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AP English Literature and Composition
Key Literary Terms
Terms
1.
Definitions
allegory
a narrative in which the characters, behavior, etc. demonstrate
symbolism on many levels
Example:
2.
alliteration
repetition of a similar initial sound, usually consonants (She sells sea
shells...)
3.
allusion
4.
anaphora
a literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference
repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive
phrases
5.
antithesis
the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words
"To err is human, to forgive divine."
6.
aphorism
a concise statement designed to illustrate a commonly held belief
7.
assonance
the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds (not always at beginning)
8.
asyndeton
a structure without conjunctions in a series (I came, I saw, I conquered)
9.
begging the question
argumentative strategy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the
conflict
10. canon
that which has been accepted as authentic
11. chiasmus
syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a
parallel clause is reversed int he second (Pleasure's a sin, and sin is a
pleasure)
12. colloquial
the diction of the common, ordinary folks especially in a specific area (Coke
vs. pop)
13. conceit
a comparison of two unlikley things that is drawn out within a piece of
literature; usually extended metaphor in a poem
14. connotation
the underlying, implied meaning of a word or phrase
15. denotation
the dictionary definition of a word
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16. consonance
the repetition of 2+ consonants with a change in intervening vowels
17. convention
an accepted manner, model, or tradition (Aristotle's conventions of
persuasion)
18. critique
analysis of something for the purposes of determining its limitations and how
it fits in its genre
19. deductive reasoning
movement from the general to the specific
20. dialect
language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area
21. diction
word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect
22. didactic
writing with an instructive purpose or lesson
23. elegy
poem that lements the death of a person
24. epistrophe
repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences (opposite of
anaphora)
25. epitaph
writing in praise of a dead person on a headstone
26. ethos
appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker
27. eulogy
speech in praise of a person (elegy laments, eulogy praises)
28. euphemism
an indirect or less harsh way of expressing unpleasant information
29. exposition
the interpretation or analysis of a text
30. extended metaphor
series of comparisons within a piece of writing
31. figurative language
levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech (metaphor,
hyperbole, irony, etc.)
an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration
32.
flashback/retrospectio
n
33. genre
type or class of literature
34. homily
sermon, but more contemporary
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35. hyperbole
overstatement characterized by exaggerate language
36. imagery
any sensory detail or evocation in a work
37. inductive reasoning
movement from the specific to the general
38. inference
a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or
data
39. irony
contrast between what is stated and what is really meant
40. verbal irony
what the author says is actually the opposite of what is meant
41. situational irony
when events end up the opposite of what is expected
42. dramatic irony
facts or situations are known to the reader or audience but not to the
characters
43. jargon
specialized language of a trade or profession
44. juxtaposition
location of one thing adjacent to another to create an effect or reveal an
attitude
45. litote
46. loose sentence
figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement
long sentence that starts with its main clause followed by several dependent
clauses
47. metaphor
one thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or
analogy
48. metonymy
a figure of speech in which an attribute is used to name something (Congress
said today...)
49. mode of discourse
the way in which information is presented in written or spoken form
50. mood
feeling resulting from the tone of a piece as wel as the writer's attitude and
point of view
51. narrative
mode of discourse that tells a story of some port and is based on sequences
of connected events
52. onomatopoeia
word capturing the sound of what it describes
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53. oxymoron
figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements
54. paradox
statement that seems contradictory but may probably be true
55. parallel structure
the use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts
56. pathos
element that simulates pity or sorrow
57. periodic sentence
a long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end
58. personification
treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person
59. point of view
the relation in which a narrator stands to a subject of discourse
60. prose
the ordinary form of written language without metrical structure in contrast to
verse and poetry
61. realism
62. rebuttal/refutation
attempting to describe nature and life without idealization
an argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and
countered
63. rhetoric
the art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking
64. rhetorical question
a question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect
65. sarcasm
a form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical
66. satire
literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure
67. simile
a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually with like or as
68. style
the manner in which a writer combines and arranges word, shapes ideas,
and utilizes syntax and structure
69. symbolism
use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or
"stands" for something else
70. synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole (100 head of steer, 50
masts)
71. syntax
the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences
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72. theme
central or dominant idea or focus of a work
73. tone
the attitude the narrator/writer takes toward a subject and theme
74. voice
acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the
speaker's take on an idea
75. zeugma
grammatically correct construction in which a word is applied to two or more
nouns without being repeated
76. anecdote
short, personal story
77. apostrophe
invocation to an inanimate object
78. epiphany
sudden revelation
79. pun
sharply contrasting meanings using words with the same sound
80. false analogy
an analogy in which the dissimilarities between 2 things are so much greater
than their similarities that their connection by analogy is unjustified
(oversimplifying)
81. anapestic
In poetry- two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed Twas the night
before christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not
even a mouse
82. antagonist
force that is in opposition to the main character
83. archetype
recurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes or images
which are identifiable in a wide range of literature
84. ballad
poem that was meant to be sung
85. ballad stanza
4 lines (quatrain) that alternates 4 and 3 beats, with lines 2 and 4 rhyming.
