Ap Lit Short Stories

Lai/lai

Short poem that tells tales of chivalry, romance, or adventure

(ex: lay of the werewolf)

Raiment

Clothing or garments

(ex: The bisclaveret’s raiment)

Fawn

A mythological half-goat creature

(ex: In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight when they hunt fawns, which parallels Gawain’s temptations in the castle)

Abase

to humble or degrade

(ex: Gawain’s fear of being abased)

Mundane

Ordinary everyday, and often boring aspects of life

(ex: In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, when the story contrasts between Mitty’s ordinary life and exciting fantasy adventures)

Eponym

A word, character, or concept named after a person, place or fictional creation

(ex: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, “Walter Mitty” is an eponym which describes a person who escapes a dull life through daydreams)

Mittyesque

a character or situation involving excessive, unrealistic daydreaming and escapism

(ex: Secret Life of Walter Mitty)

Didactic

writing intended to teach a lesson

(ex: Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktokman, where the story teaches lesson about conformity, obedience, and the dangers of totalitarian control)

Familial

Themes, dynamics, and characteristics related to family

(ex: I Stand Here Ironing, centers a mother-daughter relationship)

Bohemian

An artist or writer living an unconventional life, often in poverty

(ex: The Game of Billiards, the intellectual environment reflects a nonconformist, elite cultural world)

Temporal

Relates to time of a specific era, season, or time of day

Spatial

physical space and place

Dramatic irony

A device where the audience knows crucial information that the characters in the story are unaware of

(ex: Lamb to Slaughter, when the readers know the lamb is the murder weapon, while the police officers do not)

Situation Irony

a plot device where the outcome of events is the opposite of what’s expected, contrasting appearance and reality

(ex: The Story of an Hour, when readers expect Louise Mallard to grieve her husband, but instead feels free)

Verbal Irony

a figure of speech where the speaker says one thing but means the opposite

(ex: The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor pretends to care for Fortunato, but is actually plotting his death)

Allusion

a subtle, indirect reference to a person, place, event, or other literary work

(ex: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight alludes to the Arthurian Legend)

Anachronism

Someone/something placed in a time period where it doesn’t belong

(ex: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, where Mitty imagines himself in heroic roles which are out of place with his mundane 1930’s life)

Flashback

A narrative device that interrupts the main story’s chronological flow to show events that happened in the past

(ex: I Stand Here Ironing, when the mother reminisces on her daughter’s life.

Chronological

Arranging events, actions, and ideas in the exact order they happened in time

Ambiguity

A word phrase, character, or situation has multiple, valid interpretations, rather than a single clear meaning

(ex: Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktock man, it’s unclear if the Harlequin’s rebellion will have lasting effects or will simply return to strict conformity)

Anaphora

A rhetorical device where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive sentences to emphasize emotional impact

(ex: I Stand Here Ironing)

Allegory

A narrative that’s stands for a message that has a larger moral or lesson

(ex: Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman, dangers of totalitarian control)

Epistrophe

the same word repeating at the end of successive clauses

In medias res

a literary work that begins in the middle of the story

(ex: The Cask of Amontillado, the story opens with Montresor already plotting Fortunato’s demise)

Juxtaposition

the technique of place two contrasting elements

(ex: I Stand Here Ironing, the mother’s reflections on her daughter’s difficult childhood are juxtaposed with moments of love

symbolism

uses objects, people, etc. to represent deeper abstract ideas

(ex: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Knight and exchange of gift symbolizes tests of honor)

syntax

the author’s arrangement of words and sentences

irony

Contrast between expectation and reality

parody

a comical imitation of a serious piece of literature with the intent of ridiculing the author or his work

Reversal or Inversion

A switch in the normal word order, often used for emphasis

(ex: You shouldn’t even think of going green and saving the planet)

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration for literary effect

understatement

when speaker attributes less importance than subject would seem to demand)

Sarcasm

Sharp and often satirical ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain

wit

ability to express ideas in a clever, imaginative, and often humorous manner

invective

harsh language

Lay of the Werewolf POV

Third-person omniscient

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty POV

Third person omniscient

The Cask of Amontillado POV

First person (unreliable)

Lamb to the Slaughter POV

Third-person limited

The Story of an Hour POV

Third-person limited

Eveline POV

Third-person limited

The Game of Billiards POV

Third-person Omniscient with an intrusive narrator

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight POV

Third-person omniscient with an intrusive narrator