AP Lit Terms Pg. 1-5

anecdote

a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event. generally used in literature to entertain or make a point and reinforce the author’s purpose

aphorism

a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise/witty manner

often applied to philosophical, moral, and literary principles

“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

binary opposition

contrasting ideas like black/white, dark/light, good/bad

assumes there are no gray areas

irony

contrast between what is said and what is meant, what appears to be and what is actually true

verbal irony

words state the opposite of the writer or speaker’s true meaning

situational irony

events turn out the opposite of what was expected

dramatic irony

the audience knows info the character(s) don’t

juxtaposition

two or more ideas/places/characters are placed side-by-side in a narrative/poem to develop comparisons and contrasts

not necessarily thematic

paradox

a statement that seems to be self-contradcitory/silly, but can include a truth

used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to tradition, or to make a reader think over an idea in a new way

rhetorical question

a question asked only for effect. used in argument as a technique to motivate the audience to give the problem consideration

rhetoric

the principles that govern the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

sarcasm

greek origin - “to tear flesh”

bitter, caustic language meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are this

shift

a change from one tone/attitude to the other

style

a writer’s way of writing determined by the choice of words/details/imagery/syntax/POV

theme

the general idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. unstated in fictional works, but can be directly stated in non-fiction, especially in exposition or argumentation

linking devices that hold a text together structurally

genre

the major category into which a literary work fits

includes prose, poetry, drama with their own subdivisions of this

allegory

a story with two levels of meaning: the surface meaning and the symbolic meaning; massive metaphors that come in narrative form

bildungsroman

a book that deals with formative years

epistolary

a novel where the narrative is carried forward by letters

frame story

a story that has a story within a story, with two or more narrators

parable

a short tale that has a moral lesson

parody

a work that imitates the style or content of another w/ the specific aim of comic effect or ridicule

as comedy, it exaggerates or distorts distinctive features of the original

as ridicule, it borrows words, phrases, or characteristics to show the weaknesses of the original

prose

a major division of literary genre. refers to fiction and nonfiction, written in ordinary language and closely resembling common speech

satire

a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions/conventions for reform or ridicule

employs many literary devices such as irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, sarcasm, etc.

horatian satire

a satire where the subject is mildly made fun of with wit. tends to ask the audience to laugh at themselves as much as the players

juvenalian satire

harsh criticism of a society/people/individuals to affect change

tragedy

a work that addresses the sorrowful downfall of a protagonist in a serious manner. attempts to examine serious questions of existence, especially the relationship between man and the universe