AP Lit List of Literary Terms

Abridged

-Reduced by condensation or omission
-"The novel was abridged for publication in a magazine"

Abstract

-theoretical. not applied; to get essence or main idea
-"It was an abstract discussion unrelated to the problem"
-"Abstract the key ideas of the play"

Accent

-stress or emphasis -"The accent was on the first syllable of the word"

act

-a main division or part of a drama; to perform on the stage
-"The play has three acts" or "she acts very well"

adage

-a saying or proverb familiar through long use -"the old adage about 'early to bed. early to rise' does not always apply"

adapt

-to make suitable by modifying
-"the author will adapt his story for television"

adversary

-the opponent against whom a character tests his strength
-"he was a worthy adversary for the sharp wit of the man."

allegory

-a symbolic story presenting some meaning through another form
-"the story of the journey was an allegory of life and salvation"

alliteration

-a series of words beginning with the same sound
-"her work was wonderful, wise, and witty"

allusion

-a casual reference to something
-"an allusion was made to the earlier play, but it was not discussed"

ambiguity

-uncertain or doubtful meaning
-"the ambiguity of the passage led to various interpretations"

anachronism

-something from a different time placed in a time that is incorrect
-"today, buggy whips are an anachronism to most people"

analogy

-a likeness or comparison of related ideas, things, or persons
-"the analogy between a football game and a battle was striking"

analyze

-to determine or reason out the key features of something
-"the critic decided to analyze the play"

anapest

-a rhythmic poetic pattern of two unaccented and one accented syllables
- - - / - ---
-ex: "in the cool/of the eve/ning we sang"

anecdote

-a short, interesting story (often humorous)
-"he told an anecdote about a childhood experience”

antagonist

-an opposing force or character blocking the main character (protagonist)
-"he was the antagonist of the chief character in the conflict"

anthology

-a collection of examples of one literary form
-"an anthology of poetry will have samples of different poets and styles"

anticlimax

-an abrupt and obvious change from an important idea to something of less value
-after the dramatic death scene, the talk about the weather was an anticlimax"

antihero

-a main character with many negative qualities
-"the writer glorified an antihero who never succeeded at anything"

aphorism

-a pointed or concise statement of an idea
-"life is short, art is long"

archaic

-antiquated or characteristic of an ancient time; no longer used in ordinary speech or writing
-"slavery is an archaic practice which should have disappeared in the world"
-"she used archaic expressions such as zounds (Elizabethan English exclamation meaning God's wounds)"

argument

-a statement or series of reasons to convince someone
-"the author's argument for more attention to natural beauty was persuasive"

artificial

-imitating the real thing, assumed. not genuine
-"his grief seemed artificial in view of his past hatred"

aside

-dramatic device for a character to make a side remark that other characters should not hear
-"in an aside to the audience he said that his opponent was an idiot"

assonance

-sounds that resemble each other, a recurrence of vowel sounds
-"ex who knew you to do this?"

author

-one who writes a literary work
-"she was the author of many poems"

autobiography

-an account of one's own life
-"the autobiography of miss jane pittman became an excellent television play"

ballad

-a poem in short simple stanzas, usually romantic and set to a song
-"the minstrels of the middle ages entertained the court with ballads of news and history"

bibliography

-a list of books used in preparation of a report or book
-"the bibliography listed the books used by the writer"

biography

-an account of a life by another person
-"the reading of biography can bring inspiration and encouragement"

black humor

-use of the morbid or absurd to develop humor which is often hiding anger or bitterness
-"the black humor of the story was not appreciated by many"

blank verse

-rhymed iambic pentameter
-"shakespearean plays are written in blank verse"

blurb

-a short account describing a book
-"the blurb on the jacket made the book seem interesting"

caricature

-deliberate exaggeration of characteristics or qualities of a person
-"don quixote is a caricature of the medieval knight"

character

-a person in a drama/story; the total qualities of a person
-"the main character was a young lawyer"
-"he was a person of fine character"

classic

-a literary production of first rank which is respected throughout many eras
-"moby dick is a classic of american literature"

cliche

-an outworn or overused phrase
-"busy as a bee, slept like a log"

climax

-the highest point or culmination in a drama or poem
-"events moved swiftly to a climax"

colloquial

-ordinary, everyday language as opposed to correct or formal language
-"the colloquial expression 'OK' is frequently said to show agreement"

comedy

-a play with light or humorous theme, usually with a happy ending
-"the play was a comedy about military life"

concrete

-specific or detailed, opposite of abstract
-"cotton in a concrete example of the abstract idea of softness"

conflict

-opposition or clash of forces or characters
-"conflict is the essence of drama as characters try to solve their problems"

connotation

-implied or associated meaning
-"in greek times the laurel wreath was a connotation of victory"

contemporary

-in time with or current
-"contemporary literature tries many new styles"

content

-the substance or basic material
-"the content of that book is related to travel"

context

-related parts that follow or are connected in a text
-"the meaning was changed because the words were taken out of their context"

contrast

-a comparison by noting the differences
-"the contrast of moods from elation dejection was shown clearly"

contrived

-forced, put together artificially
-"the ending of the play was contrived rather than logical"

couplet

-two lines in succession that rhyme
-"this i know and know full well/ i do not like thee, doctor fell"

crisis

-the extremely important or decisive point in the story
-"tension mounted to a crisis between the two main characters"

