APLang Lit Terms

SMCHS Trotter 1st Semester

ad hominem argument

from the Latin meaning “to or against the person” this is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect

allegory

the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. in some, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction such as hope or freedom. the meaning usually deals with a moral truth or a generalization about human existence. used more in fiction than nonfiction

alliteration

the repletion of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds, in two or more neighboring words, reinforcing meaning, unifying ideas, and/or supply a musical sound

allusion

a direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known, such as a myth, place, or work of art. can be historical, literary, religious, or mythically and a work can have multiple layers of it

ambiguity

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage, it can also include a sense of uncertainty or inexactness that a work presents

anecdote

a short, narrative account of an amusing, unusual, revealing, or interesting event. a good one has a single definite point and is used to clarify abstract points, to humanize individuals so that readers can relate to them, or to create a memorable image in the reader’s mind

analogy

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them, can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with, or pointing out its similarity to, something more familiar

antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun and it will be a noun

antithesis

a figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure and the resulting parallelism serves to emphasize opposition of ideas

ex “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

aphorism

a terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle and can be a memorable summation of the author’s point. if the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love, or an inanimate object. the effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity

atmosphere

the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described. even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute and frequently foreshadows events

caricature

a representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject’s distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect. sometimes it can be so exaggerated that it becomes grotesque imitation or misrepresentation

chiasmus

a figure of speech based on inverted parallelism. it is a rhetorical figure in which two clauses are related to each another through reversal of terms. the purpose is usually to make a larger point or to provide balance or order

clause

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. an independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. a dependent, or subordinate, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause

colloquialism

slang or informality in speech or writing. not generally acceptable for formal writing, it gives language a conversational, familiar tone. these expressions in writing include local or regional dialects

conceit

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extend metaphor or a surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects and displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made

ex “queen mab speech about dreams”

connotation

the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. they may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

denotation

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, deviod of any emotion, attitude, or color

diction

related to style, it refers to the writer’s particular work choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

didactic

from the Greek, literally means instructive. works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially teaching moral or ethical principles