic setting and that reproduces the speech, behavior, and attitudes of the people who live in that region
Resolution or Denouement	the conclusion of a story when all or most of the conflicts have been settled
Rhetorical question	a question asked or an effect, and not actually requiring an answer
Romance	in general, a story in which an idealized hero or heroine undertakes a quest and is successful
Romanticism	a revolt against rationalism marked by the conviction that imagination and emotion are superior to reason, that contemplation of nature reveals truths behind mere reality- Romanticism is from Germany while Neo-classicism from France.
Round Character	a character who develops in a literary work, who changes or grows
Satire	a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring aobut change
Scene	significant events in a narrative
Sentimentality	overly wrought emotion in a literay work
Setting	the time and location where a story takes place
Simile	a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as"
Static or flat character	a character who is not fully developed, and shows little change or growth
Stereotype	a fixed idea or conception fo a character or idea which does not allow for any individuality, often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices
Story within a story	a shorter narrative, within the whole, which characterizes the teller, advances the plot or introduces ideas
Stream of Consciousness	a style of writing that portrays the inner (sometimes chaotic) workings of a character's mind- psychoanalytic
Structure	overall design of the work
Style	the distinctive way a writer uses language
Suspense	a feeling of uncertainty about what wil happen next in a story
Symbol	a person, place, thing, or event hta thas meaning in itself, and that also stands for something more (i.e. the journey which can stand for a search for truth, or redemption from evil)
Tension	a felling created by conflict, intriguing situations, interesting characters, dealing with challenges
Theme	the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work
Title	the heading or name of a literary work or part of a work i.e. a chapter
Tone	the attitude the writer takes toward the subject, characters, etc.
Tragedy	in general, a story in which a heroic character either dies or comes to an unhappy end
Transitions	getting characters form one period to another, one place to another in a literary work

                             Suggestions and Contribution are most welcome-

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