criticism

-writing or comment evaluating other written material
-"the drama critic gave a fair criticism of the new play"

cue

-a word or gesture that signals one to say or do something
-"the actor waited for the cue to enter"

dactyl

-a rhythmic poetic pattern with one accented and two unaccented syllables
-"listen my / children and"

description

-a statement that describes or represents
-"the description of the beauty of the sky was expressed well"

dialect

-special language of a particular group or region
-"the story was written in an old-fashioned southern dialect"

dialogue

-a conversation between two or more characters
-"dialogue in a play needs crisp short speeches"

diary

-a daily record of events in a person's life
-"we gain insights into a period of history from a great person's diary"

diction

-the choice of words in speaking or writer; the careful enunciation of sounds
-"a fine vocabulary contributed to her careful diction"
-"his diction was a pleasure to hear"

digression

-a departure or wandering away from the main purpose in speaking/writing
-"the account of his personal experiences was a digression from the discussion of the law"

direction

-instruction from the author or director of a play
-"the actors followed her directions"

dissonance

-unharmonious or unmusical language
-"the jarring dissonance of unrhymed sounds was planned to catch your attention"

downstage

-the portion of the stage nearer to the audience
-"the actress moved downstage"

epithet

-a word/phrase attached to a person or expressing some attribute, a nickname
-"the epithet, herbert the cheat, was yelled at him"

escapist

-the type of literature that avoids real people and their lives
-"she liked the novel as escapist literature"

essay

-a literary form in prose on a particular subject to present a particular view
-"the formal essay as a literary form flourished in the 18th century"

euphemism

-more polite/less crude word or phrase substituted for another word
-"darn" for "damned"; "restroom" for "toilet"

exaggeration

-overstatement or more than is true
-"sometimes exaggeration is used to create a special effect"

expository

-a style of writing that sets forth facts and ideas in organized explanation
-"most writing in manuals is expository in nature"

drama

-a prose or verse work of characters in conflict, also called a play
-"a drama deals with reactions of people'

elegy

-a form of poetry expressing sorrow or a lament for someone dead
-"an elegy is somber in tone"

emotion

-feeling/reaction
-"strong emotion is shown in tragedy. epic- a poem or story about heroic deeds the illiad is an epic poem of the early greeks"

epigram

-a witty remark that usually has a string or bite to the words
-"the point of an epigram is more than appears on the surface"

epilogue

-a short part of a play/story that explains later events or results
-"in an epilogue the author revealed what finally happened to the characters"

episode

-an event in a series of events or incidents
-"the third episode of the events of that decade was interesting"

extant

-still existing or alive to forces
-"not all of his works are extant; some have been lost"

fiction

-a story that is made up or invented
-"fiction is creative; nonfiction is factual"

figurative language

-language that represents an idea or mood and means other than what it is says
-"in a figurative sense he was happy as a lark"

fable

-a short story or tale with a moral/point
-"the fable uses animals in stories to teach common sense"

fantasy

-a literary work created from ingenious imagination without a solid/factual base
-"a fairy tale is an example of fantasy"

farce

-comedy to an extreme with a ridiculous situation
-"a standard farce usually involves misunderstandings and mistaken identity of characters"

figure of speech

-a phrase used in literature to express feeling beyond the actual wording
-"a colorful figure of speech is hyperbole, which is deliberate exaggeration"

flashback

-a literary device to go back to an earlier event or a part of a person's life
-"the old man's love was revealed in a flashback to his early years"

foot

-a unit of accented and unaccented syllables which is repeated to give steady rhythm to a poem
-"the four most common poetic feet are the iamb (-'), the trochee (' - ), the anapest ( - -,) and the dactyl ('- - )- each defined separately.

form

-the kind of literary work such as poem, essay, etc.
-"The author chooses the form that conveys his ideas."

free verse

-poetry with no fixed pattern of rhythm or meter
-"Some ideas, hampered by artificial lines, are expressed
better in free verse."

hero

-the main male character of a story
-"The hero of the story was a young man."

heroine

-the mail female character of a story
-"The heroine was famed for her many lovers."

histrionic

-in a dramatic manner that is artificial or affected
-"Her histrionic manner was continued offstage."

hyperbole

-deliberate exaggeration for effect
-"He swallowed oceans of water before he was
brought to shore."

iamb

-a rhythmic poetic pattern with one unaccented
followed by one accented syllable
-"And so / our for / tunes slow / ly turned"

idiomatic

— peculiar to specialized language pertaining to
commonly used modes of expression
-"In idiomatic language you use what the audience
commonly uses in speech."

imagery

— combinations of words or phrases to produce a
feeling or sensation in the reader
-"His imagery was so vivid that you could hear the waves
crashing around the ship."

impromptu

— without prior preparation or warning
-"The actor was called upon for an impromptu
performance."

incident

— an occurrence or event
-"The incident was minor in time, but important to
develop the plot."

inspire

— to give or infuse a spirit that helps the creation of
a literary work
-"The author was waiting for some event to inspire him to
write."

intent

— plan or purpose to do something
-"You read language carefully to discover the author's
intent."

internal rhyme

— a rhyme scheme in which words within
the same line have the same ending sound
-ex:: "In days of old when knights were bold"

interpret

— to figure or to search for meaning
-"When you interpret what you read, the values come
through."

inversion

— a change of word order to fit the emphasis of
the line
-Ex:: "And thus to all said he, instead of: And thus he said
to all."