Related Words

Antagonist: Character and/or situation that hinders the protagonist from achieving his or her goal(s).

Serotonin-Dopamine Antagonists (Sdas): (ser-o-to-nin do-pah-meen an-tag-o-nists) Also known as atypical antipsychotics. Unlike their predecessors, this newer class of medications treats both the positive and negative symptoms of . . . View Full Definition

Antagonistic Effect: A biologic response to exposure to multiple substances that is less than would be expected if the known effects of the individual substances were added together [compare with additive effect . . . View Full Definition

Antagonistic Muscles: A pair of muscles that work to produce opposite effects&emdash;one contracts as the other relaxes: for example, the bicep and tricep muscles on opposite sides of your upper arm.

Mystery Novel: A novel focused on suspense and solving a mystery--especially a murder, theft, kidnapping, or some other crime. The protagonist faces inexplicable events, threats, assaults, and unknown forc . . . View Full Definition

Lyric: Short poem in which the poet, the poet's persona, or a speaker expresses personal feelings, and often addressed to the reader (originally, a poem sung to a lyre).

Senex Amans: A stock character in medieval fabliaux, courtly romances, and classical comedies, the senex amans is an old, ugly, jealous man who is married to a younger, attractive but unhappy woman. He i . . . View Full Definition

Western: A literary and cinematic genre marked by numerous conventions. The usual setting is a short main street in a dust-blown frontier village of the American west during the 1800s. Traditionally, . . . View Full Definition

Convention: A common way of doing something, such as a poetic form, or a common topic like the 'carpe diem' or 'ubi sunt' themes, or making lists (see catalogue verse), or a regularly-used figure of speech.

Tritagonist: In the earliest Greek dramas, the play consisted of a single actor standing on stage speaking and singing to the chorus. Later, a second actor (called the deuteragonist) was added by literar . . . View Full Definition