ap lit terms

allegory

allegory

a prose or poetic narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrates multiple levels of meaning and significance (ex: a black-cloaked grim reaper = death)

alliteration

the sequential repetition of the same initial sound

allusion

any reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place

anapestic

a metrical foot in poetry that consists of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed

anaphora

the regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses (ex: this royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle)

anecdote

a brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature

antagonist

any force in opposition ot the main character

antithesis

the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas

apostrophe

an address or invocation to something that is inanimate (ex: an angry lover screaming at the ocean in their despair); also when someone absent or dead is addressed as if they’re present

archetype

recurrent designes, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature

assonance

repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity

asyndeton

a style in which conjunctions are omitted, usually producing a fast-paced, more rapid prose

attitude

the sense expressed by the tone of voice and/or the mood of a piece of writing; the feelings the author holds toward his subject, the people in his narrative, the. events, the setting, or even the theme

ballad

a narrative poem that is, or originally was, meant to be sung. repetition and refrain often characterize the ballad.

ballad stanza

a common stanza form, consisting of a quatrain (a stanza of four lines) that alternates four-beat and three-beat lines; one and three are unrhymed; two and four are rhymed

blank verse

the verse form that most resembles common speech; consists of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter.

caesura

a pause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns

caricature

a depiction in which a character’s characteristics or features are so deliberately exaggerated as to render them absurd.

chiasmus

a figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first two parallel clauses is reversed in the second (ex: “pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin’s a pleasure”)

colloquial

ordinary language, the vernacular (ex: a large sandwich can be a hero, a sub, or a hoagie)

conceit

a comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular an extended metaphor within a poem.

connotation

what is suggested by a word, apart from what it explicitly describes, often referred to as the implied meaning of a word

consonance

the repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels (ex: pitter-patter, pish-posh)

couplet

two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection

dactylic

a metrical foot in poetry that consists of two stressed syllables followed by one unstressed syllable

denotation

a direct and specific meaning, often referred to as the dictionary meaning of a word

denouement

the final resolution of the main conflict in a play or story; it generally follows the climax

dialect

the language and speech idiosyncrasies o f a specific area, region, or group of people.

diction

the specific word choice an authro uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect

dramatic monolgue

a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience; aka soliloquy

elegy

a poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation

ejambment

the continuation of a sentence from one line or couplet of a poem to the next.

epic

a poem that celebrates, in a continuous narrative, the achievements of mighty heroes and heroines, often concerned with the founding of a nation or developing of a culture via elevated language and high style

exposition

that part of the structure that sets the scene, introduces and identifies characters, and establishes the beginning of a story or play

extended metaphor

a detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work

fable

a legend or a short moral story often using animals as characters

falling action

the part of plot structure in which the complications of the rising action are untangles

farce

a play or scene in in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics and often slapstick and physical humor

flashback

retrospection, where an earlier even t is insterted into the normal chronology of the narrative

foreshadowing

to hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand

formal diction

language that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal — such as in narrative epic poetrey

free verse

poetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines

genre

a type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry or belles letters

hyperbole

overstatement characterized by exaggerated language

iambic

a metrical foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

idyll

a short poem describing a country of pastoral scene, praising the simplicity and peace of rustic life

imagery

broadly defined; any sensory detail or evocation in a work

informal diction

language that is not as lofty or impersonal; similar to everyday speech

in medias res (in the middle of things)

opening story in the middle action, filling in some information from. prior movies and show

irony

a situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant.

jargon

specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group

juxtaposition

the location of one thing as being adjacent to another, creating a certain effect, revealing an attitude, or accomplishing some purpose

limited point of view

a perspective confined to a single character, whether a first person or a third person; the reader cannot know for sure what is going on in the minds of other characters

litote

a figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement.

loose sentence

a sentence grammatically complete and usually stating its main idea before the end

lyric

originally designate poems meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a lyre; now any short poem in which the speaker expresses intense personal emotion rather than describing a narrative or dramatic situation

message

the central idea or statement of a story, or area of inquiry or explanation

metaphor

an implicit comparison or identification of one thing with another unlike itself without the use of a verbal signal such as like or as

meter

the more or less regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

metonymy

a figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something

mood

a feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator’s attitude and point of view, fabricated through descriptions of feelings or objects

motif

a recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event

narrative structure

a textual organization based on sequences of connected event, usually presented in a straightfoward, chronological framework

narrator

the “character” who “tells” the story

occasional poem

a poem writen about or for a specific occasion, public or private

ode

a lyric poem that is somewhat serious in subject and treatment, is elevated in style, and sometimes uses elaborate stanza structure, often patterned in sets of three; written to praise and exalt a person, characteristic, quality, or object

omniscient point of view

a perspective that can be seen from one character’s view, then another’s, then another’s, or can be moved in or out of the mind of any character at any time

onomatopoeia

a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes

overstatement

exaggerated language

oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement

parable

a short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true

parallel structure

the use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts

parody

a work that imitates another work for comic effect by exaggerating the style and changing the content of the original

pastoral

a work that describes the simple life of country folk

periodic sentence

a sentence that is not grammatically complete until the end

persona

the voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author

personification

treating a nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualities

petrarchan sonnet

a sonnet form that divides the poem into one section of eight lines and a section section of six lines

plot

the arrangement of the narration based on the cause-effect relationship of the events

protagonist

the main character in a work, who may or may not be heroic

quatrain

a poetic stanza of four lines

realism

the practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail

refrain

a repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song

rhetorical question

a question that is asked simply for stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered

rhyme

the repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines

rhythm

the modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech

rising action

the development of action in a work, usually at the beginning

sarcasm

a form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually harshly or bitterly critical

satire

a literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure

scansion

the analysis of verse to show its meter

setting

the time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play

shakespearean sonnet

a sonnet form that divides the poem into three units of four lines and a final unit of two lines

shaped verse

poetry that is shaped to look like an object

simile

a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually using the words like or as to draw the connection

soliloquy

a monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself

speaker

the person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of a poem

stanza

a section of a poem demarcated by extra line spacing

stereotype

a characterization based on conscious or unconscious assumptions that some aspect, such as gender, age, race, etc. are predictably accompanied by certain character traits, actions, even values

stock character

one who appears in a number of stories or plays