86. blank verse
verse form that most resembles common speech
87. caesura
a pause in a line of verse indicated by natural speech patterns rather than
metrical patterns
88. caricature
depiction of character's characteristics as deliberately exaggerated. Like in
political cartoons (big ears)
89. couplet
two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea
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90. dactylic
two stressed syllables followed by one unstressed
91. dramatic monologue
monologue set ina specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience.
Same as soliloquy.
92. enjambment
the continuation of a sentence from one line to the next
93. epic
a poem that celebrates, in a continuous narrative, the achievements of
mighty heroes and heroines, often concerned witht the founding of a nation or
developing of a culture
94. fable
a legend or a short moral story often using animals as characters.
95. falling action
part of the plot structure in which the complications of the rising action are
untangled. Same as denouement
96. farce
a play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild
antics, and often slapstick and physical humor
97. foreshadowing
to hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand.
98. formal diction
language that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal.
99. free verse
poetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter
and non-rhyming lines
100.
iambic
metrical foot in poetry that consists of unstressed and stressed syllables
101.
informal
language that is not lofty
102.
in medias res
"in the midst of things"; refers to opening a story in the middle of the action
103.
limited point
perspective confined to a single character
lyric
any short poem in which the speaker expresses intense personal emotion
diction
of view
104.
rather than describing a narrative or dramatic situation
105.
meter
the more or less regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
of poetry.
106.
motif
recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the
appearance of a character or event.
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107.
occasional
poem
108.
a poem written about or for a specific occasion, public or private (like a
wedding)
ode
a lyric poem that is somewhat serious in subject and treatment. Written to
praise and exalt a person, characteristic, quality or object
109.
omniscient
unlimited point of view
point of view
110.
overstatement
exaggerated language; hyperbole
111.
a short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of
parable
analogy.
112.
paradox
contradictory statement that can be true "fight for peace"
113.
parody
imitates another work for comic effect by exageration "Scary Movie"
114.
pastoral
describes the simple life of country folk
115.
persona
the voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story
116.
petrarchan
aka Italian sonnet. Sonnet that divides the poem into one section of eight
sonnet
117.
lines and a second section of six lines
plot
the arrangement of the narration based on the cause-effect relationship of
events
118.
protagonist
main character
119.
quatrain
poetic stanza of four lines
120.
realism
Attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention
to detail. Mark Twain.
121.
refrain
a repeated stanza or lines in a poem or song
122.
rising action
the development of action in a work
123.
rhetorical
question asked simply for stylistic effect. No answer needed.
rhythm
modulation of weak and strong elements in the flow of speech
question
124.
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125.
scansion
the analysis of verse to show its meter
126.
setting
time and place of the action of the story
127.
Shakespearean
four lines, four lines, 2 lines
sonnet
128.
shaped verse
poetry that is shaped like an object
129.
soliloquy
character alone and speaking to himself
130.
speaker
the person who is the voice of a poem
131.
stanza
couplet, tercet, quatrain, cinquain, sestet, heptatich, octave
132.
stereotype
characterization based on assumptions. Wicked Which in snow white
133.
stock
one who appears in a number of stories or plays. Cruel stepmother
character
134.
structure
organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work
135.
terza rima
3 stanza structure, ababcb
136.
tragedy
character is brought to disastrous end
137.
trochaic
opposite of iambic, first syllable is stressed second is not
138.
turning point
climax
139.
villanelle
19 lines, abaacaada....xyaa